Letter: Craig Thomson needs help, not scorn

So, Craig Thomson is to be sacked (your report, 11 July) and presumably the media who orchestrated this campaign will be happy.

What I'm struggling with is how alienating, ostracising and embittering this immature, dysfunctional young man will make children safer.

The fury generated by the red tops with their "cage the beast" mentality and their faux outrage was predictable.

However, it is interesting to note, while we are in the midst of the News of the World hacking saga, that senior police officers condemned as wholly irresponsible Rebekah Brooks' campaign to introduce Sarah's Law, a plan to name and shame sex offenders which led to attacks on innocent individuals.

History also records the fatal attack on a paediatrician killed by truly confused and literally ignorant individuals fuelled by the innate sense of superiority that those prepared to commit GBH have for sex offenders.

It pains me to say this as I worked for that truly great organisation for many years, but I was deeply disappointed by the position adopted by Children 1st.

To me its interventions appeared opportunistic, and I suppose I should know as I was in charge of PR at RSSPCC/Children 1st for a long number of years.

I have a deep respect for Anne Houston, chief executive of Children 1st, as we worked together on a small group swimming against the tide and ahead of our time trying to promote another contentious and unpopular issue, the banning of physical punishment of children.

However, in all the sound and fury, who has talked about making children safer by the monitoring and management of Craig Thomson's behaviour? Where are the offers of psychiatric assessment or counselling?

Who is going to endeavour to find out why this young man's wiring is so dreadfully flawed that he seeks gratification in the exploitation of children. And if Children 1st can't take the lead here, who can?

Douglas Turner

Derby Street

Edinburgh

With regards Heart of Midlothian Football Club, I applaud those fans who, quite rightly, threatened to boycott the club over their initial mishandling of the Craig Thomson affair.

On a further matter of morality, I wonder what those same fans feel about the club being sponsored by a money-lending company which openly advertise loans with APR interest rates in excess of 4,200 per cent.

Ben Murphy

Mansewood Crescent

Whitburn, West Lothian