My son’s murderer should die in prison
THE grieving mother of a man knifed to death by Britain’s most wanted fugitive yesterday called for the “pitiless” killer to die in jail.
Shane O’Brien went on the run for almost four years after slashing Josh Hanson, 21, across the chest in an unprovoked attack in 2015.
After an international manhunt, tattooed O’Brien, 31, was arrested in Romania in March.
Yesterday, an Old Bailey jury took just 55 minutes to find him guilty of murder following a two-week trial. He will be sentenced later this month. Mr Hanson’s mother Tracey yesterday called for CCTV footage of her son’s horrific death, at the RE Bar in Hillingdon, north-west London, to be released.The court heard it was an act of “pitilless savagery”.
She said: “Josh was taken from us in the most horrific way possible – suddenly, abruptly, viciously and violently.We hope that a whole life term will be handed down by the judge at sentencing.” Behind bars... Shane O’Brien
GYLES BRANDRETH has been memorising poetry as a hobby since he was a child. But at the age of 71, he has a more compelling reason to commit verse to memory – to keep dementia at bay. Author, presenter and former MP Gyles has been investigating what learning poetry by heart can do for the human brain with the Cambridge Memory Lab and other scientific bodies.
It’s part of the research for his new book, Dancing By The Light Of The Moon. Over a cup of tea, Gyles talks widely about poetry, politics, Brexit, the royals and keeping sharp in old age. He also mentions his old friend and colleague David Cameron, currently publicising his own memoir, of which more later. But Gyles is especially excited about the link between poetry and keeping dementia at bay.
“While researching cures for dyslexia, Professor Usha Goswami, of the Cambridge Memory Lab, discovered other stuff, including evidence that learning poetry by heart keeps dementia at bay,” he says.
“In a sense that’s obvious, because you look at Judi Dench, Eileen Atkins and Maggie Smith – all actresses in their 80s.They remember their lines because the brain is a muscle – if you don’t use it, you lose it. Memorising poetry is a way of exercising the brain.
“I’ve met with Dame Judi and she is hilariously funny and has been learning Shakespeare since she was a child.”
Gyles continues: “These people are my role models, as is Nicholas Parsons. He’s nearly 96 and still presents Just a Minute on Radio 4 in real time – there’s no editing. He too learns poetry by heart – he does a show about Edward Lear and he can recite The Owl And The Pussycat and reams of Lear poetry.”
Ever the entertainer, Gyles launches into the poem over the table in this posh London hotel. He also reveals that he chooses map-reading over the sat-nav while his wife, Michèle, drives, to exercise his brain.
“The problem with sat-navs and television is that they’re both passive activities. You’re just receiving information. I’ve seen all the science and navigating with a map keeps your brain sharp.”
His latest passion project, aimed at promoting reading, poetry and everything in-between is Poetry Together. And he’s roped in some big-name supporters, including the Duchess of Cornwall.
Held throughout October, project will see schoolchildren OAPs coming together for and poetry.
“A while ago I thought, ‘You want to make the world a better place and believe poetry is good for you. Do something about it’,” says Gyles, a grandfather of seven.
“We’ve got more than 180 schools signed up, and we’re going to have one of the Poetry Together parties in London in mid-October. I’m thrilled that Camilla will be coming because she loves the idea and has a lot of poems in her head, too.” He reels off some of Camilla’s favourites: Christina Rossetti, John Betjeman. Hilaire Belloc, WH Auden.
It was inevitable inveterate namedropper Gyles would mention the Royal Family. He has hobnobbed with them for years and, in 2004, wrote a book about the marriage of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.
“I’m a great fan of the Royal Family,” he says.While stopping short of calling them friends, you suspect he knows them better than he lets on.
“I can tell you that the Duke of Edinburgh reads poetry, as well,” confides Gyles. “He’s got quite a large collection of poetry in his library. He likes Ted Hughes, because he writes about nature, and T S Eliot. He’s also quite interested in psychology and reads Jung and Freud.” BLUE COCKEREL: On fourth plinth
Tthe and tea HE Duke, Gyles adds, is more cultured than we might realise. “You think of him as a gung-ho figure making unfortunate jokes – and he is gung-ho and sometimes, when he speaks his mind, people get the wrong end of the stick – but he paints and reads poetry. “Prince Charles loves poetry and The Queen certainly knows some poems.”
Gyles also contradicts news reports that the Queen and Duke have watched the TV drama The Crown. “I can tell you that they have NOT watched The Crown,” he says firmly.
“They never read about themselves, never look at programmes about themselves. They are interested in the world around them.”
He also defends the Duke and Duchess of Sussex over recent accusations of environmental hypocrisy over their use of private jets. “If you’re Harry and Meghan and you’re ecofriendly but for security reasons or reasons of speed or convenience you
NOTHING LIKE A DAME: Judi Dench and Maggie Smith