Users and Abusers

I've been reading about the case of Wheeler and Urquhart in the newspaper, and when I reflect on it, I feel my soul recoil inside me.

They exist in a place that disgusts me, and I don't make that judgement based on the sex or the drugs or kidnapping or the possible conspiracy to murder. I make it on the basis that two men in their forties approached a 14 year old in the street with a mindset of "Here is a boy; what can he offer us?"

14 year olds do not exist to offer adults anything. Normal people look at a boy that age and think, "Here is a person who needs nurturing, protection and encouragment to join us in the adult world". Normal people do not think "Here's a chance for some X-rated fun". There's a massive difference between a 16 year old looking at a 14 year old and seeing a prospective partner and lover, and a 46 year old looking at a 14 year old and seeing an object that might bring a bit of spice to his jaded sexual palate. The sheer selfishness of it all revolts me.

And now that they've been caught, Wheeler and Urquhart are discovering the end results of their mindset. Their whining, self-justification and terrified bargaining only makes the scenario more abhorrent. Their punishment will be worse than anything they can imagine --- we all know how child rapists are treated in prison.