Fritzl

Over in Europe, it seems the police have uncovered one of the worst example of family related crimes since police in the Midlands started digging up a back garden in Cromwell Street in the 1990's. Cue endless press coverage by a media disappointed that, after a year of milking it, the Maddie McCann story just doesn't seem to be offering the sort of rewards that the witless purveyors of mindless speculation demand.

The latest story is that the monster in question raped his grand-child as well as abducting and fathering children with his own daughter. There is something about this sort of case that leaves me numb as horror upon horror is revealed. And I ultimately wonder why on earth every new development needs to be communicated to all and sundry.

Newspapers etc will be doing it for the money, pure and simple. People want to read about this sort of shit, so newspapers can be forgiven for printing it, at least on some levels. But why is that demand there? Why do people want to read about it?

Some might say it is for some sort of lurid voyeurism, that some might get off on the lurid tales of kidnap and rape. Whilst I'm sure that there might be some people, somewhere, who might fall into this category I both think, and hope, that they are a tiny minority. No, I think that the real reason is that this sort of story allows people to both look down on others and feel safe in their own environments. Yeah, you might be obese and unable to pay the mortgage, but at least you haven't got your daughter in the cellar; or at least you don't have one of the most terrifyingly maladjusted families in modern history. And it is difficult not to feel a better human being than the evil man at the centre of this living nightmare. Perhaps this will be the silver lining of this dark and oppressive cloud of a story - that, no matter what happens, at least your life won't be a fucked up and warped as this particular maniac's.

But I do wish that these articles would stop - for the sake of those involved. Not the man responsible - fucking hell, it is difficult to think of any sort of punishment that would truly fits this most appalling of crimes. Naming and shaming him is nothing compared to what he deserves.

No, it is his family I feel sorry for. The last thing his victims need is to read about their suffering in the media. And the last thing members of his family need are to have even more people learning about the evil of their husband/father/grandfather etc. Can you imagine being one of his kids and/or grand kids at school and some little shit in the playground learns who your parent is? This is a personal crime, it is a personal tragedy - no benefit offered by the ongoing exposure of these heinous crimes warrants the potentially dreadful impact on the innocents involved.

Of course, I'm aware of the irony of belly-aching about the endless speculation on this case at the same time writing about it. I'd point out I am not speculating on it, rather commenting on the impact of it. And I won't be writing about it again. But I just hope, for the sake of those innocents involved, that the media calms down and moves onto another target.

The perpetrator will be punished. The victims involved deserve the chance to be able to escape, without the cloud of speculation and lurid reporting hanging over them.