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scotkaz · Joined: 28 Aug 2008 Posts: 527

We will block transfer of Moors murderer Ian Brady to Scottish prison, says ministers

MINISTERS say they would block any bid by Moors Murderer Ian Brady to move to a Scottish jail.

The Record told yesterday how Brady hopes to be transferred to a secure hospital north of the Border.

But the Scottish government said they would oppose the bid following a backlash from opposition MSPs.

A spokesman said: "This looks like an exercise in publicity.

"Any application would have to be made to the relevant prison authorities in England and we are unaware of any such request. It is not something we would support."

Together with Myra Hindley, who died in 2002, Brady tortured and murdered five youngsters in the 1960s.

His lawyer Giovanni di Stefano said Scots-born Brady wanted a move in the hope he would be allowed to die. He is being kept alive by force-feeding at Ashworth Hospital on Merseyside.

Di Stefano said justice secretary Kenny MacAskill could "hardly deny" Brady's request after granting the release of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi.

Labour justice spokesman Richard Baker said: "It is no surprise that some of the worst criminals in the UK want to come to Scotland. They know what a soft touch Kenny MacAskill is.

"The justice secretary's decision to free Megrahi will, unfortunately, have given hope to people like Brady.

"I am not convinced he wants to come to Scotland to die but in the hope he may be released.

"It is outrageous that Kenny MacAskill has put us in a situation where Ian Brady, who committed some of the most horrendous crimes, wants to come to Scotland.

"I hope common sense will prevail." Scots Tory John Lamont added: "The message has gone out loud and clear across the UK - Scotland is a soft touch for criminals."

Link: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news...on-says-ministers-86908-21675077/

scotkaz · Joined: 28 Aug 2008 Posts: 527

Sex offender pilot scheme launched in perthshire

PLANS for a hotline that will help identify paedophiles operating in Perthshire were given a high-profile launch yesterday.

Tayside Police will offer parents improved access to information about known sex offenders who may be in contact with their children as part of a £112,500 pilot scheme drawn up by the Scottish Government.

Parents, carers or guardians of children under 18 will be able to ask the force to tell them if a person has a record for sexual offences against children, or other offences that might put their child at risk.

Officers believe the eight-month test will mean they are more in touch with the Perthshire public’s concerns about paedophiles than ever before, and able to instigate child protection measures.

Officially launching the Tayside-based project yesterday, Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said the aim was to prevent convicted sex offenders from striking again.

“Parents, carers and guardians will now be able to formally register their concerns,” he told the PA.

“They will be informed if the named individual has a conviction for sex offences against children and they can be confident action will be taken.

“As a result, the police will be better informed and child protection measures can be implemented more quickly and effectively.

“This is an important pilot, the first of its kind in Scotland, and I hope it will give reassurance to concerned members of the public.’’

Temporary deputy chief constable Bill Harkins said landing the pilot was a coup for Tayside Police.

“Clearly good partnership working already exists in relation to the management of sex offenders in Tayside and, irrespective of the pilot project, people should always contact the authorities if they have any concerns over the safety of any child in their community,” he declared.

Perth-based Chief Inspector Eric Knox said the hotline could “significantly increase” the protection given to children.

“It will undoubtedly provide greater intelligence relating to the behaviour and movements of sex offenders within Tayside – and build public confidence,” he insisted.

“If it is found that the child is at risk, then a range of child protection measures under existing arrangements may be instigated.’’

Martin Henry, national manager of anti-abuse organisation Stop It Now!, described the hotline as “an important contribution to the protection of children”.

“We hope that the evaluation of the disclosure pilot will provide important information to ensure that children are properly protected at the earliest stage by their parents together with all relevant agencies,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of children’s charity Children 1st, Anne Houston said parents were right to have concerns about paedophiles.

The hotline number is 0300 111 2222.

