Fucked in the Head: On Peter Sotos's Comfort & Critique

(2005)

Comfort and Critique

By Peter Sotos

Void Books, 2005

256 pages, $45

The kidnapping and subsequent murder of eight-year-old Sarah Payne by convicted pedophile Roy Whiting in July 2000 was one of the most high profile child murder cases in Great Britain’s recent history. The official aftermath of the crime extended over the course of several months, then years, as Payne’s parents—particularly mother Sara—became immortalized in the press as celebrity victims. Sleazy U.K. tabloid News of the World seized the moment, embarking on an opportunistic campaign to seemingly rid the U.K. of the threat of pedophilia through pushing the passing of Sarah’s Law, which would alert the public of pedophiles living in their neighborhoods. This witch-hunt resulted in a full-blown riot on the Portsmouth Housing Estate—cars were overturned, police officers were attacked, and alleged pedophiles were severely beaten by an army of concerned parents and toddlers.