LETTER : Verdict that has split America

From Ms Maia E. Adele

Sir: As a holder of both British and American nationality, I would like to beg the British public to stop their inexorable complaining about the state of the UK judicial system and thank the Lord (or whoever) that they are not prey to the US system which, by now, must have been exposed to even the most believing among us as being corrupt, biased and blatantly misguided. The OJ Simpson trial was surely the end of US justice. Will there be reforms, and changes in the system to control the media accessibility to courtrooms? Sadly, I do not think so.

That this has been the most enjoyable television Americans have seen in years, as the consistent viewing figures have demonstrated, is possibly a reflection on the dreadful quality of US TV programmes, but more probably a reflection of how Americans have been persistently bludgeoned into believing that this was some kind of trial about racial issues instead of a murder trial.

As a criminologist I find the whole situation farcical, incredible, but, more sadly, unsurprising. There are admittedly many flaws in British justice, but before you shout about them in future - count to 10 and think of OJ Simpson.

Yours,

M. E. Adele

Brighton

4 October