Link: http://www.perthshireadvertiser.c...n=1%26siteid=73103-name_page.html

scotkaz · Joined: 28 Aug 2008 Posts: 527

The American way of death

A botched execution in Ohio should quicken the end of capital punishment

The Times, September 17, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/qhhtrr

America is the only big democracy - apart, occasionally, from Japan - that still carries out capital punishment. The botched attempted execution in Ohio this week of a murderer should prompt America to join the rest of the developed world in consigning judicial killing to history. There is inadequate evidence that it acts as a deterrent, it ignores the risk of miscarriages of justice and allows no room for repentance or correction. But above all it is a barbarity that stains civilised society.

There is no question but that the crime committed by Romell Broom was vile. He was sentenced to die for the rape and murder in 1984 of a 14-year-old girl. But his execution on Tuesday was halted when technicians failed, after a two-hour-long search, to find a vein sturdy enough to deliver the three-drug lethal injection.

A one-week reprieve granted by the Governor of Ohio may well be extended indefinitely, partly because it is half a century since any inmate was subjected to more than one execution, and partly because some justices of the US Supreme Court have now begun to wonder if botched lethal injections might not violate the eighth amendment ban on "cruel and unusual punishment". Last year the court upheld the use of lethal injections. But Justice John Paul Stevens, while concurring, said that imposing the death penalty represented "the pointless and needless extinction of life with only marginal contributions to any discernible social or public purposes". Other justices are believed to share this view.

When Texas became the first US state to introduce lethal injections in 1982, they were thought more humane than the electric chair, gas or hanging. It is time that they went the same way.

Source for this message:
The Times, September 17, 2009
_________________
Great Spirit, grant that I may not criticize my neighbor until I have walked a mile in his moccasins." - Old Native American Indian Prayer that my dad taught me.

scotkaz · Joined: 28 Aug 2008 Posts: 527

Hundreds of rape and murder convictions under review after DNA evidence reveals man jailed for 27 years was innocent

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/a...lling-Teresa-De-Simone.html[/url]

Hundreds of historic rape and murder convictions will be reviewed following the release of a man who served 27 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit.

An independent body is trawling through 240 crimes before 1990 to review whether there may have been a miscarriage of justice.

New DNA evidence revealed that barmaid Teresa De Simone was raped and murdered by David Lace - and not Sean Hodgson who served 27 years behind bars.

Cases before 1990, where DNA evidence was not used, are now being re-considered by the Criminal Cases Review Commission to see if more people were wrongly jailed.

A spokesman for the CCRC said forensic evidence will be used to investigate cases where doubt has been cast on rape and murder convictions.

'The scope of our trawl through our case history was any rape or murder before 1990 about which an application has been made, beyond that we would not be able to look,' he said.

'That involves somebody who has been convicted of either rape or murder, they will have already sought to appeal that case and either had the appeal heard and dismissed or not been granted leave to appeal.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/a...resa-De-Simone.html#ixzz0TG9RwhVF
We have identified 240 that we are now in the process of looking at.

'We will be working our way through each of those and look back to see if the circumstances around Mr Hodgson's referral means that we need to revise our conclusion about those cases.'

The CCRC provides the last route for convicted criminals to clear their name after an appeal has failed.

Barmaid Teresa de Simone, aged 22 years, was raped and murdered in Southampton in December 1979.

Her body was discovered partially clothed in her Ford Escort which was parked outside the pub she worked in part time.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/a...resa-De-Simone.html#ixzz0TG9fV7Go

scotkaz · Joined: 28 Aug 2008 Posts: 527

Lockerbie bomber defends internet campaign
The Lockerbie bomber has defied prosecutors and his American victims’ families by publishing more documents as part of his internet campaign to clear his name.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/n...er-defends-internet-campaign.html

Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al-Megrahi said he did not want to further upset those “profoundly affected” by the atrocity, in which 270 people were killed.

But he argued that the furore surrounding his release showed it was in the “wider public interest” to publish the documents, which formed part of his second appeal against his conviction.

Megrahi, who is terminally ill, dropped the appeal only days before being freed from prison on compassionate grounds and his return to Libya, where he was given a hero’s welcome.

