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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Criminal intent | Criminal intent |
| (about 22 hours later) | |
| John McVicar was jailed for armed robbery | John McVicar was jailed for armed robbery |
| A convict you know escapes. What to do if he turns to you for help, asks Laurie Taylor in his weekly column for the Magazine. | |
| As soon as I heard on the news in October 1968 that John McVicar had escaped from the maximum security wing of Durham Prison, I called a house meeting. | As soon as I heard on the news in October 1968 that John McVicar had escaped from the maximum security wing of Durham Prison, I called a house meeting. |
| "Listen," I said to my three student lodgers after I'd finally persuaded them to turn off the early evening television. | "Listen," I said to my three student lodgers after I'd finally persuaded them to turn off the early evening television. |
| "Something has happened which might affect us all. As you know I've recently been doing some research in Durham Prison. Research with maximum security prisoners." | "Something has happened which might affect us all. As you know I've recently been doing some research in Durham Prison. Research with maximum security prisoners." |
| My lodgers were already looking bored. The last time I'd had to address them so formally was when one of them had left a casserole on a low gas all night and produced a minor explosion which had permanently impregnated the kitchen wall with droplets of chicken vindaloo. | My lodgers were already looking bored. The last time I'd had to address them so formally was when one of them had left a casserole on a low gas all night and produced a minor explosion which had permanently impregnated the kitchen wall with droplets of chicken vindaloo. |
| High emotion | High emotion |
| I decided to get straight to the point. "One of those prisoners is John McVicar, the notorious armed robber, and I have every reason to believe that he may be heading this way." | I decided to get straight to the point. "One of those prisoners is John McVicar, the notorious armed robber, and I have every reason to believe that he may be heading this way." |
| This certainly had the desired effect. Don swung his legs off the end of the sofa and Bill uttered one of those "awgh" sounds which he reserved for such moments of high emotion, as when he learned that his teaching contact hours per week at the university had gone up from four to five. Only Colin remained unmoved. But then he was studying sports science and had been trained to stay cool in emergencies. | This certainly had the desired effect. Don swung his legs off the end of the sofa and Bill uttered one of those "awgh" sounds which he reserved for such moments of high emotion, as when he learned that his teaching contact hours per week at the university had gone up from four to five. Only Colin remained unmoved. But then he was studying sports science and had been trained to stay cool in emergencies. |
| FIND OUT MORE Hear Laurie Taylor's Thinking Allowed on Radio 4 at 1600 on Wednesdays or 0030 on MondaysOr download the podcast here | FIND OUT MORE Hear Laurie Taylor's Thinking Allowed on Radio 4 at 1600 on Wednesdays or 0030 on MondaysOr download the podcast here |
| "Heading this way?" said Don, repeating my cliché. | "Heading this way?" said Don, repeating my cliché. |
| "That's right," I said. "Durham is only an hour by train from York and John could walk and run that in half a day. And that's why we need to be ready for him. Especially you Don." | "That's right," I said. "Durham is only an hour by train from York and John could walk and run that in half a day. And that's why we need to be ready for him. Especially you Don." |
| "Why me?" he asked. "Because you live in the attic. And that's where we'd have to put John if he arrived," I replied. | "Why me?" he asked. "Because you live in the attic. And that's where we'd have to put John if he arrived," I replied. |
| "Why would you have to put him in the attic?" Don was obviously going to be difficult. "I mean if you were the police looking for an armed robber and came to a house and suspected that somebody was hiding there wouldn't you start off by looking in the cellars and the attic? I mean, wouldn't the best thing for him to be disguised and to live quite naturally in Bill's room." | "Why would you have to put him in the attic?" Don was obviously going to be difficult. "I mean if you were the police looking for an armed robber and came to a house and suspected that somebody was hiding there wouldn't you start off by looking in the cellars and the attic? I mean, wouldn't the best thing for him to be disguised and to live quite naturally in Bill's room." |
| Bill looked as though he was preparing for another "awgh", but contented himself with a shrug. "I actually quite fancy having him in my room," he muttered. "Big-time armed robber." He placed one fist on another and machine-gunned his fellow lodgers. | Bill looked as though he was preparing for another "awgh", but contented himself with a shrug. "I actually quite fancy having him in my room," he muttered. "Big-time armed robber." He placed one fist on another and machine-gunned his fellow lodgers. |
| Dilemma | Dilemma |
| Don and Bill were rising to the occasion, displaying an enthusiasm which I'd never before seen in any of their encounters with academic life. | Don and Bill were rising to the occasion, displaying an enthusiasm which I'd never before seen in any of their encounters with academic life. |
| I turned to Colin. Did he have a view? He did. "What are we all talking about? We're going to be harbouring a convicted criminal. We're going to be committing a crime. We could all go to prison." | I turned to Colin. Did he have a view? He did. "What are we all talking about? We're going to be harbouring a convicted criminal. We're going to be committing a crime. We could all go to prison." |
| It was then that I delivered my short lecture on research ethics in which I explained to Colin (but not to Bill or Don who'd by now returned to early evening television) that asking your research subjects to give you their trust was a reciprocal process. | It was then that I delivered my short lecture on research ethics in which I explained to Colin (but not to Bill or Don who'd by now returned to early evening television) that asking your research subjects to give you their trust was a reciprocal process. |
| It meant that if they asked you for a favour then you had a moral obligation to respond. How could I refuse John access to my personal life when I'd already intruded so much on his own? | It meant that if they asked you for a favour then you had a moral obligation to respond. How could I refuse John access to my personal life when I'd already intruded so much on his own? |
| John McVicar is now a writer | John McVicar is now a writer |
| I was, of course, only striking an ethical pose. Deep down I knew that John would have far more sense than to ask for help from an ineffectual nervous liberal like myself, or to risk hiding from the police in a house full of drunken garrulous students. | I was, of course, only striking an ethical pose. Deep down I knew that John would have far more sense than to ask for help from an ineffectual nervous liberal like myself, or to risk hiding from the police in a house full of drunken garrulous students. |
| As I now realise, I was simply dramatising one of the dilemmas that are usually raised in Chapter Two of books on ethnographic research: the problem of knowing how much one should allow oneself to become involved in the research situation. | As I now realise, I was simply dramatising one of the dilemmas that are usually raised in Chapter Two of books on ethnographic research: the problem of knowing how much one should allow oneself to become involved in the research situation. |
| Years later - after John's re-capture and eventual released - when I was writing with him, I happened to mention that we'd prepared a place of refuge for him in York. I was, I suppose, hoping for some sign of appreciation. | Years later - after John's re-capture and eventual released - when I was writing with him, I happened to mention that we'd prepared a place of refuge for him in York. I was, I suppose, hoping for some sign of appreciation. |
| None was forthcoming. "You'd have liked that, wouldn't you, Laurie? Very romantic. Bet you'd have put me in the attic." | None was forthcoming. "You'd have liked that, wouldn't you, Laurie? Very romantic. Bet you'd have put me in the attic." |
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