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A TRULY shocking crime will often generate huge waves of sympathy and support for the families of the victim, often lasting for years. This is particularly so if relatives front a campaign that comes from such a crime, such as Sarah’s Law.

Far less thought, if any, is ever given to the families of the perpetrator. Of all the notorious cases in recent times, perhaps only Sonia Sutcliffe, wife of the Yorkshire Ripper, can be considered to have something of a profile. Normally, the contempt we reserve for these ‘monsters’ extends to their relatives, who are perceived as being responsible for fostering an environment in which they have developed. Stripped of their social standing, shunned and sometimes targeted by vigilantes, they carry their own life sentence, with no chance of parole and very little possibility of redemption in the court of public opinion.

Perhaps that’s why the husband and two daughters of Vanessa George have moved so swiftly to disown her, with one of her children, 15-year-old Pearl, going so far as to wish her mother dead. George’s husband Andrew has talked of how he considered taking his own life, and the family’s reference to this former wife and mother is peppered with staple tabloid descriptives like scum, pure evil, and sick.

Reading their account, it is difficult not to be moved by the utter heartbreak that George has visited on her family. Of course, it is right that she should have the decency to admit to whom she abused, so that those families can be put out of their misery and be given the support they need. But that doesn’t mean we should also not feel sorry for George’s other victims.

Reading their account, looking behind the hard words, it becomes apparent that the family are angry, and scared. Compared to a case like the Soham murders, the nationwide response has been a little muted, because many of us find it hard to comprehend what these three people did, and because two of them were women. However, that won’t stop the Georges’ march into ostracisation, and perhaps worse.

Reading the accounts from court and its aftermath, George emerges as having been carried away by Colin Blanchard beyond all responsible and decent human behaviour. She hid her online activity from her family – easy enough to do. Being impressionable does not excuse what she did. But her family deserve a fair hearing, too.