“The police should offer the hand of support and show understanding and compassion to the victim. But to a working girl, it’s the opposite. There wouldn’t be that kindness. With another person, they’d be sympathetic, but with working girls, they’re not. They should treat everyone the same.” Jackie Summerford, mother of Bonnie Barratt who was murdered at 24 years old in the sex trade, speaks bravely about why the Merseyside model is needed UK wide.
How do you feel about the police?
At the time of my daughter’s murder case, I didn’t get on with them. I didn’t get on with the liaison officer because when he came to tell me about Bonnie, he was talking about Xiao Mei Guo, the lady who was selling counterfeit DVDs, and he tried to make Bonnie sound worse by talking about the other lady as if she was better, pure. We clashed there and then, after that one meeting.
How were you treated by the other police officers?
I didn’t meet the others until the actual court case. I think it was the sergeant of homicide who realised something was wrong. One of the officers always stayed outside with us, and he asked my daughter, Kelly, what was wrong with me. She explained to him that for the whole year we’d waited to go to court, the liaison…
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Soul Destruction 