Two terribly sad court cases in London this week, illustrating the extent to which knives are used in a casual and random way to wipe out the lives of innocent boys.
Ben Kinsella, 16 was celebrating the end of his exams in a bar in Holloway, north London when he was stabbed by three boys who thought they'd been shown disrespect. Shaquille Smith, 14 was sitting in a park in Hackney when he was stabbed by gang members with a grudge against the brother of the boy he was with. Ben and Shaquille did absolutely nothing to provoke their attackers.
In the case of Ben Kinsella. witnesses braved intimidation to give evidence. This is just an extract from a letter sent by one of the defendants to a witness: "You all best hope I don't bust case because people will be in trouble and you will never snitch on anyone again, I promise you that.
"You see, snitches get touched. You see blood [brother or fellow gang member], Tottenham ride [flee] or die ... if I get found guilty it's down to you."
Shaquille's mother Sandra read a statement to the court, saying: “It is difficult to describe the life Shaq has lost. I can describe his birth, his first smile, his first tear, when he first walked, going to nursery and onto school.“What I can’t tell you is how he would manage his exams, his graduation, his first job, his first car, his first girlfriend, getting married, having children.“A light has been dimmed and put out of our lives. We never had a chance to say goodbye.”
And Ben Kinsella's mother told the Old Bailey: "Ben had only just finished school – a straight-A student, he had a job and had got his place in college. He never learnt of the wonderful exam results he had achieved and worked so very hard for. Ben loved life, he loved living, and he had so much to live for. He knew where he was going and where he wanted to be. Ben loved nothing more than to make people laugh, he was a fun-loving, happy-go-lucky boy with a heart of gold and would do anything for anyone....All we can hope and pray for is that justice will prevail. Maybe then we can find some form of closure to this awful event that has devastated our family's lives."
Ben Kinsella's attackers were jailed for life today, with a recommended minimum of term of 19 years. Shaquille Smith's killers have been warned that they will also get life sentences.
It's hard to find even a glimmer of hope when reading about these two beautiful boys whose lives were taken from them. Maybe it's in the hundreds of Ben's friends who marched against knife crime in the days following his death. Maybe in the news today that a police raid against gangs in London saw 200 people arrested.
Reading about cases like these make me question myself about the ethics of writing about knife crime in a novel. Could my book be seen as exploiting real human tragedies like these? Is it offensive to grieving parents like the Kinsellas and Smiths to base a work of fiction around a London stabbing? I feel this particularly about Shaquille, because he, like the victim in my book, died in a Hackney park. All I can say is that I hope my book might make some boys think twice before they arm themselves with knives, and that by examining questions about justice and truth, others might find the courage to stand up against intimidation.
As a news journalist I know how the news agenda moves on so quickly as the media bores easily. Maybe fiction offers a different way to keep the hunt for justice alive.
Friday, 12 June 2009
Thursday, 11 June 2009
Romantic evening
Congraulations to Farahad Zama, winner of the third Melissa Nathan Award for Romantic Comedy for his book The Marriage Bureau for Rich People. Farahad gave a brilliantly unromantic acceptance speech last night – ‘I’d like to thank my wife, mostly for not getting in the way’ – and is a fantastic example to all those who say they would love to write a novel but haven’t got the time, as he produced his novel while holding down a full time IT job in the City, writing 300 word chunks during his daily commute.
The awards ceremony was held in the fabulously rococco and romantic setting of the Café de Paris - all velvet, gilding and twinkling chandeliers and the comedy came from the equally fabulous Jo Brand. I used to edit Jo’s column in The Independent but sadly I have absolutely no funny anecdotes to pass on, because Jo’s copy was consistently accurate, punctual, the correct length and very, very funny. An editor’s dream in fact. I'm sure she wouldn't remember me at all because generally all I had to say to her was 'Thank you!'
Melissa Nathan, who died aged just 37 three years ago, was the best-selling author of international hits like The Nanny and The Waitress. She was also my sister’s sister-in-law, which means we were jointly aunts to the same children. Her books were always much more than ‘just’ hilarious comedy or ‘just’ heart-melting romance, but showed fully rounded characters struggling with all aspects of their lives, especially their careers - with plenty of acutely accurate social commentary along the way.
