7/7 bombing victim is convicted rapist
Rape past of London bomb victim
It's tempting to make some lame joke about how Lambeth's "Celebrity Lights" are really doomed for disaster this year.
But what a complex story.
I always feel pity for people who, as a result of being a victim of something awful, are exposed as less than angels - it has happened repeatedly over the years and I think it is unfair when, for example, the parent of a murdered child is revealed to be a petty thief.
But his is different, I think. The crime of which he was convicted is one of the most vile imaginable. It seems he served his time, and it seems he has made a new life, changing his name, building a career. And then this happens - losing a leg as a result of, by chance, being on the wrong train at the wrong time. I think that, despite the vileness of the crime he committed, he was still due an element of privacy: simply being a name and a face in the newspaper is not, in my view, justification for having the past raked over, especially - in my view - when this was a crime he committed at 16, and the Press do not appear to suggest that he has committed further crimes following his release.
But there comes a point where someone goes beyond being a face and a name in the newspaper and begins courting celebrity. Admittedly, turning on Streatham lights is not exactly the benchmark of superstardom, and I can see the logic in inviting someone who appears to be a positive black role model to do the job.
But I wonder about the thinking that led him to accept. I am guessing wildly, but I would imagine that by changing his name and building a career, he wants to put the past behind. I would have thought that it might have occurred to him that by courting publicity he might anger his victim, or her friends or family, which is, I suppose the source of the information. And many of us are dazzled by the lure of showbusiness - heck, I would be honoured to be invited to turn on the lights just on my road. But it's a dangerous, double-edged sword is fame.
Or maybe he is just so arrogant it never crossed his mind that his jeopardy and respect would be endangered by his desire for publicity. Did the attention go to his head>
Agent and Brixton music producer Charles Bailey admitted his client had lied about it when confronted by reporters. He said: "He has been under a lot of stress and he panicked. "I know he has been honest now. "It is good that it has come out - he has got to get it out his system. "He never asked to be in the public eye, but it was a therapy for him. It was keeping him happy being loved."All of which makes sense.
I suppose the only conclusion I can draw is that people should be very cautious indeed when being seduced by the lure of fame.
And I 'm sure it makes Daphne unbelievably happy to turn the lights on in his stead...
