Not this time!
We had a recent case in the news of an admin worker stealing money from the bank account of a resident of a local hostel. The worker was in a trusted position and they abused their role over a lengthy period of time. The resident had mental health issues, making the crime even more despicable.
Coverage in the local media was scant. Only a small inside page column with an unidentifiable photograph. Their article was mainly coverage used in their previous report. There was not even a mention of this case on any of the local radio stations.
It seemed like everybody got the result they wanted. The police, the bank and the hostel were all able to slap themselves on the back and brush this case under the carpet, saying justice had been done. After all, a thief had been sent to prison and the victim would get back what money they all thought had probably gone missing.
Unfortunately our victim has mental health problems. He has no idea how much money has been stolen because he put his trust in the admin worker for many years. They will probably serve a couple of months in prison and return to their pious life and everything will soon be forgotten.
Our swindler used to be a pillar of the community. Partaking of religion on a Sunday and praying for the kind of unfortunate souls they were to commit this heinous offence against. Whereas our victim was despised by the community because of his circumstances. Yet our victim has never harmed a fly and is often seen by many of us carrying out voluntary work in the town centre.
Maybe we should all shoulder some of the blame over what has happened to our victim. We treat the mentally ill with disdain, blaming them for their own reduced circumstances. In our area there used to be hospitals where they received professional care. These were sold off for their land and property value, leading to many vulnerable people expelled into a society which saw them as an unwelcome burden.
Sadly we have seen terrible cases of exploitation by others, including the admin worker, currently inside. Unscrupulous people will always home in on vulnerable people with mental health issues. Perhaps the case of our victim is just the tip of the iceberg. Perhaps this appalling case will make society look at exploitation of the mentally ill. Or will everybody carry on regardless and have as much interest as the authorities have shown?
