Alan MacDermid reports on the plight of an attack victim
LET US pray for the soul of Father Rotter, the monk in charge of wine
production at Buckfast Abbey in Devon. Of course crime committed by
drunks is the fault of the drunks, not the people who supply the drink.
I suppose that helps Father Rotter to sleep at night. Like Pontius
Pilate, he can wash his hands of the horrendous crime committed by Derek
Peacock, 19, for which he received the seemingly generous sentence of
one year's detention at the High Court in Airdrie.
Peacock, from Cumbernauld, had refreshed himself copiously with
Buckfast and Carlsberg lager before he and his friends pounced on
19-year-old Paul Dineley last year. He kicked Paul in the head when he
was down and, long after the youth was well and truly out, he went on
kicking.
Apart from his taste for drink and violence I know nothing about Derek
Peacock, but I have learned more about his victim. Long after Peacock
has left his cell Paul Dineley and his family will remain imprisoned in
their own private hell as a result of his crime.
Paul, now 20, was lucky to survive at all, but he has been left
permanently mentally disabled with a low intellect. He has problems with
memory, concentration, and behaviour. He has little insight into the sad
state he is in.
Before the attack he had a promising job, a girlfriend, and an active
social life. Because of it he has lost the job, the girlfriend has gone,
the pals have drifted away.
An active young man with a love of football has become a morose
hermit, with no energy, no motivation to do anything but sit in front of
the television all day.
When Paul was admitted to the Neurosurgery Unit of the Southern
General Hospital in Glasgow his parents were told he had a 50:50 chance
of survival, that if he did recover it would take a long time and he
would be left with brain damage.
''He made a recovery beyond our wildest dreams, but he is not the son
we knew,'' said Mrs Dineley. ''He still has behavioural problems. He
can't live independently or look after himself. His meals have to be
made for him and he can't handle money -- we are going to have a curator
bonis appointed to look after his financial affairs.''
The effect on his parents, Brian and Mary, has been devastating. At
the age of 50 they had seen a rebellious son mature into a young adult
who was going somewhere. After being in employment training he had got a
laboratory job at a local quarry just six weeks before the attack. Now
they are left, in effect, with a dependent child again -- one who may
never really grow up.
While his attacker receives what appears to them a smack on the wrist
for ruining their son's life, they have had to fight to get him the care
he needed. They had to seek a second opinion from a consultant and seek
the intervention of the then Health Minister, Michael Forsyth, to have
Paul referred to the Scotcare brain injury rehabilitation unit.
His physical recovery exceeded all expectations, but the behavioural
problems remain.
''When he was younger he was overactive and cheeky, and we had
problems, but he had grown out of that,'' said Mrs Dineley. ''I had a
great relationship with him. Now he gets abusive, he is not capable of
contributing to a relationship. He is socially isolated.''
The Dineleys' latest fight is to have him referred to the unique
Kemsley Unit in Northampton, which treats severe behavioural impairment.
They are still waiting for approval by the local health board. Paul has
already been turned down as unsuitable for treatment at the Royal
Edinburgh Hospital.
Paul's fate has also imposed a heavy financial burden on his parents.
His father looks after him full-time. Because of his problems with Paul
he lost his #20,000-a-year job and is in no position to chase another
one, so Mrs Dineley's wage as a nurse is the only money coming into the
house.
Understandably Mrs Dineley was bitter when she saw Derek Peacock's
pals give him the thumbs-up as he was led from the dock this week. ''I
don't believe in an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth, but what is
that going to do to discourage others from this kind of crime? He has no
future and we have no future because we have to look after him, and one
day we won't be here to do that.''
The Dineleys are now seeking redress from the Criminal Injuries
Compensation Board. Their case will probably still be grinding on when
Derek Peacock steps back on the street, and life and Buckfast Wine will
probably still be cheap.
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