Police Officer 1:
PC Smith.

PC Smith has been a Police Officer for 27 years. He is married and has 2 children, a son of 19 and a daughter of 14.As the young victim is only a couple of years younger than his own daughter, PC Smith is finding this incident extremely difficult to deal with. Despite his vast experience, it is not easy to remain detached when such serious incidents involve children, especially when Officers have children of their own.

Suggested additional discussion points:

• PC Smith is clearly angry. Why could this be?
• Is it possible for members of the Emergency Services, not to become emotionally involved, and why/how?
• Could being emotionally involved affect someone's judgement? If so, how?
• Who else could be affected by PC Smith's attitude, and how?

Victim's Mum:
Sandra.

Happily married for 15 years, Sandra is a housewife who has dedicated all her time to bringing up her daughter Natalie. They are a very close family, and Natalie was the only child. Sandra, and her husband had great plans for Natalie, they were saving to send her to University. Sandra is a very emotional person, and has suffered from mental health problems in the past.

Suggested additional discussion points:

• In Sandra's place, how would you feel?
• If angry, who would the anger be directed at?
• How could this affect Sandra's life?
• How do you think Natalie's Dad could react?

The Offender:
Phil Thompson.

Phil is 16 years old, and has always been easily influenced by his mates. Although he acts tough when his mates are around, Phil is not really a bad lad. He was bullied at Primary school, and desperately wanted to avoid the same at Secondary. Although he did not really like them, he made friends with a group of lads there that were a bad influence. Phil does have two younger sisters, being the only boy in the family, he is sometimes left out of things at home. During a recent Careers event at school, Phil had decided that he wanted to be a Fire fighter, and planned to go to College, then in to the Fire and Rescue Service.

Suggested additional discussion points:

• How do you feel about Phil, and what should happen to him?
• At what point did Phil 'go wrong'?
• What choices did Phil have before the 'accident'?
• How could Phil's future now change?
• Is Phil simply an Offender, or is he also a Victim?

Phil's Mum:
Jenny Thompson.

Jenny is a working Mum, and has a very busy job at the local Medical Centre. Married to Mike for 20 years, they spend very little time together, this also means very little time with Phil. Working, and bringing up three children means that Jenny is often very tired. Although there are three children in the family, Jenny does try to spend some time with Phil, but the two younger children take up most of the little spare time she has.

Suggested additional discussion points:

• Is Jenny a 'good' Mum?
• What is more important, working hard to give the family a good life, or not working to allow more time to be spent with the children?
• Do you think Jenny has a good relationship with Phil?
• Do you think the relationship between Jenny and Mike has any influence on the way Phil behaves?

Phil's Dad:
Mike Thompson.

Mike has worked in a small engineering factory ever since he left school. Having paid little attention at school, he left with very little in the way of qualifications.He is well thought of by his employer, and is always the first to be offered overtime, that he always takes. Mike likes his job, and also likes to spend time with his mates. This can be in the local pub, or fishing. At home, Mike is usually found watching sport on TV. Not very interested in family life, Mike lets Jenny get on with bringing up the children, while he gets on with his life. Mike has been known to drink too much alcohol at times, and always seems to put his mates first.

Suggested additional discussion points:

• Is Mike a 'good' Dad?
• Mike spends a lot of time working overtime for more money. Should he spend more time at home?
• Could Mike have done anything to prevent Phil getting into trouble?
• What, or who is a good Role Model?

Reporter:
Paul.

Paul has worked with the local newspaper ever since he left school. Starting as an office junior, he worked his way up to being the crime reporter. Having interviewed thousands of people over the years, nothing surprises him, although he has very little time for 'publicity seekers'. Paul is well aware however, that how he reports
incidents can have a massive influence on public opinion. He tries to report the facts, but knows that everyone sees things in different ways.

Suggested additional discussion points:

• Does the Media play an important role in such incidents, and why/how?
• What are the different types of reporting, and does it have an influence on people's opinions?
• How could the media attention, and reporting, affect the overall situation?
• Do different people see thinks in different ways? If so, why?

Witness:
Berresford.

Miss. Berresford lives with her disabled Mother at a house on the road where the incident took place. Looking after her Mum takes up all her time, and she rarely goes out. Any chance for some attention is very welcome. Miss. Berresford did not know any of the people involved, mainly due to her rarely leaving the house.

Suggested additional discussion points:

• Does Miss Berresford seem to bea credible witness? If so, why?
• Does anything make you doubt Miss Berresford's account of what happened?
• What is your opinion of witnesses? What are the good, and bad points of being a witness?
• How many ways can you report incidents to the Police?

Victim:
Natalie.

Natalie was 12 years old, and a very happy child. She was doing very well at school, and had already started to make plans for the future. She intended going to University to study Law, and then wanted to be a Solicitor. Being very popular at school, Natalie had lots of friends. Some children at school had told Natalie that she would never go to University, as she did not have a rich family. However, Natalie knew this wasn't true, and knew she could do it. She had everything to live for..........

Suggested additional discussion points:

• What feelings/thoughts do you have about Natalie?
• What 'one word' do you think would best describe how Natalie's Mum and Dad feel now?
• What effect could this have on Natalie's extended family?
• Will Natalie's death affect her friends, and how?