Alan - I would never mock your sentiment. I'm not quite old enough to remember the 4 or 6 first-hand (I was alive, just not old enough to notice!).

Again, though, I would say that they prove my point. The 4 & 6 were convicted on the kind of fitted up evidence that wouldn't stand for two minutes in court these days. I don't necessarily blame the police for that - they were under enormous pressure to convict *someone*. My guess would be that 9 out of 10 were guilty of *something*, & maybe one or two were guilty of what they were charged with. Nevertheless, in the current climate, the evidence that was available *then* wouldn't result in a prosecution *now*.

And that's the point - the world has changed. It is far more transparent, & far more demanding. You are undoubtedly right - CP will not make a comeback in the UK. Not because it is inherently right or wrong, but because the government that legalised it would lose too many votes (&, cynically, that's all they care about!). If it did, though, I am sure it really would be the ultimate sanction - rarely applied & only then when beyond all doubt. I firmly believe that a James Hanratty could not occur in the modern world.