I’ve really missed Melissa’s advice and guidance as I’ve set out to try and write books. She was and is a real inspiration, and well done to her husband Andrew Saffron, family and friends for creating the awards and also the Melissa Nathan Foundation in her name.
http://www.melissanathan.com/
The awards ceremony was held in the fabulously rococco and romantic setting of the Café de Paris - all velvet, gilding and twinkling chandeliers and the comedy came from the equally fabulous Jo Brand. I used to edit Jo’s column in The Independent but sadly I have absolutely no funny anecdotes to pass on, because Jo’s copy was consistently accurate, punctual, the correct length and very, very funny. An editor’s dream in fact. I'm sure she wouldn't remember me at all because generally all I had to say to her was 'Thank you!'
Melissa Nathan, who died aged just 37 three years ago, was the best-selling author of international hits like The Nanny and The Waitress. She was also my sister’s sister-in-law, which means we were jointly aunts to the same children. Her books were always much more than ‘just’ hilarious comedy or ‘just’ heart-melting romance, but showed fully rounded characters struggling with all aspects of their lives, especially their careers - with plenty of acutely accurate social commentary along the way.
I’ve really missed Melissa’s advice and guidance as I’ve set out to try and write books. She was and is a real inspiration, and well done to her husband Andrew Saffron, family and friends for creating the awards and also the Melissa Nathan Foundation in her name.
http://www.melissanathan.com/
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
Good luck on the North Circular
What a lucky day for me back in 1980-something when Tony Metzer turned up to share the not very beautiful flat I was living in on the North Circular Road (For non-Londoners, the North Circular was then and is now a noisy, congested and very, very long road – always a big problem to get a pizza delivered).
Back in those days Tony was a pupil barrister, paying his way by marking exam scripts and I was a reporter for the Greenford, Northolt and Perivale Gazette, which was a bit of a mouthful when we answered the office phone.
But now I write books which need a certain amount of expertise on the criminal justice system. And Tony is a criminal barrister, perfectly placed to help out and kind enough to do so. He was the legal adviser to the makers of the brilliant BBC series Criminal Justice, so he’s used to guiding wild creative imaginations - although the writer there used to be a barrister himself so had a certain advantage.
For When I Was Joe Tony told me that I’d got the police procedure all wrong, and how to fix it. We’ve just had lunch to discuss Almost True during which he had to deal with vast numbers of plot possibilities and at least three potential trials, telling me what solicitors, police and barristers would and could do. His advice will be absolutely essential in working out the last third of the book.
That’s not the only reason that I was very lucky to have shared a flat with Tony. Not only was he the nicest flatmate imaginable, but when another room in our vast but hideous flat was vacated he suggested his sister Sylvia’s then boyfriend Richard should move in. And Richard was a fantastic flatmate too, given to returning from visits home with vast carrier bags full of M&S food and kitchen gadgets.
At Richard and Sylvia’s wedding I sat next to her boss. And - despite losing half my outfit on the way to the wedding and the waitress dropping a bowl of cream in my lap - we got on very well and swopped phone numbers. We’re coming up for our fifteenth wedding anniversary. Thanks Tony!
Back in those days Tony was a pupil barrister, paying his way by marking exam scripts and I was a reporter for the Greenford, Northolt and Perivale Gazette, which was a bit of a mouthful when we answered the office phone.
But now I write books which need a certain amount of expertise on the criminal justice system. And Tony is a criminal barrister, perfectly placed to help out and kind enough to do so. He was the legal adviser to the makers of the brilliant BBC series Criminal Justice, so he’s used to guiding wild creative imaginations - although the writer there used to be a barrister himself so had a certain advantage.
For When I Was Joe Tony told me that I’d got the police procedure all wrong, and how to fix it. We’ve just had lunch to discuss Almost True during which he had to deal with vast numbers of plot possibilities and at least three potential trials, telling me what solicitors, police and barristers would and could do. His advice will be absolutely essential in working out the last third of the book.
That’s not the only reason that I was very lucky to have shared a flat with Tony. Not only was he the nicest flatmate imaginable, but when another room in our vast but hideous flat was vacated he suggested his sister Sylvia’s then boyfriend Richard should move in. And Richard was a fantastic flatmate too, given to returning from visits home with vast carrier bags full of M&S food and kitchen gadgets.
At Richard and Sylvia’s wedding I sat next to her boss. And - despite losing half my outfit on the way to the wedding and the waitress dropping a bowl of cream in my lap - we got on very well and swopped phone numbers. We’re coming up for our fifteenth wedding anniversary. Thanks Tony!
