Heartbreaking was a word to describe the last days of poor Arthur Labinjo-Hughes before his death at the hands of his father and stepmother.
Then I think the next word is anger at what happened to him. I know many people feel the same in Eastbourne and Willingdon. It is a case that has rocked the country. I am a mother of three but I know you do not have to be a parent to feel profound shock.
The evidence heard at the trial was terrible. Some of it was incredibly hard to watch and read about. I know of many people who have said they couldn’t watch it.
Those who killed him were given very heavy sentences but I do welcome that those jail terms will be reviewed by the Attorney General's Office. I don’t think there is a person in the country who doesn’t think they should be increased.
I also really welcome the government ordering a national review into Arthur's death by the National Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel. The only hope we have is something positive can come from this senseless death.
It will have two lines of inquiry: to look very carefully at what actually happened to Arthur and a wider country-wide review to try and prevent any such awful cases from happening again. Meaningful lessons must be learned from this tragedy.
Small Business Saturday last weekend saw me tour the constituency to help promote this national initiative. I went to the Enterprise Centre's new ice rink and then I headed off to Langney Shopping Centre for one of my regular drop-in advice surgeries.
While there it was fantastic to see new businesses opening at the centre. I quickly popped in to see Tony Piccante Pizzeria & Pasteria where the Tiramisu looked especially tempting!
I also had a behind the scenes sneak peak at KiddiCity and how it all works. A few more Christmas ideas awaited me at The Toy Stop and then a quick hello at WhiteLines Tanning, which only opened last month.
Our independent retailers need our support as they recover from the pandemic. I am a big fan of Small Business Saturday but I realise we need to support these businesses all year round. Please buy local if you can this Christmas and in 2022.
