My Friend P and I were so incensed about a story carried in The Sunday Gleaner this week that we were derailed from our original column topic that was going to explore the need and use of rules.

A story that was shuffled way inside the paper told of a woman's most brutal murder in front of her children. The murder took place in St. Thomas.

Mutilated

The report said: "The domestic helper's body was stabbed and chopped several times, while her throat was slashed and her head poked into a pot of hot milk, by her children's father. Reports are that the incident occurred in the presence of her two young children, who cried non-stop while watching their mother being murdered."

Now this event is certainly in keeping with an insane level of uncivilised behaviour that seems intent on consuming this island. So does it surprise us? No, after reading at least 100 of these types of tales in the last 10 years, we are no longer surprised. Does it shock us? Sad to say no, it just about manages to shock - which is also why the Sunday paper tucked it away from the gleam of the page one flood light. But there is a little more to this story than the woman's horrible murder that brought forth our ire.

The story goes on to indicate that the woman had just recently reported and got the police to arrest her children's father for allegedly assaulting her. He was supposed to answer to these charges next but was granted station bail and was able to be out and about to do as he liked.

Attacking the weak

I wonder how the person who thought it prudent to give this man station bail now feels about this decision? If he or she is some sort of pompous son-of-a-female, then we can expect all the defence of the decision from the backing of the law. The attack on the weak by the strong must not be taken lightly. And the thought that, had this man been kept behind bars, then just maybe P and I would have gone on to write our light-hearted use of rules column, certainly leaves a numbness in our hearts.

It is time that this society begins to take the issue of spousal abuse as a core problem from which we must recover.

I have been unfortunate enough to see from a distance a man mercilessly beating his woman. He kicked her in the stomach, boxed her to the ground repeatedly and he seemed particularly fulfilled when he walked away from her crumpled form writhing in pain on the asphalt. That fellow is a scum of the earth.

And any real man who has a brethren who takes physical violence to a woman ought to kick him in the balls (if he actually has any) and let him understand that he is being a 'wuss!'

Today P and I are very angry.

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