Don't put blame on legal system

LETTER - I have to respond to the article on April 15 in which county man Stuart "Goldcrusher" Goldsmith blames the police and legal system for contributing to the death of children's TV presenter Mark Speight.

Following the death of Mark's fiancee, police arrested Mark and questioned him to establish the true cause of Natasha's death.

Now let's put the shoe on the other foot, Mr Goldsmith.

Had one of your loved one's died so suddenly and mysteriously, wouldn't you have wanted everything done to secure vital evidence and to gather the true facts?

This was a suspicious death in the first instance and the police investigation was carried out correctly under the circumstances.

Mark was subsequently released without charge once the true cause of Natasha's death was ascertained and Mark's reputation was not considered tarnished.

Mark's despair at the loss of his fiancee was understandable and obvious.

What he then needed was support from family and friends who could have steered him towards other agencies trained to deal with such anguish.

The "system" which you alleged let Mark down was not the legal one.

Name and address supplied