ADOPTION, CHILDREN OF - For some reason, even as a child, my brother, Spencer, had a fractious relationship with our mother's side of the family. The notion that, as a Child of Adoption, he has somehow been a less valued member of the family has been a recurring complaint since an early investigation revealed the truth of his origins. As our parents reminded him at the time, he was, in fact, all the more special for being chosen. Spencer's inclination, however, has always been to create a problem where none previously existed. Rather than revel in being slightly different, a non-pedigree Coe, he chose to stand apart. He often recalls the occasion when he was forced to eat his Christmas dinner at a separate table, omitting to add that he was banished from the main table for biting me and, frankly, fortunate to be allowed to even enjoy the occasion from a distance. Thirty years on, he still enjoys propagating the myth that he was rejected on account of not being a thoroughbred Coe. This is a ridiculous argument. If he was rejected, it was because he was a particularly nasty child, full of sly tricks. The one thing I've learned from my investigations is that bad character is insurmountable. This position might be controversial, but only to those without experience of criminal behaviour. The term ‘bad seed' is old fashioned but apt. Some people have no redemptive qualities. They're incorrigible. I'm not presenting a judgement, merely a fact. Nobody's to blame for this. An individual is as responsible for his nature as a snake for the fact that he's compelled to slither along on his stomach. What option does he have? A great deal is now made of analysis: why is a man thus? What led him here? This sort of thinking, in my experience, leads to the logic of the scoundrel. Any offence can be exculpated by referring to some damage inflicted in childhood or adolescence. The effective investigator shuns analysis. He merely observes. His interest lies entirely in what a man is. Any fool can conjecture why .

 

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