How many more boys’ lives will be destroyed because they were at the wrong place at the wrong time?
In 2008, my son Jordan was convicted of a joint enterprise murder, along with two other teenagers. He was 15 at the time of the incident, and blind, with a visual acuity of less than 10%.
The victim died due to a single injury to the neck, a kick delivered by a 16-year-old, who confessed in the police station. Another boy, who was 18, pleaded guilty to manslaughter, accepting that if being part of the 30-second altercation with the victim contributed to his death, he would take responsibility. Jordan had an eye condition called keratoconus that was so severe he was scheduled for transplant surgery in both eyes. Given that my son could not have seen the altercation, or run away from it, and did not come into contact with the victim, I assumed it was a no-brainer that he would be let off.
Janet Cunliffe is a co-founder of Joint Enterprise Not Guilty by Association
Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 300 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at [email protected]
