THE murder of 11-year-old Joe Geeling by another pupil at his school is a truly shocking story.

Michael Hamer, 14 at the time of the killing, lured cystic fibrosis sufferer Joe to his home and set about him with a frying pan before stabbing him to death. He then stuffed the boy's body in a wheelie bin and dumped him in a park.

Aside from the awful details of the case, what stood out for me yesterday was the dignity shown by Joe's parents, Tom and Gwen, and the comments they made in their "victim impact statement".

These statements were introduced to the courts earlier this year to give victims of crime, or their families, the chance to have their say in court.

In particular, they are aimed at giving the families of murder victims the opportunity to speak on behalf of their dead relative.

However, as Joe's parents made clear yesterday, this innovation can be something of an exercise in stating the obvious.

Mr and Mrs Geeling made their feelings clear in their statement, read out in court yesterday but not reported in full by almost any TV bulletins or newspapers.

They said: "We have been asked to make an impact statement explaining how the family has been affected and how we feel about what has happened.

"Firstly, we need to be writing this in 25 years' time for it to be accurate.

"Secondly, we find it difficult to understand why a judge who will have been selected for his wisdom and expertise in many traumatising cases of suffering and loss would need what seems to be blatantly obvious describing to him...

"... we think any judge, in fact any parent, will know this is their worst nightmare and they only need to ask themselves how would they feel?"

Good points well made by decent people.

Perhaps a rethink of the need and reason for these statements is needed.

NOTE to Madonna: If you feel so desperate to help needy children, here's a simple way to do it.

Contact a charity like Action Aid and sponsor a child (or, in your case, hundreds of children).

That way, the children get the money they need for a better life but also get to stay in their own country with their own families.

I do it, it's dead easy and no-one uses newspaper columns or blogs to have a pop at you as a result.