I FEEL that I must speak concerning the recent murder trial at Preston Crown Court, in which the victim was my son, Julian Brookfield.

Because of the nature of the case, the length of time between his death and the discovery of his body and the necessity to discover the truth, it led to him being very much 'on trial' too.

All the tragedy and sadness of the past was dragged before the eyes of the public causing more pain to many people.

But he was the victim!

Whether the victim is a child killed by a drunken driver, an old person dying as the result of a mugging, or an intended victim of a violent death, they can bear no witness.

They have no defence, no voice. They cannot tell their story. They cannot speak the truth, nor can they lie. They have all received a death sentence and they have no voice, no finger to point, they have nothing at all.

They are the victims, the dead.

ANNETTE ANTHONY, Blackburn Road, Darwen.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.