Murder of the heart

An expectant mother and her unborn son callously murdered by her scheming playboy husband.

A chronically sick schoolboy stabbed to death for rejecting his classmate's sexual advances.

A loving bridegroom slaughtered by robbers as he finalises his wedding plans.

A devoted father kicked to death by drunken thugs. Names like young City lawyer Tom ap Rhys Pryce; father of three Garry Newlove; brave Peter Woodhams; paedophile victim Megan Kanka.

All these lives and many more were torn apart by the sickening violence in our increasingly lawless societies.

Their deaths leave families bereft of a partner, parent or child, and the bereaved are left to come to terms with their devastating loss, seek justice and try to rebuild their lives, often in the public eye.But, who speaks for these other victims of lifeshattering crime, those left behind to pick up the pieces?

In this profoundly moving book, for the first time we examine how 'victim impact statements' have finally given voice to their unique suffering.Read them and forever remember the intimate details of the horrific crimes that lie behind these unforgettable and moving tributes and calls for change, as well as the unexpected good that came from these most evil of deeds. For the accounts included in this book reveal that the law can be changed, that judicial wrongs can be righted, and life can be made safer for fellow citizens, by the extraordinarily powerful appeals made by the people left behind by senseless violence and crime.This gripping book contains deeply poignant accounts of these crimes, trials and victim impact statements which have led to a moral reappraisal of society, above all in the name of hope and redemption.

The evil that has been visited upon them is being transformed into a positive force for good.

The fight-back by the families of victims is gathering strength...