| Flowers in Gods Garden
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01/08/03 - Book helps me cope
with finding Sophie
David Powell
Daily Post Liverpool
THE man who found the body of murdered seven-year-old
Sophie Hook is writing a book about his traumatic experience.
Troubled Gerry Davies, 63, believes it may help him to
cope with the grisly discovery in July 1995.
His as yet unfinished journal so far covers his recollections
up to her funeral. The youngster from Great Budworth,
Cheshire, was abducted, raped and killed while staying
at a relative's house in Llandudno. Llandudno grandfather
Mr Davies helped to set up pressure group Parents Aiming
to Right Abysmal Sex Offenders Laws - Parasol.
Seven years on, he still suffers painful memories of the
summer's day when he stumbled across her "marble white"
body. He told the Daily Post he still clearly remembered
walking two dogs on the beach in shorts and a T-shirt
on a "red hot" morning.
He said: "I remember thinking 'Some silly bugger's thrown
a tailor's dummy on the beach. ' My Doberman sometimes
sniffs baby seals washed up on the beach. But it ran up
to this 'dummy' and ran away. "
To his horror he realised the dummy was a young girl.
He said: "I thought 'Oh, God. ' She was face down. Her
body was marble white and she had auburn, reddish hair.
" He took off his T-shirt and laid it over her lifeless
body before rushed to a nearby phone box to dial 999.
He remembers telling the police he had found the body
of a girl near Craig-y-Don paddling pool. Mr Davies was
among the mourners at Sophie's funeral - which he had
not intended to go to at first. He said: "Sophie's parents
asked the police if it would be possible for me to go
so they could meet me. "But the service was an ordeal.
He said: "At the funeral they had a booklet with a montage
of photographs. I got to the first page and I just broke
down. It was the first time I had cried since I'd found
the body. "Even now Mr Davies is drawn to Craig-y-Don
beach "like a magnet" when he goes out for a walk.
He said: "I don't feel morbid. I always ask myself 'Why
did it happen to that little girl?' " Mr Davies added
any proceeds from the book would go to charity. |
| Contact : bernard.omahoney@bernardomahoney.com |
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