For evil to prosper

For evil to prosper

Frank Todd clenched, and unclenched his fists. He frowned until his
eyes hurt, and continued to frown, as he nodded to acknowledge the
ladies in the office, as he walked past. He picked up the keys to the
school minibus, and headed out of the front door. He was driving to
County Hall, some twenty miles away. It was a hot, dry July day, and
Frank was aware of dark semi-circular patches of sweat developing under
his arms, adding to the discomfort that he already felt.

Frank held the title of child protection officer, at Tyldeswood school.
In this capacity, he had been approached by Mrs Goodall, a year 8 group
tutor, two weeks previously. She explained that Ann Marie Fenning had
made allegations against her step-father. Apparently, he had been
touching her in an inappropriate manner, when mother was out of the
house. Now, as he drove to the case conference, Frank mused about the
terminology. "Inappropriate manner". It was just social services speak
for dirty, perverted bastard, he decided. A device to make the
unspeakable, somehow palatable. He braked hard, as the traffic
converged into one lane, guided by cones, placed to facilitate the road
works, which seemed to be a perpetual feature of this stretch of road.
He decided to concentrate on driving.

The case conference was more disturbing than Frank had anticipated. A
small, mousy woman, called Lynn done most of the talking. She had
interviewed Ann Marie,as a result of Frank's referral. Her report had
captivated the assembled social workers, Frank, and a policewoman, who
had looked surprisingly attractive, when she removed her hat. Now,
Frank felt sick to the stomach. He leaned wearily against the wall, and
tried to absorb what he had been told. I will spare you the detail. But
you should be aware that the acts involved Ann Marie's step father, and
one of his friends. Photographs were taken, and possibly posted on the
internet. The friend was known to the police. Off the record, the
policewoman reckoned that the step father would get eight years, and
the friend about 12.

Paedophilia is a disease. Paedophilia is an illness. It is a symptom of
a sick society. Like measles.
No.
It is a crime against the most vulnerable, precious element of our
society. It is a self-perpetuating cycle, which damages lives beyond
repair. It is on the increase. In the vast majority of cases, it is
done by someone known to the victim.
All of which has been said before. However, Frank was being faced with
these truths first hand, for the first time. The impact was hitting
beneath the surface.

Ann Marie was medically examined. She did not have to face court. She
was counselled. Her teachers were understanding, as her academic
performance dipped. She became withdrawn. It transpired that her mother
had been aware of the abuse, but had not intervened. One of life's
victims, she had herself been abused as a child, and had gone through a
succession of abusive relationships with dysfunctional men. She was
given help with parenting skills, and Ann Marie remained in the care of
her mother. The perpetrators were jailed, to join the legions on the
sex offenders register on release.

And there, the tale would end. Except that the tragedy had only begun.
Five years passed. Frank had aged visibly. He sat in his arm chair,
reading the local paper, with interest. His wife brought him a mug of
tea. "Family wiped out in tragic feud", screamed the headline. Shortly
after his release, Ann Marie's step father had been shot dead. The same
day, Ann Marie had been shot at her mother's home, before Ann Marie's
mother had apparently turned the gun on herself. The paper made brief
reference to a previous article, which reported that Ann Marie's
boyfriend had been imprisoned for terminating her pregnancy with a kick
to the stomach.

Frank smiled, ruefully. Another gun would be purchased. He had had to
leave the small revolver cradled in the hand of the dead woman. Now
that the killings had begun, they would continue. More cycles would be
broken. More innocent lives protected. The "ills" of society could be
cured. All that it takes, for evil to prosper?.