Friday, 5 June 2009
Great news from Germany
Oh the excitement - a new version of the cover which is beautiful - I'm completely in love - but made me think quite hard about what colour the eyes should be. Why did I come up with a main character whose eyes change colours? And an offer from German publisher DTV for both books, which I am so happy about. They look like a fantastic publisher.
And the other great thing arrived in an email tonight - a pdf of the inside pages actually looking like a book, not a manuscript. I should get a print out to proof quite soon - but what a thrill to see something that really looks like a book with my name on it. And it's spelled right - unlike the first time I ever wrote a whole page in a newspaper and then laid it out (with the help of the art department natch) and edited it. I couldn't believe my eyes when it came back with a huge KAREN DAVID byline - the compositor (yes, back in the dark ages) had changed it on the stone 'because he thought it must be a mistake'.
And the other great thing arrived in an email tonight - a pdf of the inside pages actually looking like a book, not a manuscript. I should get a print out to proof quite soon - but what a thrill to see something that really looks like a book with my name on it. And it's spelled right - unlike the first time I ever wrote a whole page in a newspaper and then laid it out (with the help of the art department natch) and edited it. I couldn't believe my eyes when it came back with a huge KAREN DAVID byline - the compositor (yes, back in the dark ages) had changed it on the stone 'because he thought it must be a mistake'.
Tuesday, 2 June 2009
'You've got to have something to protect you'
The House of Commons Select Committee report on knife crime is published today, and it's well worth reading - good to be reminded of the important work that MPs do amid all the kerfuffle about expenses claims.
The report underlines lots of the things that I've tried to include in When I Was Joe, about the fear that young people feel on the streets, and the basic thoughtlessness of many
These were very telling quotes from young offenders:
It was not like I was carrying it because I was going to go and stab someone, it was just other people were doing it so it was just like an arms race. I think in a way—and this is a personal opinion—to make it equal, governments have nuclear weapons because someone else has got nuclear weapons. It is to defend ourselves. No-one wants to use it but it is just there as a deterrent
The police are saying that they keep you safe, but the police ain't gonna protect you 24-7, 52-weeks. Obviously you've got to have something to protect you …
When you are in that experience, when my friend got stabbed when I was with him on the bus, the other gang came on the bus, we had a ruck, he got stabbed, we did not realise and then afterwards because he had been stabbed everyone was like, "We have got to get them." It does not go through your mind at all about prison or whatever; it does not exist.
Some of those giving evidence were the parents of victims of stabbings, parents who have turned their crippling grief into powerful positive campaigns against knife crime. For example Mrs Oakes-Odger goes into schools to talk to young people about the loss of her son:
I speak to them about what happened to Westley. I show them Westley through their growing up years so that they relate to Westley as being someone within their age field and then the understanding comes out of his story, what relevance that is to them going through their school years; I speak to them ab
out their discos, their social events, where an innocent situation can evolve and, if you have a knife, instead of a possible disagreement where bumps and bruises are involved, with a knife in their pocket, potentially, therein is a life-threatening situation which they then relate to only in terms of missing fingers. I find that showing young people pictures of injuries that they can relate to, such as fingers hanging off, has more relevance to them … I relate with them about Westley's story as a mum so that they can think about, "How would I feel if my brother or sister was missing and my mother was hurting at the loss of my brother or sister?"
The MPs conclude that prison is not a sufficient deterrent, according to Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs committee: "We need a new tack here, at least partly based on making young people feel safer and reducing the exposure to violence in their lives."
Hopefully more areas will follow the example of Strathclyde police who told the MPs about an excellent initiative in one of Glasgow's rougher areas:
Strathclyde Police used intelligence to identify all the gangs and gang members in the area and invite them to a meeting with police officers, teachers, social workers and community workers; 150 of the 220 invited turned up. There were a series of presentations including from the Chief Constable, who made the gang members aware of the extent of police knowledge about them and how seriously they would be targeting them, Medics Against Violence, who gave graphic accounts of the damage caused by violence, former gang members, a mother whose son had been attacked and life coaches. At the end, they were given a card with a phone number on it and told to stand up if they were prepared to seek help to change:
When he said, "Right, stand up", first of all ten stood up and then maybe 15, and then 20. Every one of them stood up except three and … In the afternoon we had 55 adults in … They all stood up. We had six young men in from Polmont Prison who were in the dock with prison officers. They would not leave until they had been given a card with a phone number on it. They have already been on the phone saying, "I get out in seven months. Will this still be here?" It will be. Within the first four weeks 70 contacted us, and they are now in programmes … It might be about education, it might be about readiness for work, it might be about alcohol counselling, drug counselling, it might be housing, it can be a whole range of things. We have also set up a football tournament with 160 involved in it and yesterday morning my DCI, who is the project manager, received a phone call from the sub-divisional officer, who said, "I am just phoning you, Andy, to let you know, I had no disturbance calls in Easterhouse over the weekend." So we know it works … It is our ability to deliver it consistently that is the challenge.
