WEIRDO, MOSHER, FREAK by CATHERINE SMYTH

WEIRDO. MOSHER. FREAK.

(If only they'd stopped at name calling)

THE MURDER OF SOPHIE LANCASTER

by

CATHERINE SMYTH

THE BLURB:

Twenty-year-old Sophie Lancaster was kicked to death by a pack of 'feral' youths at her local park in Bacup, Lancashire. Her boyfriend, Robert Maltby, was also set upon and received life-threatening injuries.

Their only 'crime' was to dress differently, as 'goths' or 'moshers' in the easy shorthand of the media, which cited the killing as another example of Broken Britain.

Catherine Smyth was the first reporter on the scene and remained at the heart of the story throughout. A mother herself, she writes evocatively of the impact it had on both the Lancaster family and Bacup itself.

Smyth has unearthed several anomalies: the police admitted initially attending the wrong park and the ambulance took 14 minutes to travel a distance of a mile in reaching the scene.

While relating the horrific nature of the attack, Smyth also focuses on the good to rise from evil- a town rallying in support of a stricken family, a mother showing incredibly dignity and, most important of all, a campaign launched to inform the world of the grave dangers of intolerance. As one banner carried at a parade in memory of Sophie proclaimed: 'Hate is easy- love takes courage.'

THE REALITY:

I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed by this one, as it didn't tell me much more than I knew already. Yes, it was good to read about the court procedures from an insider's perspective and see the emergency calls listed, and it was good to learn about the fundraising events following Sophie's death, for the S.O.P.H.I.E. charity. Incidentally, I'm someone who has always been a tad alternative (although, like Sophie and Robert, goth was a name other people labelled me with) and have been to Whitby Goth Weekend (fantastic!) I also have had some negative comments regarding my style of dress thrown my way over the years, so I can certainly relate to that aspect. Whilst I do believe that being assaulted for dressing “differently” should be regarded as a hate crime, as certain styles can make people stand out (and really, we can all wear what we bloody well want!), I agree with Robert Maltby in that the main reason he and Sophie were set upon was because the chav scum doing it were arseholes. The author did mention that jealousy of the attention Rob and Sophie were getting was probably a trigger, and I get where she's coming from. If you look at the five perpetrators, they are identically dressed; cookie cutter fashion- representing those who follow the crowd, and who haven't got the imagination, intellect or courage to look and behave differently. Yes, I can understand why idiots like that would be jealous and insecure when faced with those living their best lives, but to take it as far as they did is truly horrific and evil.

I think that because this book was written by an “insider” it came across as a bit one-dimensional; I suppose in the same way that an autobiography would when compared to a biography. I can understand that, but we really needed more depth and a better-rounded approach. Why were Sophie and Robert's lives not discussed in more detail? This book didn't even note Robert's date of birth, for instance. What did they get up to on a day-to-day basis? We know Robert was a student but did he work as well? We know Sophie was on a gap year but what did she do? Work? Travel? Tell us about their families and how they met. Was it love at first sight? A developing friendship? So much that should have been explored was missed. I don't know Bacup, so provide me with a map, detailing their route that night and who they picked up along the way- let us know when it's believed that they encountered their killers. Maybe add some photos as well, such as the outside of their town centre flat; the garage they visited; the mentioned Fudge Factory area, etc. Show me a plan of the skate park, and plot where the emergency services found them in relationship to the benches/ skating areas, and point out the entrance(s). Give me some (at the risk of sounding ghoulish) crime scene photos, and photographic evidence of the perpetrators' clothing. Tell me exactly what injuries Sophie and Robert had and finally, I know the publishers were trying to keep costs down, but show me some colour photos.

I flattened this book in days and was intending for this to be a bookcase stayer, but it's been relegated to the charity shop bag. As a final note, Sophie's mum's friend, Kate Conboy-Greenwood comes across as very unlikeable in this book- did the author have personal beef with her? An okay read, but it could have been so much better.