when I came past Chichester

when I came past Chichester Magistrates Court this morning, on my way to work, a crowd of about 50 or so reporters and photographers were there, with a handful of policemen. By 10am, when the man accused of murdering Sarah Payne was brought to court, rent-a-mob was there in force.
There is no dignity in what they and the countless fools who left flowers by the side of the A29 last year (where 8 year old Sarah’s body was found) have done, and it certainly adds no value to the life that was lost. Instead we should be working to create a society where everyone has respect for the rights of every other person, be they male, female, gay, straight, black, white, young or old. That is not achieved through ridiculous token gestures, or worse, a descent into barbarism.