The report underlines lots of the things that I've tried to include in When I Was Joe, about the fear that young people feel on the streets, and the basic thoughtlessness of many
These were very telling quotes from young offenders:
It was not like I was carrying it because I was going to go and stab someone, it was just other people were doing it so it was just like an arms race. I think in a way—and this is a personal opinion—to make it equal, governments have nuclear weapons because someone else has got nuclear weapons. It is to defend ourselves. No-one wants to use it but it is just there as a deterrent
The police are saying that they keep you safe, but the police ain't gonna protect you 24-7, 52-weeks. Obviously you've got to have something to protect you …
When you are in that experience, when my friend got stabbed when I was with him on the bus, the other gang came on the bus, we had a ruck, he got stabbed, we did not realise and then afterwards because he had been stabbed everyone was like, "We have got to get them." It does not go through your mind at all about prison or whatever; it does not exist.
Some of those giving evidence were the parents of victims of stabbings, parents who have turned their crippling grief into powerful positive campaigns against knife crime. For example Mrs Oakes-Odger goes into schools to talk to young people about the loss of her son:
I speak to them about what happened to Westley. I show them Westley through their growing up years so that they relate to Westley as being someone within their age field and then the understanding comes out of his story, what relevance that is to them going through their school years; I speak to them ab
out their discos, their social events, where an innocent situation can evolve and, if you have a knife, instead of a possible disagreement where bumps and bruises are involved, with a knife in their pocket, potentially, therein is a life-threatening situation which they then relate to only in terms of missing fingers. I find that showing young people pictures of injuries that they can relate to, such as fingers hanging off, has more relevance to them … I relate with them about Westley's story as a mum so that they can think about, "How would I feel if my brother or sister was missing and my mother was hurting at the loss of my brother or sister?"
The MPs conclude that prison is not a sufficient deterrent, according to Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs committee: "We need a new tack here, at least partly based on making young people feel safer and reducing the exposure to violence in their lives."
Hopefully more areas will follow the example of Strathclyde police who told the MPs about an excellent initiative in one of Glasgow's rougher areas:
Strathclyde Police used intelligence to identify all the gangs and gang members in the area and invite them to a meeting with police officers, teachers, social workers and community workers; 150 of the 220 invited turned up. There were a series of presentations including from the Chief Constable, who made the gang members aware of the extent of police knowledge about them and how seriously they would be targeting them, Medics Against Violence, who gave graphic accounts of the damage caused by violence, former gang members, a mother whose son had been attacked and life coaches. At the end, they were given a card with a phone number on it and told to stand up if they were prepared to seek help to change:
When he said, "Right, stand up", first of all ten stood up and then maybe 15, and then 20. Every one of them stood up except three and … In the afternoon we had 55 adults in … They all stood up. We had six young men in from Polmont Prison who were in the dock with prison officers. They would not leave until they had been given a card with a phone number on it. They have already been on the phone saying, "I get out in seven months. Will this still be here?" It will be. Within the first four weeks 70 contacted us, and they are now in programmes … It might be about education, it might be about readiness for work, it might be about alcohol counselling, drug counselling, it might be housing, it can be a whole range of things. We have also set up a football tournament with 160 involved in it and yesterday morning my DCI, who is the project manager, received a phone call from the sub-divisional officer, who said, "I am just phoning you, Andy, to let you know, I had no disturbance calls in Easterhouse over the weekend." So we know it works … It is our ability to deliver it consistently that is the challenge.
Monday, 1 June 2009
Everybody does it
I've just been adding some links to good websites - YA authors I like, the writing course I took which led to When I Was Joe being written, that kind of thing and came across this fabulous picture book on the Frances Lincoln site. How great is this? Buy it for the toddlers in your life!
Return to Amsterdam
Just back from Amsterdam, where we lived from 1999 to 2007. We hadn't returned since, and it was strange to revisit somewhere we know so well. Funnily enough 'keren' in Dutch means 'to return'.