Two weeks ago he published an initial 300-page dossier of evidence, but relatives of his American victims said they were disgusted by his “lobbying” campaign and there was no new evidence in the information posted online.

Elish Angiolini, Scotland’s Lord Advocate, the most senior prosecutor, has accused Megrahi of attempting to “retry his case in the media” and said the only way he could clear his name is in a courtroom.

She pointed out the decision to drop the appeal “was taken voluntarily” and was not a precondition for Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish justice minister, to free him.

Stung by the criticism, the bomber defended his actions as he published of the second tranche of documents on his website, www.megrahimystory.net.

In a statement issued from his hospital bed in the Libyan capital Tripoli, he said: “I recognise that the Court of Criminal Appeal in Scotland is the only authority empowered to quash my conviction.

“In light of the abandonment of my appeal this cannot now happen. I continue to protest my innocence. How could I fail to do so?

“The detail of the challenge to my conviction is of wider public interest and concern. That much can be gleaned from the worldwide attention given to my release and return home to Libya.”

The bomber argued that many of the victims’ relatives want the information in the public domain and concluded: “My intention is only for the truth to be made known.”

The Libyan was convicted in 2001 of the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie, but only served eights years of his life sentence when he was freed.

He mounted an unsuccessful appeal the following year but in 2007 the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC), which investigates possible miscarriages of justice, referred his case back to the courts.

Doubts have been cast about the testimony of Tony Gauci, a Maltese shopkeeper who identified the Libyan as the man who purchased clothing found wrapped around the bomb that caused the explosion.

Megrahi’s latest dossier repeats his claims that Mr Gauci and his brother, Paul, were given rewards of $2 million (£1.2million) and $1 million respectively by the US Department of Justice following the trial.

This and other evidence should have been disclosed to his defence team, Megrahi said.

But a Crown Office spokesman reiterated: “The only place to determine these issues is the criminal court. All of these issues could have been raised during the course of the appeal which Mr Megrahi abandoned.”

A spokesman for Mr MacAskill defended the decision to free Megrahi but said the justice minister “supports the conviction”.

scotkaz · Joined: 28 Aug 2008 Posts: 527

Rape trial told woman agreed to group sex

Published Date: 08 October 2009
A BOUNCER accused of gang-raping a 21-year-old woman told a jury she stripped naked and volunteered to have sex with him and two of his friends.
James Hyndman told the High Court in Perth yesterday said they had been "having a laugh and joking" before taking part in group sex with the woman's consent after she invited them all to her flat in Bathgate.

He said one of the four men she invited back was banished from the bedroom when she told them she would have sex with three of them, but not four.

Hyndman, 23, said: "I asked her if she was all right. It's not something that happens every day. It was a reassurance sort of thing. She smiled and said 'aye'. If she had said no I would have stopped there and then. No means no."

Steven O'Rourke, 24, and Hyndman, both HMP Edinburgh, are alleged to have raped the woman on 10 or 11 February this year.

The trial continues.

http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com...rial-told-woman-agreed.5715034.jp

scotkaz · Joined: 28 Aug 2008 Posts: 527

8th National Miscarriage of Justice Day

Saturday 10th October 2009

United Against Injustice's

Public Meeting

Wheeler Hall
St Anne's Street
Leeds (rear of Cathedral)

doors open 10.00 am

Morning programme

10.15 Kevin McMahon and Dr Andrew Green Disclosure

10.45 Gabe Tan, Casework Manager, INUK How can innocence projects help?

11.30 Coffee break

12.00 Steve Gray Setting up a group

food available from 1:00 pm

Main meeting starts at 2:00 pm

Chair: Eamonn O'Neill An internationally renowned journalist who campaigned for 11 years to overturn Robert Brown's conviction, Eamonn also lecturers in journalism at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow (eamonnoneill.net)

Introduction: Kevin McMahon Spokesperson for UAI. Kevin is a film producer and a former Military Police and Special Branch officer. An active campaigner against injustice for over 20 years, his advice has been sought in many high profile miscarriage cases.

