Life After the Woolwich Attack

Last week, Adebolajo and Adebowale, were both sentenced to life imprisonment, nine months after their brutal attack on Drummer Lee Rigby on a South London street.

The pair were sentenced in their absence after brawling with security guards during Mr Justice Sweeny's opening sentencing remarks. This brings around a legal resolution wanted by all. But how can the family move on after losing a loved one in such a tragic and public way?

Lee Rigby's funeral

Most of us would have seen the upsetting images taken on Artillery Place, Woolwich, in the immediate aftermath of the attack. We were horrified at the sight of an unshaken man calmly addressing a camera phone, while brandishing a blood-soaked cleaver. He stood in front of a man, who laid in the road in a puddle of blood.

Now imagine you were serving in Afghanistan, worried about the partner you could not contact. Then you see this image on the internet, and you recognise the man strewn in the road, wearing the jumper you bought. That is the reality Aimee West, fiancé of Lee Rigby, found herself in on May 22nd, 2013.

Jack, son of Lee and Rebecca Rigby

Now her, his son Jack, and first wife Rebecca Rigby, face the difficulty of moving on with their lives. Ms Rigby said after the sentencing, that their son will see "images of his dad that no son should ever have to endure, and there is nothing I can do to change this." And of course, that is the inconvenient truth here.

At the time of his father's death, Jack was just two. He may not have been old enough to fully comprehend the situation, but as he gets older, he will become inevitably curious. It will become impossible to protect him from seeing those images because of their mass circulation at the time.

This sparked the debate as to whether news outlets, namely ITN, should have shown such images and footage. In the end, Ofcom ruled they did not breach any regulations. However, one can still question the appropriateness of using such distressing images, despite being in the public interest.

In the modern realm of social media, journalists are no longer the gatekeepers of such information. Had all media outlets agreed to not show such imagery, they would have still been tweeted, blogged and shared around the internet. If traditional media outlets choose to not show such widely available information, they would look foolish.

One only has to look back to 2011, to when the internet broke the super injunction regarding Ryan Giggs's affair. Despite everyone being aware of his name, the news could not refer to him, making traditional sources of information look inept.

The scene of the crime, in the ensuing weeks

Unfortunately, none of this changes the consequences of that day. A man still lost his life in the most horrific way possible, and a son grows up without his father. It is one of those days that everyone will remember where they were. And despite the intentions of the duo, it brought most communities closer together. 

If you want to watch a moving interview with the fiancé Aimee West, then click here to see her on the This Morning sofa.