There have been cases in recent years when young
children have killed other children. It happens periodically.
I can recall, when I was growing up, the case of a ten
year old girl who was sent to prison for murder. These
cases are a terrible shock to all of us. It’s bad enough
for children to be killed at all but when the killer is a
child also it’s more than we can bear. For most people
children represent innocence. They have not been
corrupted by the adult world. That a child could take the
life of another child is incomprehensible. 

I wanted to write a book about such a child. I wanted to try
and imagine how she might feel, six years later, when she
has been released from custody and is trying to make a life
for herself, with a new identity. She has a life, people who
care for her, a job, a boyfriend, a university course to look
forward to. Can she ever forget the past though? Can people
forgive her for what she has done? Can she forgive herself?
This wasn’t an easy book to write because I know that
people have strong feelings about such things. When I tell
people about this book they raise their eyebrows. Perhaps
they are thinking of the victims. I also had to think about that
when I was writing the book. Why should I ask my readers to
try and show some understanding for someone who has taken
a life away? But I did.    

Looking for JJ was developed for theatre. Here is the
Looking for JJ theatre link and the Looking for JJ u-tube link.

The book was nominated for some prizes and I was
interviewed about the book on Woman’s Hour and
the book was reviewed in The Guardian.