Catherine Smyth

I am a journalist first and foremost but I am also a mother and that is why this story impacted upon me more so than the usual reporter's task. This was no ordinary job.

It didn't start off as a murder, it was just described as a 'vicious mob attack' by police. It escalated to murder when 13 days after the attack Sophie Lancaster died from her injuries and the only justification given for the attack was that Sophie and her boyfriend dressed differently to the teenagers.

With my reporter's hat on, I had dealt with murder loads of times in the 21 years I worked for newspapers but this was one of the most horrendous crimes I had ever come across. Switching to my role as a mother - my sons were in primary school, the same one Rob had attended, and I lived and shopped in the same town where Sophie and Rob lived. My children played in the same park where this attack happened in. This was one incident very close to home in so many ways.

The book came about by chance, I only intended to write news stories but then when my newspaper relocated to Manchester, I took redundancy.

A bit about me

I am a Tyke and am proud of my Yorkshire roots but have worked in newspapers in Lancashire from being 21. I have worked on evening papers (when there used to be such a thing) weekly and frees. I used to avidly read the Keighley News when I was a child so I suppose my career was mapped at an early age.

As a journalist I am dogged and I don't like unanswered questions. If you read the book, you will see I gave it my best shot to find out what happened to the ambulance on the night of the attack and why it took so long to get to the scene. Draw your own conclusions. Thank you for reading and I appreciate feedback on the book. Sales of my books benefit The Sophie Lancaster Foundation - more than £3,100 has been donated so far.