Paul and his family were at home one evening when the doorbell rang. Four men pushed their way into the house and demanded cash. Paul was attacked, resulting in a fractured eye socket, broken nose and extensive loss of blood. His wife, Samantha, was threatened. His eldest daughter, Eloise, barricaded herself in an upstairs room and called the police, who soon arrived. The men were arrested, convicted and jailed.

“After the trial there were many questions that we felt were left unanswered.” Paul and his family wanted to know why the men had done this, and why their house was targeted. Feeling traumatised, his daughter moved out of the family home.

Paul, Samantha and Eloise met one of the attackers at the High Security Prison where he was detained.

“I was pleased because it was important for Eloise to see him as more than just a monster, and helpful for us to talk to him, because ultimately we don’t want his life to be wasted.”

“At the end of the meeting I took the decision to shake his hand. It was not pre-planned but just felt the right thing to do. The act of forgiving someone is cathartic and empowering; but you can’t do that unless you believe the apology to be genuine. It was his determination to change his life around that convinced us that our attacker was truly sorry for what he had done.”

After the meeting, Paul’s daughter felt safe to move back home.

This Christmas, you can support more people like Paul, his family and the man they met to have this life-changing experience. Restorative Justice brings those harmed by crime and the people who harmed them together to ask questions and talk about the impact of what happened in a safe, supportive way.

Support Why me? to bring Restorative Justice to everyone affected by crime by making a donation today.

If you would like further information or to discuss your donation, please contact Kate Aldous kate.aldous@why-me.org or call 07395 281973