When Jane stepped out of Sean’s two-bedroom council flat, which he shares with eight other people, a mix of French-Canadian, Australian, South African lesbians and even a couple of English, she found herself a bit lost on the mean streets of South Clapham early one Saturday morning.

She approached a black guy to ask him for directions to the nearest tube station. He took one look at Jane then gobbed all over her face. Jane, in a state of shock, asked the man why he did that. He replied, ‘Go get yourself washed girl’. Jane gathered he thought she was a prostitute. She didn’t seem upset or angry when she told us the story, in fact she laughed about it. Around this time a friend of Jane’s was attacked outside Clapham Junction station by a group of eight 11-year-old girls on BMXs.

Sean’s father is presently staying with his mother (Sean’s grandmother). She’s senile and has Alzheimer’s disease. He’s an alcoholic Prozac addict. She thinks Sean’s dad (her son) is her husband. She’s been going into his room at night, getting into bed with him, and asking him to smell her.

It’s been a busy, emotional week for Sean. He’s just split up with his girlfriend, Anna. He was her third boyfriend. Her first boyfriend was an armed robber; her second boyfriend was a drug dealer, and raped her. Her third boyfriend was Sean. They split up last Tuesday. He rang me Thursday evening and told me he was at Big Ben.