Peter Cawthorn

A victim of crime himself but the focus is now on forgiveness

Peter Cawthorn and his wife have been victims of terrible crimes on more than one occasion. They lived in the Johannesburg, South Africa where crime rates are high before coming to the UK.  In 2001 two terrible incidents left a permanent mark on Peter’s life. His wife was left in a critical condition after being shot during a car hijacking and his restaurant was ambushed by a violent gang wielding guns.  Peter was left thinking, “Why me? What have I ever done to deserve this?” but these events also led to his deeper understanding of forgiveness and his voluntary work in helping those whose lives have been affected by crime.

Peter first learnt of the work of Prison Fellowship whilst living in South Africa when counselling a convicted murderer for his work with a youth group, and the work of Prison Fellowship resurfaced again once he had moved to the UK: “I heard about Prison Fellowship once again, this time from a volunteer. I became involved in truth due to the enthusiasm of that volunteer. It is a given that Prison Fellowship do great work, but it is really the people that volunteer that inspire - I always love the saying that volunteers don't get paid not because they cost too much but because they are priceless!”

His experience of crime has enabled him to share about the impact of crime with prisoners but Peter does not volunteer for Prison Fellowship solely to tell his story as a victim of crime. He believes in the power of forgiveness and although he is aware that many prisoners are likely to reoffend, he knows that Restorative Justice programmes like those provided by Prison Fellowship open the eyes of prisoners to the importance of making amends.

To witness the work of Prison Fellowship volunteers inspired Peter and he believes observing this first-hand has an impact on anyone exposed to it. He concludes: “I believe that encouraging others to do the same is never about what I can say but what I do. My Daughter is an excellent example of this.

She became involved with Prison Fellowship not by my talking about it, but by seeing me doing it. Witnessing my little flat at Christmas time loaded down with Angel Tree parcels was quite an eye opener for her and she immediately got stuck in - even to the extent of going out and getting extra gifts! Those are the things that will get others involved, when they see our work in action.