The murder of a loved husband, father, son and brother is more than enough for any family.
Having his brother-in-law charged with the crime and the family’s private business made public in the court case would have compounded matters.
Throughout the trial and in its aftermath, the grace shown by the Guy family in their adversity was inspiring.
Scott Guy’s brother-in-law Ewen Macdonald was acquitted of the murder but admitted other crimes for which he was sentenced today.
The family’s grace shows again in their statement:
Today is yet another reminder of how one person’s actions have affected everyone in our family. The sentencing today does not give us closure or satisfaction. It is simply a reminder that there are consequences for the decisions that Ewen made
One consequence is that Ewen is no longer part of our day to day lives. He has lost our trust and has hurt us deeply and shaken the values which our family hold dear. However the turmoil we have been through has brought our immediate family closer together, and it is our future that we now focus on.
Our family is now challenged with building a new life. We are determined to build a future not on anger or revenge, not on resentment or sorrow. We must build a future for our children and grandchildren on love and compassion, on truth and faith.
We can only reiterate our heartfelt thanks to all New Zealanders for the support and caring you have shown our family, which continues to give us strength and courage.
It takes a very big heart to show grace when anger and bitterness would be so much easier.
Whilst you are of course correct Ele I can’t avoid the feeling that McDonald has avoided justice and worse in a few months time is eligible for parol that will again cause huge stress on the Guy family. I was very disappointed that a non parol condition wasn’t part of the sentence.
I recall reading that the Guy family have employed a public relations expert, which may or may not explain the lucidity of their public statements.
This doesn’t attract from their graceful message of course. But it is the first time I have heard of such a thing happening.