ISLAMABAD: Lorilei, a play by Thomas Wright which is based on a true story questioning the morality and rationale behind the death penalty, was presented at the National Council of Arts (PNCA) by Olomopolo Media and Justice Project Pakistan.

Lorilei is the story of a mother`s pain and rage over the loss of her son, Jeremy, and the causes that led up to his murder. The play explores compassion, dealing with loss and understanding mental illness and humanity.

It is told entirely in Lorilei`s own words that were drawn from the transcripts of the trial.

Nimra Bucha narrates the events as they occurred, from when Lorilei`s son went out to play, to the three days spent searching for him andtodiscoveringthathersonhad been murdered by a paedophile.

It reveals the depths of despair she sank to afterwards, how she turned to drugs and alcohol, it tells of her desire to `kill him with her bare hands`. The story follows the mother throughout her journey, up until she is in a place where she wants Ricky, her son`s murderer, to be shown mercy.

Wanting to know more about her son`s death, Lorilei starts learning about Ricky Langley and finds that `the most important thing in Ricky`s life happened before he was born`.

Ricky`s five-year-old brother, Oscar Lee, had died in an accident before Ricky was born. His mother, Bessie Mae, was badly injured and was put in a full body cast while pregnant with Ricky, something the doctors had not known.

Ricky was affected by the medications his mother was given andthe many X-rays she had to go through. He was born premature and almost blind. Ricky was then sexually abused throughout his childhood and began talking to his schizophrenicalterego,OscarLee.

He hated his paedophilia and in killing Jeremy, he believed he was killing Oscar Lee, the dead brother whom Ricky believed drove him to commit unforgivable acts.

During a hearing, Lorilei was asked if she believed Ricky was mentally ill to which she said: `I think Ricky Langley has been crying for help since the day he was born and, for whatever reasons, his family, society and the legal system have never listened to him. AsI sit on this witness chair, I can hear the death throes of my child, but at the same time I can hear that man crying out for help and yes, I think he was mentally ill when he did it.

In a vehement statement Lorilei says she can never forgive Ricky but opposes his execution because she does not want him murdered in her name.

In showing compassion, Lorilei opened up debate on the death penalty.

Clive Stafford Smith, the defence attorney for Ricky Langley, was present at the performance.

He said: `Delivering the closing argument in a capital case isextremely difficult but in Ricky Langley`s case, the task was simple because of the immense compassion Lorilei had shown.

`As a result the jurors acquitted Ricky of first-degree murder, which removed the option of the death penalty. The trials continue to date because Ricky should be institutionalised,studied and treated,not imprisoned for life.

Currently, there are over 8,000 people on death row in Pakistan, a country where 27 crimes are punishable by death. However, under the legal system of the country, the victim`s family has the right to forgive the accused, in which case the accusedisexonerated.