I am proud to endorse J Hamilton's views regarding Father Alan Sharpe in every respect (Letters, February 19).

Father Sharpe is a modern-day saint and has given his life to helping the dispossessed and least favoured members of our community.

They are, however, still human beings, in need of food, warmth and hopefully a way to climb out of the gutter to achieve some form of self-respect and humanity.

Such good work sooner or later attracts sanctimonious troublemakers and provides them with material to crucify a good man.

I write with no affiliation to any religious or political thought but as a general medical practitioner of many years. As such I have been in contact with all sorts in society and have seen this type of character annihilation occur more times than I can remember.

It is a very unsavoury aspect of our present so-called civilisation, akin to witch hunting and bear baiting in which a good creature is hunted to death.

  • JJ Hayes, Mile Oak Road Portslade