It takes a fairly momentous event to unite the emotions...

It takes a fairly momentous event to unite the emotions of a disparate nation like New Zealand, but there is little doubt of the universal relief and reassurance that followed the surprise arrest of a suspect 15 years after the horrific murder of six-year-old Teresa Cormack in Napier.No crime offends public sensibilities more than violence against children and Teresa's death evoked particular sympathy because of her age and the horrible way she died.Only the slaying of 13-year-old Karla Cardno equals Teresa's death in its enormity and impact on the community. The Wellington youngster was also abducted, sexually assaulted and buried in a beach grave. In 2001 massive public reaction to the possible early release of her killer, Paul Dally, showed just how much this dreadful murder had angered the community.Little wonder, then, there was so much emotion displayed when the 43-year-old sickness beneficiary (name suppressed) appeared in the Lower Hutt Court following his arrest for Teresa's slaying. Not surprisingly, among those most upset was Karla's step-father Mark Middleton, who is leading a campaign for the return of the death penalty in such extreme murder cases.Middleton and his many supporters will see this as the political opportunity to revive their call for stiffer penalties to punish and discourage this, the worst of all crimes. As with Dally's trial, as the full horror of how little Teresa was treated and died emerges in court, so will the public outcry grow.It is times like this, when the basest aspects of human nature are exposed, that logic and reason are tested most. This is when our politicians need to show leadership and strength and forsake the natural desire to make political gain from Teresa's pain and the misery her family will be going through.Such crimes are the work of depraved animals, but we, as a society, have to prove that it is possible to deal with such depravity in a more civilised way. If necessary lock up such offenders for the rest of their lives, but remember that a return to capital punishment and the concept of a life for a life is sinking to the murderer's level.