Anandi Shah
A member of the public killed by a police officer and a police officer killed by a member of the public. A horrifying coincidence putting British society to shame.
It seems that in 2021, no matter what profession a woman holds, her life is of no consequence to some men. Whether walking home after an evening out or walking the dog on a breezy afternoon, somehow, her mere existence still presents a threat to some men in this day and age.
It is futile at this point to explain the motivations, if any, behind behaviour of the two depraved individuals who saw fit to end the lives of these wonderful women, who led fulfilling lives and had the rest of their lives ahead of them. Julia James’s killer protruding his tongue out for the cameras as he is led to the court gives some indication as to rather limited cognitive processes.
There are of course numerous reasons why men murder, rape or attack women: abuse in all its forms by family members, lack of positive female or male role models, lack of counselling following trauma, growing up in patriarchal communities, ignorance, or pure psychopathic or sociopathic predilections.
Was it any one of these or a combination that led to the brutal and senseless attacks and murders of these two women? The impending trials later this year should provide some illumination with regards to that.
Like always, whenever we learn about these cases, they inevitably induce sadness, anger and disappointment. However, in these difficult times, when it is extremely paramount to look out for one another, when we face ceaseless suffering and injustice caused by COVID-19, it is invariably frustrating to hear of yet another preventable and tragic loss.
On 3rd March, Sarah Everard, 33, left her friend’s house near Clapham Common at around 9pm and made her way home on foot. She had spoken to her boyfriend by phone for fifteen minutes and made plans to meet with him the next day. She had walked in a populated, well-lit area of Clapham Common, but was last seen at around 9:32.
The following day, her boyfriend reported her disappearance. Six days later, on the 9th March, a Metropolitan police officer, with the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection unit, was arrested in Deal, Kent, firstly on suspicion of Everard’s kidnapping and later on suspicion of her murder. On 10th March, Sarah’s remains were discovered in woodlands near Ashford, Kent. The officer was charged with kidnapping and subsequently with murder two days later.
The case ignited national outrage and was compounded by police clashes with vigil attendees due at a major candlelight vigil in Clapham Common, the area of her abduction.
A universal conversation on women’s safety and male culpability began and across the country, women from all walks of life collectively cried: “enough is enough”.
Nonetheless, on 27th April, Julia James, 53, took her dog for a walk near her family home in Snowdown, Kent towards Akholt Wood after working at home.
She never returned. Members of the public alerted the police after finding her body. Her beloved Jack Russell dog, Toby, was by her side, faithfully keeping watch over her.
She was found having suffered blunt force trauma to the head. The killer was not found until ten days later, with police initially baffled as to motive and lack of suspects. Residents of the area and surrounding areas were advised to keep indoors and a community was left terrified with the notion of a potential murderer on the loose.
Eventually, a 21-year-old man was arrested and arraigned at court, where he stuck his tongue out at the news cameras outside. Police revealed further grisly details of the investigation, saying they were examining DNA on a rod.
The police decided to conduct a re-enactment of the crime, to encourage witnesses in the area at that time to provide any more testimony, using Toby to accompany the actor playing his owner.
Whilst there was no vigil, at the behest of Julia’s daughter, who wished for the police to concentrate all their efforts on the investigation, asked mourners to light candles and leave them on doorsteps. Kent Police also held a minute’s silence.
Last year, the country was horrified to hear of the deaths of Bibaa Henry, 46 and Nicole Smallman, 27, both of whom were murdered and whose remains were discovered in Fryent Park, Wembley. They were celebrating Bibaa’s birthday with friends. Like the investigation into Julia James’s murder, police were baffled as to motive. Eventually an 18-year-old man was arrested, but motive has not been established yet. In this instance, even if women pair together, this does not preclude violence. To add insult to injury, it has been revealed that several police officers have been charged with misconduct, after having taken photographs of themselves with their remains. Moreover, their mother believes their investigation was not taken seriously on account of their ethnicity – unlike the case of Sarah Everard.
Indeed, a Times columnist lamented the disparity of coverage between Julia James’s death and Sarah Everard’s, citing the latter’s youth and appearance being favoured in the media, albeit acknowledging that Julia’s daughter declined vigils being held in her memory.
There should of course be outrage at any difference that the police, the media or the public view deaths such as these, if the only difference is youth, ethnicity or background.
The stark reality is, women and girls die every single day and have done for millennia.
But what would happen if every time a man murdered a woman somewhere in the world and protests and vigils were held in major city streets? The world would come to a standstill – perhaps far more than it has during the pandemic.
So, we rely on educating the next generation, toughening prison sentences, improving mental health services and updating legislation, ending victim blaming and improving prison rehabilitation.
Even so, it will take a number of years to provoke a huge cultural and societal shift in attitudes towards women.
The coin that represents our country has been corroding for a long time. Let’s work to remove the rust together.
Featured image courtesy of Thays Orrico via Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license can be found here.
