SEARCH YOUR HEART.. DO THE RIGHT THING
EXCLUSIVE MOTHER WHO SHOPPED HER LADS
By Sarah Jellema And Victoria Ward 30/05/2008


Mum Carol Saldinack's blood ran cold when she heard her two thug sons had bragged about beating an innocent man.

Sick, she knew there was only one thing to do.

Trembling with nerves, she picked up the phone and shopped Luke Newman, 27, and Oliver Clark, 24, to police.

Today, as the louts start a two-year sentence for GBH, the mum-of-six is disowned by her family and living in fear from threats. But she has no regrets.

Instead, she declared: "I'd urge anyone who finds themselves in this situation to search their own heart and do the right thing.

"Mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends - someone always knows who's responsible for things like this. They need to come forward.

"Think of the victim's family and their hell. If you feel you can cope with the consequences, speak up and tell the truth." Newman, Clark and Benjamin Hammond, 25, launched an unprovoked attack on dad-of-two Marc Parkinson, 36, outside a takeaway after a night drinking in Chichester, West Sussex. Mr Parkinson had a detached retina, extensive bruising and cuts, a perforated eardrum and bruised ribs. He is now blinded in one eye.

Fighting back tears Carol, 51, who lives in Norfolk, said: "I found out from a relative that Oliver and Luke had been bragging they'd done it.

"Luke was apparently walking around with a newspaper report of the attack as if it was a trophy.

"I felt felt angry, appalled, shocked and sickened. All I could think was 'This man might die, my sons could be killers'.

"In minutes I rang police and said 'About the fight in Chichester, I know who's responsible'.

"I was asked how I knew. I replied 'Because they're my sons'." Newman and Clark's homes were raided the next day.

Traces of Marc's blood were discovered on a shoe. Witnesses identified the pair in line-ups.

Despite living apart from her angry family, Carol is convinced she did the right thing. She said: "It's been hell. Not being able to seemy children is gut-wrenching. I love them all. I felt nothing but guilt after I hung up the phone. But I had to make that call.

"Sometimes I wonder if I did the right thing. But knowing how this man suffered, and that my own flesh and blood did that, there was no way I could have kept it to myself.

"If I'd ignored it would have been as if it was OK. I couldn't letmy children think I supported such disgusting behaviour.

"My boys needed to take responsibility. If they weren't prepared to do it themselves, it was up to me to see that they did. If I had to, I'd do it all over again."

Carol missed her sons' appearance at Chichester crown court as she could not bear to hear the details. Hammond was also jailed for two years.

Now, as violence daily blights the streets of Britain, the mum is appealing to other parents not to ignore their children's unruly behaviour.

She said: "There are too many stories of people being killed in mindless acts of violence.

"Everyone blames the government. But we all know the difference between right and wrong.

"We should look at our own lives and how we bring up our children - that's where I think the answers are."

Marc has been left with depression and severe headaches. His business folded and he had to sell his home to pay off debts.

Yesterday he hailed Carol, saying: "It was a brave thing to do. If she persuades just one parent to do the same it will have been worthwhile."

Investigating detective Kim Cinch said: "It was a difficult decision for Carol and has caused all kinds of backlash."

Carol now yearns to be be reunited with her family.

She said: "I hope one day they'll understand why I did what I did. I doubt it will ever happen - but that's what I wish more than anything."

Yes i know this woman is WHITE, but as a parent i know how hard it must have been for her..and i think she deserves total respect for not covering up this brutal attack....RESPECT!!!!

She really does! Kudos to her, I can't imagine it was an easy decision.

Yep, got people killing people and their parents are bigging them up in the dock. If any of my children were pure evil I'd want to put them out of their misery...still it would be a hard call to sell them out to babylon but if they are killing innocent people of their own they aren't worthy of anything more than the fruits of a babylon incarceration.

Vezz I was listening to Venessa too, very sad show.....'scared of the summer' It is depressing..

This woman did the right thing. It must have been hard, but we need more like her.

i saw that story, yeah good on her.

it should also literally be an eye for an eye! no pun intended! LOL

thumbs up

she realized that she could no longer control them so she turned them over to the state.

The fact that her family disowned her shows they're all a bunch of bad breed anyway. Glad they were shopped but the sentences they get in this country are a joke. What's two years going to do??

I remember the drug dealer from peckham who got locked up for drugs and gun charges earlier this year or last year and his mother shouted "keep your head up" when he was being led away from the dock.....and these were African Caribbeans!

I agree with first part......
no mention of a father in the story so I would have thought that some male relative of hers would step in and try to mentor the boys...but if the family "disowned " her over this...then I'm fooling myself that somebody from her fam would have tried to help prevent this type of thing from happening.




about the second part...there are scumbags and lowlife families in ALL cultures....

worst thing that can happen to anybody is to be born into a bad family....and it has nothing to do with ethnicity,race,class,etc.

I dont think she done the right thing for herself. In fact it was a crazy move/ to be commended/ but crazy. You can read the family like a book. She turned informer and broke the code and got ostracised. How can the two boys allow threats to their mother/ unless they are the source..the family is messed up for real..

She'll be better of without them but I would wager that her action was the end of a long tether.