LETTER: No goodbyes for victims

No goodbyes for victims

From Ms Virginia Frank

Sir: As an American who has been in this country only a few months, I am distressed and appalled at the coverage of the case of Nick Ingram. After reading an article designed expressly to arouse sympathy for a convicted criminal and his mother "readying her son for the electric chair" ("The cruellest of punishments", 5 April), I found myself asking, as are many other Americans, "What about the victims?"

What about the woman who watched her husband die, without "extended visiting hours" to say the "private, intimate" things, and to say goodbye? What about the multitude of permanent injuries she must have sustained? I've not heard one word about the extent of her injuries or hospitalisation (nor who paid/is paying for her treatment). Only that she survived - by pretending she was dead! What about their families, who lost a member suddenly and violently without a chance to say goodbye?

I am an opponent of capital punishment, and remain so in this case. But in our rush to save this "good" man (as his mother calls him), let's not forget the real victims in this case - Mr and Mrs Sawyer and their families.

Sincerely,

VIRGINIA FRANK

Kenton,

Harrow

5 April