People with longstanding grievances against Peter K should have raised them while he was still alive - either one to one privately, or in some appropriate public forum. Some of the posters in this thread say that they did indeed do so, but clearly they were unwilling to keep on pressing their case until they got satisfaction.

That being the case, it seems rather mean-spirited for them to revive these accusations here and now - firstly because the man can neither defend himself nor (if appropriate) apologise and make recompense, and secondly because his family must still be grieving, and all this can only distress them further.

In due time,historians will gather in all the available data, and weigh up the positive and negative aspects of Mr K's life and work. In my opinion, his good works will then be seen to have far outweighed his transgressions - but let's not condemn him out of hand before we know all the facts.

Wassail!

Dr Mike Sutton
Northumbria University