Dear editor, 

I was shocked and appalled that you have considered it appropriate to publish a letter from a woman who was taught gymnastics by Cliff Pill in the 1970's. 

Furthermore, I fail to understand your motives for publishing anything that supports such a despicable man.

Clifford Pill was convicted on all counts at Truro Crown Court by a jury of 12 for sex offences against three independent and unconnected women who were brave enough to stand up and face their attacker in order to give their evidence.

I have seen firsthand the damage that sexual attacks have on their victims and their families.

I respectfully suggest that you consider the victims of crime before providing a platform for misguided 'friends' of Clifford Pill to write a statement in his defence. 

Clifford Pill has had his chance to put forward his defence and it failed.... He is guilty.

To say “Cliff was always a dedicated family man” is obviously not true by definition of his conviction.

I sincerely hope and pray that Judge Cottle sees fit to hand down a hefty prison sentence to Clifford Pill so that he can spend many years contemplating just what he has done and indeed keep the women of Falmouth safer.

Name and address supplied

 

In reference to last week's letter regarding Cliff Pill.

I'm sincerely appalled that this letter was printed in the Falmouth Packet. I think you should probably apologise to the victims of this convicted sex offender for seeing fit to print it.

Whilst I am aware that anyone is entitled to their own point of view I do not see what relevance this person's opinion has to the news you printed that this predatory individual has been convicted of sex offences.

This woman knew him 40 years ago, I have a teacher who taught me 30 years ago who has since been convicted of sex offences, at no time did I think it appropriate to say “well he was a very good RE teacher and I never had a problem with him”, nor would I have thought it would be in the interests of a publication to print that letter. 

He's a convicted sex offender, I'm just glad he got caught and convicted given the appalling conviction rate in this country.

I believe by printing this character defence you belittle and undermine the experience of the courageous women who testified against him. Which must have taken an awful lot of bravery given the horrible cross examination we all know happens in cases such as this. 

All this letter tells me is that he has been in jobs that maximised his potential to come into physical contact with women and girls for most of his adult life, which given the nature of the offences he has been convicted of sets off alarm bells galore in my head.

Again it doesn't matter that this woman wants to defend his character, the time for that was in court. What matters is that this man is now a convicted sexual predator and hopefully his conviction will give other women he has assaulted the courage to come forward, and be believed - who knows, maybe some of the other girls weren't treated as respectfully as your letter writer recalls.

I didn't want to write this because I think keeping this in the headlines is probably the last thing the women he assaulted need, but to have someone go “He was a dedicated family man” makes me feel as if they are saying in some way this means he can't have done what he did.

Yet he did. He has been found guilty of his crimes and I hope he gets a long custodial sentence and is never put in a position of trust again, because the man he is now is certainly in no way trustworthy.

An appalled visitor to Penryn and Falmouth,
Name and address supplied