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Good morning. Five strong words were recited at the pre-trial hearing for the murder of Sarah Everard. Deception, kidnap, rape, strangulation, fire. They give the most graphic description of the terrifying last hours of her life. It is impossible to imagine what her family must be enduring and the witness statement was almost too heart-rending to bear. That desolate grief is graphically demonstrated by Sarah’s mother who keeps her daughter’s dressing gown close to her because it retains something of her smell. But what makes an already horrendous crime all the more egregious is its method. The perpetrator deliberately abused his authority as a Police officer to mislead his victim and lure her to her death. The impact of this crime is exacerbated by that gross betrayal of trust, one that must have everybody, especially women, wondering who, if anyone, they can now rely on. The more recent murder of Sabina Ness can only heighten that fear. In the Old Testament there is a story in which King David is also guilty of a murder. Inspired by his lust for Bathsheba, he arranges for her husband, Uriah the Hittite, to be killed in battle, and having fixed up the murder, quickly marries her. What is striking about the passage is the extreme fury of God, communicated through the prophet Nathan. ‘I anointed you king. Why have you despised the word of the Lord?’ he asks. David’s crime is bad, but it is even worse because he has abused his authority as monarch. And so Nathan announces an inter-generational curse on David, one that is only partly mitigated by David’s profound contrition. He may be king, but David learns that he is accountable. His actions have eternal consequences and God’s anger is upon those who abuse their power. There are no words that can touch a grief as profound as that being endured by Sarah Everard’s family. There are no easy answers to those who are asking how trust in authority can ever be restored. What we can do though is look to ourselves. Because maybe this appalling tragedy will be a time when all who hold positions of trust can stop to reflect on how they use the power they have been given. The trust others place in us, in the family or the workplace, is a precious thing. When used for selfish ends, to manipulate or destroy, the damage can be irreversible. But when it is used purely to serve, it can liberate and bring security and joy.