...to think that the police force has absolutely NO business whatsoever deciding that someone is 'pure evil'...

[almostblue]

... much less issuing an official statement to the effect?

I think it's a bit weird calling anyone 'evil', especially 'pure evil'. Who makes these moral judgements? Apart from the Sun, who is actually is a position to do so?

thick as sh*t is probably more descriptive

Haven't read the full post. Suppose it's up to Him upstairs at the end of the day.
As the police are in the business of evil more than most though, they are as likely as anyone to be able to make a pronouncement.

What constitutes evil then, Im confused, putting your own needs before that of your children, drugging them for over 12 months with strong halucenagenics, having them kidnapped by a complete tosser, then tied up like a dog, so you can profit from their misery. Please do tell, I would think that the inbreed, disgusting pig of a woman, who refused to care for her children, but kept bringing the poor things into the world with no care was hardly mis guided, or a little over whelmed, she an absolute disgrace, so evil is'nt that bad a word for a bitch like that.

Let her burn, I have no sympathy for a woman like that yet alone a mother, she is foul.

Oooo colacubes, I beg of you - post that on the AIBU topic, sit back and enjoy the fun!

I wonder whether they considered whether her other children could be upset/affected by the description.

almost blue - I absolutely agree - I was gobsmacked!

IT's a very poor sign of a society whne the police feel able to comment on all sorts of social issues, as they have increasingly done so.
I think it all started with James Anderton, chief of MAnchester in the 70's in saying homosexuality was a sin and should be stamped out as it was against the bible. I heard the Chief Officer of W. Yorkshire providing his social commentary on the estate where Shanon Mathews was raised. He has no authority to do this. The police detect and prevent crime. They should be remaining independent and not wandering into areas of social policy at all.

colacubes

ffs!

What???

She is a vile creature, she has been doing this since 1996, 12 years of abusing children, please if that isnt evil what is!! And also dont forget the ploice will have more info about this woman than we do, they will have heard every word, and seen every peice of evidence, we have only seen the tip of the iceberg.

inbreed, disgusting pig, absolute disgrace, bitch like that. !!!!

bean she has drugged her child for more than 12 months, she cost the police 3,000,000 trying to find her kidnapped daughter whom she had tied to a rope in the home of man who had kidnapped a child before!!!

this is not a loving mother, this is an abuser, she has serious personality trates that lead her to think only of herself, she should be locked up her children have the best chsnce of a decent life with her out of the picture!

Im sorry what should I call her??? Misunderstood!

i do struggle to find any redeeming features in Karen Mathews.nope none.she is a shallow woman devoid of nurturing and emapthy.

I don't have a problem with the police saying this at all.
They are the ones that have had personal dealings with her, and they are entitled to an opinion.

she is a disgrace. I have not an ounce of sympathy for the woman.

pure stupid would be a better description

So all those of you defending others' view of Karen Matthews, do you think she was innocent? that she was wrongly convicted? that she should be released? Do you think she was a good mother then and that she has been victimised by the authorities and the media?

The woman drugged her daughter (and for all we know the other children she had in her care as well) for 20 months. She then had her daughter kitnapped and stood there and cried on national television begging her to come home. And for what? For £50000.

She has been found guilty, and she will, according to the judge, serve a lengthy custodial sentence for these crimes.

Considering all she has done, and the fact she is guilty, I hardly think it matters what words people use to describe her.

But if people want to blame the police for describing scum like her as evil then go ahead.

I personally think she is the lowest of the low. Maybe I wouldn't have used the words evil but then I guess I'm not the one that spent 24 days searching for her daughter's body while she played at being a celeb.

She is probably the product of a dysfunctional family and upbringing herself; not everyone can overcome or escape poor parenting. There is no excuse for what she did, but I don't think we should start using words like evil.

I don't think she is innocent. I just find the conceptmof 'evil' hard to understand.

I think whichever police officer made that statement to the press should be severely disciplined. It is not the job of the police to pass judgement, it is not the job of the police to be involved in any way in the sentencing of convicted criminals, and it is not up to the police to pronounce suspects guilty or innocent - that is for the judge and the JURY OF 12 INDEPENDENT CITIZENS.

Police officers, like all public figures and people in positions of authority, have a responsiblity not to parade their personal opinions and emotions while at work. If you want to be a fecking Sun leader writer, go and be one.

I was really not impressed with the statement.

I also think that 'evil' is an inappropriate word. Stupid, feckless and unkind maybe. THis was an utterly fuckwitted scheme that was never going to work, anyone who actually tried to implement such a scheme really cannot be in full possession of his/her faculties.
It also seems important to keep repeating that no one has been killed here. On a scale of badness, surely Karen Matthews ranks rather lower than Peter Sutcliffe or Fred West - or indeed Myra Hindley.

good post debs

Wannabe - nobody's saying she's good. She's bad. I don't think anyone's saying that individual policemen and women can't have individual opinions, either. Just that their individual opinions shoudn't be given as hard fact in official statements. Or in newspapers.