For Rhys

What world do we live in when someone takes a Child’s life?
When some maniac strikes with a gun or a knife
An innocent boy had been playing his game
Which he hoped one day would lead him to fame
His name was Rhys Jones he never knew what was to come
Been practising his football his team maybe had won
On his way home to the Mum and Dad he adored
To tell them about the goal he might have scored
Then a hooded gunman rode past, stopped and took aim
In that split second the family’s life would never be the same
He fell to the ground this wonderful boy
The gun that was used was never a toy
A young life extinguished, why and what for?
His friends stood around could not do any more
A true blue he was could have really set his mark
Now he will never grace the pitch at Goodison Park

G.W.Milward
August 2007
This boys murder sickened me I had to write this poem

GORDON MILWARD, LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND

next time you will criticize italy...remeber this...

a 11 years old child killed that way...

not in the worst favelas of rio de janero...

in your so called "civilized" england...

ALEX, MILAN, ITALY

In a way I do not blame the community for not coming forward. They have been complaining about gang violence for a long time. The the police have done very little to solve this problem.

If they come forward now, when the case is out of the news, the police will 'drop' them and there lives and family lives will be in danger.

The law system seams to be powerless in the face of yob criminals and you just know that if you are targeted, the police will just give them a sob story about how their hands are tied.

The problem with this situation is that it gives gangs power over the community.

Observer, Gillingham, Kent

If these terrible tragedies are going to continue to happen, the British society will turn into a sick, pervert society where unsound values will become a part of a every day´'s life and the majority of people will not bother about these criminal acts any longer.
How a term " in wrong place, at wrong time" can be considered as something which ordinary people have to live with when in the reality it is only a pretext for those who are unable to create security on the streets!
It is a shame that politicians in this country are ready to spend millions of pounds on the Olympic games while at same time they are treating their own citizens as if they were sheep without feelings and the ability to think!

Bess, Uppsala, Sweden

We are sick and tired of the violence in this country. Where do the guns come from? I am sure it must be immigrants aggravating the problem as there is virtually no check on who is in the country. Until the governments forget the stupid PC nothing will ever change. Why are we so worried about upsetting foreigners, we fit in when we go to their country, we have our age old customs and they should fit in with that when they are here. No wonder people are leaving this country in droves. It's time parents and police took a harder line, parents these days think their little darlings can do no wrong.

Ann, Edinburgh,

BRING BACK THE DEATH PENALTY - THE EXCUSE WAS THAT THE DEATH PENALTY WOULD RESULT IN MORE WEAPONS ON THE STREET.. WELL WE HAVE THEM ANYWAY, SO WE NO NEED A DETERRENT AGAINST THIS EPIDEMIC OF HEINOUS CRIME

LISA GRANT, FRENSHAM, SURREY