Letter: How best to protect the rights of the mentally handicapped in care and in the community

Sir: Congratulations, once again, to the Independent for giving space to the victimisation of people with learning difficulties.

In 1991, the Independent was the only paper to run the story of the abduction of Jo Ramsden, a young woman with Down's Syndrome. All other papers had ignored this, while giving a similar story about an Oxford graduate, front-page coverage. Ms Ramsden was eventually found dead.

Reluctance to treat crime against people with learning difficulties equitably is not restricted to the press. From carrying out a two-year research project for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, I know that this attitude pervades all aspects of the victimisation of this group of people.

Incidents such as staff locking people in their rooms, individuals being hit, or threats and insults by children are rarely viewed as criminal. The police sometimes do not take reports seriously, and the Crown Prosecution Service has blocked cases concluding that the victims could not be good witnesses; a decision made without meeting the victims. Even in court, negative attitudes prevail. In one case a judge likened an assault on a 45-year-old man to smacking a naughty child.

Let's hope that service providers and the justice system will soon follow the example of the Independent and treat victims with learning difficulties equitably. Then perhaps there will fewer stories to hit the headlines.

Yours faithfully,

CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS

Norah Fry Research Centre

University of Bristol

16 September