Justice prevails…and yet

imageThis is the ninth part of the impact statement that my mother wrote. This part was not read out in court, but was written afterwards about the experience.

Justice Prevails, and yet …..

We are so grateful to the police and to the prosecuting authorities for their excellent work in arresting the criminals, assembling the evidence and (ultimately) bringing the case to trial. After nearly 4 years 2 of the 4 attackers were sentenced to life imprisonment for rape as well as being charged for kidnap, robbery, illegal possession of a firearm, etc.

The Judge described the circumstances of the case as horrific and callous. She said that rape was a worst nightmare for women.

It was such a relief that this saga was over, that the criminals were punished for their crime, and yet…. there were no winners in this. Our children have lost something innocent and precious, their lives had been irrevocably impacted and changed, and we as parents, although willingly doing so, have paid a very high price in supporting them in their recovery.

Even the criminals ultimately gained nothing except for a very long prison sentence that would result in them only being eligible for parole as very old men.

There were no winners here.

The next post is, ‘Courageous Cayly’