Wikipedia commons
Reformed jewel thief Bill Mason admits, late in the day, that he never appreciated the ‘depressing and disturbing feeling of violation on the part of the victims’. See my review of his book Nine Lives here
Some
years ago we were burgled, and some family heirloom jewellery stolen, among
other precious things. Another time, our suitcases were stolen from the fourteenth floor
of a hotel in Calgary - at the beginning of our holiday. And about six years ago our daughter and son-in-law were
burgled by men who kicked in the door, knowing she was out at work. Fortunately,
her neighbour spotted them and made a note of their getaway vehicle’s
registration number. Today (the wheels of justice grind slowly!) I accompanied our daughter to the Spanish court where one of
the culprits was arraigned before the judge. He wouldn’t maintain eye-contact.
It was a distressing time, especially as it brought back terrible memories, for
example he or his pals hurt the family dogs while breaking in.
There
are words to describe these arrogant people who would rather steal than work
for a living: despicable, scum and lowlife are three printable options. I
know there are others.
Here’s
an excerpt from Sudden Vengeance, a novel I wrote to vent some of the anger at
these individuals:
Paul pulled his attention from the window and the
seagulls, and watched Sue White, one of the civilian staff, as she inserted a
blank Incident Log form – quadruple carbon-impregnated paper – into the
electronic typewriter.
Three of his reports down, one to go, he mused
ruefully.
The day had been typical: four burglaries, taking
down statements, completing the Property Taken form (in duplicate), feeling
anger at the sight of the wanton destruction left in the wake of the culprits.
Prized possessions trampled underfoot, carpets fouled, drawers and cupboards
damaged; the list was endless. And insurance was little compensation. At each
crime scene, he kept getting flashes of Gran, of her flat...
Of the four reported break-ins he attended, only one
seemed to be professional. They took the DVD player, two televisions, and a
hallmarked silver cutlery set, but left everything else untouched.
While inwardly he boiled to think these people
believed they had the right to steal, he found himself agreeing with the
aggrieved pensioners that “at least they didn’t do any damage”!
What have we come to, he wondered, when we feel
grateful for being robbed by tidy burglars?
-
Sudden Vengeance by Nik Morton,
published by Crooked Cat
Amazon
UK here
Amazon
COM here
The
‘despicable you’, the lowlife in court today pleaded guilty and was given a
prison sentence of one year, suspended.
