Author’s note: This probably looks ill judged in hindsight, but I think it still makes a valid point. Ian Huntley was being tried for the murder of two school children and there had already been a number of concessions to the media (eg holding the case at the Old Bailey) who had already decided he was guilty (which to be fair, he was). I was worried about turning the trial into a public entertainment. Hence…
Jurors in the Soham murder trial have visited Alton Towers today in a re-creation of the last Bank Holiday spent by the murdered schoolgirls.
The jurors were joined by 300 journalists on a day where they were shown the various sites the children had visited on their final Bank Holiday and attended the rides which they had experienced. The park, which is usually shut over winter, was specially reopened to allow the jurors to consider the final vacation moments of the two victims. The jurors spent 4 hours visiting snack food sales points, buying souvenirs and solemnly partaking of rides, with a number of jurors taking several turns on rides of “special evidential interest.”
The Sun’s headline “Chilling Silence of Death Ride” accompanied a picture of the twelve jurors suspended upside down on the famous Nemesis attraction, pointing out the uncanny lack of other riders on a cold and wet November day when the park is closed. The Sun went on to speculate that the shadow of “child murdering psychopath Ian Huntley must surely be responsible for the lack of rosy cheeked children and contented parents” at the “family fountain of fun”
Other papers pointed out the “screams of terror” as the jurors visited the new “Spinball Whizzer” ride, which is due to open in 2004. “Although the ride was not open for the brutally murdered children’s final joyful visit with their parents, it is certain that they would have wished to try the ride out, had it been in operation. It was only fitting that the jurors experienced the thrill of the new ride so they could understand the pleasure that these children have been denied by their slaughter at the hands of evil, paedophile child-murderer Ian Huntley”
Further visits are also being planned to sites recently visited by the children. However some people have questioned whether such trips were necessary for the jury. This has been strongly rebutted by many papers, who claim that it is essential that jurors are allowed to fully understand the lives of the young children in order to assess their case. “Furthermore, it is essential to continue to provide the media with photo-opportunities to keep this vitally important case in the public eye,” claimed the Daily Mirror, whilst exhorting the court authorities to approve future visits to “Blackpool, Disneyland Europe and Mustique” as essential fact-finding missions.
However, eyebrows have been raised at the Daily Star offering competition winners coach trips to “Soham – Death.Town.” The paper promises “A luxury escorted coach trip to the major sites of death haunted by child-murderer Ian Huntley” as well as offering moments for “tearful reflections on innocence” at favourite playgrounds of local children. The tour also offers time for souvenir buying as well as the services of a professional photographer to provide mementos of the “lucky winners’ day of sombre reflection and joyful remembrance of the children’s lives”
In other news, Jessica Chapman and Holy Wells were reported to be still dead.
Sex and Drugs and Growing Old 