A Brief Summary
In a further flashback
Trigell describes Boy A’s journey to court in a police van. The van comes under
heavy attack from an angry crowd, eager to take revenge on the two boys. The
reader is continually challenged to question whether these boys should be considered
as responsible adults or vulnerable children. Their small size is emphasised, as
they sit on the defendants’ benches in court “the toes of the defendant did not
quite reach the floor from their seats”. Trigell also notes that the age of
legal responsibility is lower in Britain
The identity of the victim
is revealed for the first time, a ten year old girl called Angela Milton. The
jury are played audiotapes of the two boys’ evidence in which they deny any
responsibility for the girl’s death. Boy A lies consistently but Boy B’s
evidence is contradictory and quickly reveals that he is trying to deceive the
questioners.
The court passes a sentence
of seven years imprisonment for the murder. This is increased by the Home
Secretary to ‘indefinite detention’, under pressure from public opinion,
fuelled by a tabloid newspaper campaign.
Points for consideration:
- Trigell writes in an almost poetic style. In
this chapter rhyme (“narrow arrow slits”, “the treasure and measure of
this clan”)and frequent alliteration (“concerned and curious”, “blameless,
beautiful”) are used. How well does this lyrical style suit a novel whose
themes are so dark and so graphic?
- Phrenology was an old fashioned belief that some
scientists held suggesting your personality was set from birth - read
more here. Why does Trigell refer to this old fashioned idea when
describing the public’s reaction to the boys?
- Note how the descriptions of Boy A (“… wore new
clothes that fitted perfectly”) and Boy B (“… wore a tracksuit throughout
the trial”) differ, not for the first time in the novel. Can you spot any
other differences in their presentation in this chapter?
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