Bigpinklad, can you give any references for those claims about OScar Wilde or is it just gossip?

Dave: thanks for the references re public attitudes to the death penalty. It is the earlier one (from 1995) that shows the higher level of public support (76 per cent, by the way, not 77) so at least attitudes are moving in the right direction.

Here is some more evidence in support of that: Even in this fevered atmosphere of despair and disgust at child murder [ie in the wake of the Soham murders] only 56% told the Mail's pollsters they wanted capital punishment. Guardian 21 August 2002

A YouGov poll in January 2003 also showed 56 per cent in favour. And if you were beguiled by Lord Stevens' call for the reinstatement of capital punishment, he based his case on its deterrent effect in the US. Yet more than three in five of US police chiefs believe it has no significant effect on homicide rates. What would impact on the rates of most crime - and I'm all in favour of achieving it - is the the certainty of detection.

The number of children in care is wholly irrelevant to your hysterical cry that we are living in a "mass epidemic of paedophilia". You should be providing evidence to show that paedophilia crimes have dramatically increased, or does your hysteria run to believing that this "epidemic" has been going on for generations? And when you say "child perverts do not contrary to opinion live in the dark alleys of British streets, but in fact hold seats of parliament, council chambers, high courts as judges/magistrates you perhaps need to remind yourself that child abuse occurs overwhelmingly within families.

Just so you know where I'm coming from, I believe that killing and abusing people is wrong, and should be punished - hence no qualms about Sidney Cooke being jailed. (Not "Sydney" by the way.) I did however have serious qualms when, after his release in 1998 a police spokesperson announced that if Cooke did not co-operate with them they would make his whereabouts public knowledge. It is a sad day when our police abrogate their responsibilities to the lynch mob.