Their apparent inability to catch the killers in both cases cast doubt over the effectiveness of our criminal justice system. Vital forensic leads were overlooked in the wake of Damilola's death. A chance six years ago to prosecute Danny and Rickie Preddie - the two young men convicted yesterday of Damilola's manslaughter - was missed. And a trial four years ago ended in fiasco after the testimony of a teenage witness, whom the police should have realised was unreliable, was rejected by the court. The stabbing of 10-year-old Damilola Taylor on a Peckham housing estate six years ago is one of those crimes that has defined the consciousness of modern Britain. Joe Lieberman is not just any rank-and-file US politician; on his home turf, he should have been unbeatable..

This, and his political solidity, were the reasons why he was selected as Al Gore's running-mate for the presidency in 2000. If Mr Lieberman's name appears on the ballot paper in November, it will be as an independent, without the endorsement of the party he has represented since he entered politics more than 35 years ago. Mr Lieberman's defeat, however, is at once both more and less significant than the bare fact of Mr Lamont's successful challenge would suggest. It is of infinitely more significance because of Mr Lieberman's stature and because of the issue on which he fell. Until recently one of the most respected politicians in the United States, Mr Lieberman had a reputation for personal integrity and was known for his expertise in security and defence His appeal crossed party lines.

He married again, to Teresa Rodriguez, around 1988.Phil Davison. The defeat of Joe Lieberman in his bid to be re-elected Senator for the state of Connecticut marks a turning point in US politics of the post-9/11 era. Senator Lieberman, a respected figure nationally, fell at the first hurdle, succumbing to the challenge mounted by a novice politician, Ned Lamont, for the Democratic nomination. That work regularly brought pro- Castro mobs to the Arcos brothers' homes, when insults were hurled and death threats made.Gustavo Arcos was believed to have divorced his first wife during his first prison term, to enable her to leave Cuba with their son. An illegal attempt to slip out led to a further jail term, from 1982 to 1988, during which time they set up the Cuban Committee for Human Rights from behind bars.