Exclusive: Lee Rigby vicar’s plea for unity

THE Yorkshire vicar who presided over the wedding of Fusilier Lee Rigby before the soldier was hacked to death by two blood-thirsty Muslim fanatics hopes the sentencing of the murderers will prompt Britain to reassess its community values and encourage families to become better neighbours.
By The Newsroom
Published 27th Feb 2014, 04:02 BST
The family of murdered fusillier Lee Rigby arrive at the old Bailey in London to hear the sentencing of Michael Adebolajo and Michael AdebowaleThe family of murdered fusillier Lee Rigby arrive at the old Bailey in London to hear the sentencing of Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale
The family of murdered fusillier Lee Rigby arrive at the old Bailey in London to hear the sentencing of Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale

Writing exclusively in today’s Yorkshire Post, Father Guy Jamieson’s appealcame after Michael Adebolajo, 29, was handed a whole-life sentence at the Old Bailey, meaning he will never be eligible for release, while his accomplice Michael Adebowale, 22, was jailed for at least 45 years.

Mr Justice Sweeney was forced to sentence the men in their absence after they were bundled out of the courtroom following a violent outburst.

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He said the pair’s behaviour was “sickening and pitiless”, and “in stark contrast to the compassion and bravery shown by the various women” who tended to the slain soldier.

The family of murdered fusillier Lee Rigby arrive at the old Bailey in London to hear the sentencing of Michael Adebolajo and Michael AdebowaleThe family of murdered fusillier Lee Rigby arrive at the old Bailey in London to hear the sentencing of Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale
The family of murdered fusillier Lee Rigby arrive at the old Bailey in London to hear the sentencing of Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale

There was also a vocal demonstration outside the court as the killers were led away in a prison van under a heavily-armed police escort.

However Father Jamieson, who presided over the soldier’s wedding to Rebecca Metcalfe at St Anne-in-the-Grove Church, Southowram, Halifax, in 2007, said this case should not be forgotten following the conclusion of legal proceedings and must mark a watershed in community relations. While some people have tried to bridge cultural gaps following the murder, he notes the “anaesthetised indifference in the majority” has led to a response that he labels as “cultural disengagement”. The priest attributes this “disengagement” to families living in isolation, adding: “Active neighbourly concern has, in many places, retreated under a cloud of doubt as to its purpose. It is frequently dismissed as being ideological or outside the realms of necessity; as something excessive, questionable or even suspicious. What should be simple and everyday is seen as radical, and the word “radical” has been re-appropriated to be almost synonymous with religious terrorism.

“Our challenge is to inhabit something of another culture’s world in order to make life healthier for us all. The social health of local, outlying districts and communities is dependent on their relationship with surrounding communities. We under-estimate how seriously we impoverish ourselves and others by keeping our distance.”

Related topics:ExclusiveYorkshireBritainOld Bailey