In a way it was like meeting an ex-boyfriend - still attractive, in some ways very desirable and very easy to fantasise about what life would be like...because you've lived that life, you know what it's like. You have to keep on reminding yourself of the times when things weren't so great. Amsterdam's great-looking, very chilled, fun and - for me as an expat- ultimately shallow. London's messed-up, depressed and a bit depressing, not so great looking and not very fit - but intellectually stimulating and a deeper experience. OK, maybe I've opted for the more dysfunctional relationship.
I went and checked out the teenage section of the big bookshop in the Koningsplein - the brilliantly named Selesxyz and Scheltema - and counted four books with covers featuring boys in hoodies . Which either means that Joe will be just what they're looking for or that they'll be really over hoodie boys.
Best experience was hiring bikes and riding round the Vondelpark just like old times. The Noordermarkt was also fun and it was great to see old friends and sit and drink koffie verkeerd (the 'wrong' coffee - that's what the Dutch call a latte). Nice to go to a city where I've seen all the sights and know all the best cafes and can just walk around with no pressure to do anything.
The hotel was fine - just down the road from our old flat. But then Laurence overheard another guest complaining about seeing a 'long black animal' in her room. Her room opposite ours. Urgh. We made sure all our suitcases were shut. And then the next day, just around midnight, there he was. A little mouse, scampering around my shoes.
It was too late to do anything, so we mentioned it to the manager the next day. "Oh well," he said, "You've lived in Amsterdam. You know how it is." And true, we had a constant flow of rodents in both our Amsterdam flats, plus we spotted mice in the bar at the Hilton and the cafeteria at Ikea. One local cafe was forever known to us as the Rat Cafe because of the very wet large rat we saw cleaning its whiskers on its doorstep one day. So the manager was right - we pretty much took it for granted that a nice hotel in Amsterdam will have mice running around its bedrooms.
Back to London to find our alarm had gone off and the police had come round with sniffer dogs to check there was no intruder lurking inside. Then they broke down the front door to make absolutely sure. We came back to find a massive padlock on the door and the lock jammed so our neghbour had to break in for us. I think I'm impressed by the police's enthusiasm...and I'm hoping for a nice replacement door.
In a way it was like meeting an ex-boyfriend - still attractive, in some ways very desirable and very easy to fantasise about what life would be like...because you've lived that life, you know what it's like. You have to keep on reminding yourself of the times when things weren't so great. Amsterdam's great-looking, very chilled, fun and - for me as an expat- ultimately shallow. London's messed-up, depressed and a bit depressing, not so great looking and not very fit - but intellectually stimulating and a deeper experience. OK, maybe I've opted for the more dysfunctional relationship.
I went and checked out the teenage section of the big bookshop in the Koningsplein - the brilliantly named Selesxyz and Scheltema - and counted four books with covers featuring boys in hoodies . Which either means that Joe will be just what they're looking for or that they'll be really over hoodie boys.
Best experience was hiring bikes and riding round the Vondelpark just like old times. The Noordermarkt was also fun and it was great to see old friends and sit and drink koffie verkeerd (the 'wrong' coffee - that's what the Dutch call a latte). Nice to go to a city where I've seen all the sights and know all the best cafes and can just walk around with no pressure to do anything.
The hotel was fine - just down the road from our old flat. But then Laurence overheard another guest complaining about seeing a 'long black animal' in her room. Her room opposite ours. Urgh. We made sure all our suitcases were shut. And then the next day, just around midnight, there he was. A little mouse, scampering around my shoes.
It was too late to do anything, so we mentioned it to the manager the next day. "Oh well," he said, "You've lived in Amsterdam. You know how it is." And true, we had a constant flow of rodents in both our Amsterdam flats, plus we spotted mice in the bar at the Hilton and the cafeteria at Ikea. One local cafe was forever known to us as the Rat Cafe because of the very wet large rat we saw cleaning its whiskers on its doorstep one day. So the manager was right - we pretty much took it for granted that a nice hotel in Amsterdam will have mice running around its bedrooms.
Back to London to find our alarm had gone off and the police had come round with sniffer dogs to check there was no intruder lurking inside. Then they broke down the front door to make absolutely sure. We came back to find a massive padlock on the door and the lock jammed so our neghbour had to break in for us. I think I'm impressed by the police's enthusiasm...and I'm hoping for a nice replacement door.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)