Smiling Again

It's over....
Most of you will know how we lost our Mum five years ago. Four and a half years ago her killer was sentenced to a maximum life sentence. And slowly I started to try and resolve her estate for my siblings. The circumstances - and the nature of the person we were dealing with made this impossible by any normal means- and three and a half years ago I realised we had no choice other than to instigate proceedings through both the County and Chancery Court's. 
The process has been frankly hellish - at no point as the survivors (I refuse to say victim) has the system offered any support - made any attempt to help separate my family from this evil man - or even to move the case along at all. With us bringing the case - mum's killer was, laughably, once again, the defendant - no requirement to hire legal representation (unlike the Estate which was often not even allowed into the proceedings) - or any requirement to follow protocol - we had three years of our legal team having to, potentially at our cost, explain legal matters to him - he meanwhile got to make unlimited calls to our lawyer - send abusive & threatening letters (even to my home - how can a prison let that happen?) and generally attempt to make our lives miserable. 

Fifty weeks ago I blipped this - we thought then a resounding victory - but it went on - since last March we've had another three hearings - all days out from his high security jail for Mum's killer - and each time I've listened to judges tell this man that he is dishonest & a liar - that there is no substance to his claims - but that the process would, inexplicably, continue. Our legal team have done an amazing job - but they now 'inherit' more than my siblings & I - and even the award of full costs doesn't mean that in this nonsensical system.
Put simply our Court System does not look after the innocent - it looks after itself. Our legal team have often been at a genuine loss to explain matters of Court policy to us - judges have simply been apologetic - as someone who's interacted with it for so long now - its a system that does not work, is not fair & offers little justice.

Today though - hopefully finally broken down by five years of facing his demons - five years of his lies failing to impress - today our legal team finally crossed the last 't' & dotted the last 'i'  - and forged a resolution I'd begun to lose hope of - this afternoon - my lawyer - sounding positively astounded, rang me to tell me it really is over.

I nearly blipped a bottle of Champagne - or the signed papers - but in the end, awful as all this has been for these five years- I've blipped the one thing that matters most, the thing that made me strong enough to deal with this for my loved ones - the chance for all of us to think of our Mum & smile again.