Speakers

Sandra Lean Author of No Smoke! The shocking truth about British Justice (available from Amazon).

Dr Michael Naughton Chair, Innocence Network UK. Michael will speak about Criminal Cases Review Commission investigations: are they adequate? Is revival of the royal pardon an answer? (bristol.ac.uk/sociology/staff/michaelnaughton.html)

Eric Allison Guardian Prisons Correspondent. Eric has been closely involved in setting up and contributing to the Guardian online resource Justice on Trial guardian.co.uk/uk/series/justice-on-trial

Mark Newby Solicitor advocate who represented Ian Lawless (next speaker), Mark (of Jordan Solicitors) is Director for the Historical Abuse Appeal Panel and an expert on historical sexual abuse appeals.

Ian Lawless Ian was wrongly convicted of murder on unreliable confession evidence alone. His conviction was overturned earlier this year (innocent.org.uk/news/index.html#lawless).

Angela Sykes Sister of Daniel Sykes, wrongly convicted of murder. She will outline his case and talk about the value of support groups. Angela works as an advocate for refugees. She says, 'I am dedicated in both my personal and profession life to rights work.'

Lee Spencer Partner of Suzanne Holdsworth, whose conviction for the murder of a child was overturned last year. Lee will talk about the harm done by wrongful convictions innocent.org.uk/cases/holdsworth.html#holdsworth

Michael Shields Liverpool fan Michael Shields, convicted of the attempted murder of a barman in Bulgaria, was freed on a royal pardon after Justice Secretary Jack Straw accepted he is "morally and technically innocent."

No charge, no need to book - just come along
Everyone opposed to miscarriages of justice welcome

Full version of this flyer at http://www.unitedagainstinjustice.org.uk/MOJ%2009%20day/mojday09.html

This message from: "Andrew" <andrew@fitting-up.org.uk>

Source for this message:
United Against Injustice

scotkaz · Joined: 28 Aug 2008 Posts: 527

Murder accused's new pay-out bid

A Newcastle man jailed for 14 years before his murder conviction was ruled unsafe has begun a compensation bid.

Andrew Adams, now 39, was found guilty in 1993 of shooting retired science teacher Jack Royal, but released in 2007 by the Court of Appeal.

The High Court later rejected a pay-out claim on the grounds that it was not shown beyond reasonable doubt there had been a miscarriage of justice.

Mr Andrews has now taken his case for compensation to the Court of Appeal.

In rejecting his claim in February 2009, a High Court judge said his 2007 appeal had succeeded on the basis that the conduct of his case by his legal representatives had been inadequate and that this had deprived him of a fair trial.

New facts

This related to their failure to discover and deploy three pieces of evidence from the unused material made available by the prosecution.

However, his compensation bid was refused as it had not been shown beyond reasonable doubt that there had been a miscarriage of justice, and the evidence which was not deployed could not be described as new or newly-discovered fact.

In challenging that refusal, Tim Owen QC, representing Mr Adams, said that the facts which led to his conviction being quashed were new to him and should fall within the parameters which would allow him compensation.

"The appellant cannot be blamed for the incompetence of the legal preparation for his trial," he said.

The case continues.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/tyne/8303256.stm

scotkaz · Joined: 28 Aug 2008 Posts: 527

Simon Hall murder conviction goes to court of appeal

Criminal Cases Review Commission refers case of Simon Hall, convicted in 2003 of murder of mother's friend Joan Albert

A man who claims he was wrongly convicted of murdering an elderly woman eight years ago has had his case referred to the court of appeal after new forensic evidence emerged.

Simon Hall was found guilty in 2003 of murdering one of his mother's friends, 79-year-old Joan Albert, who was stabbed to death in her home in Capel St Mary, Suffolk, in December 2001.

Hall, who is now 31, has always maintained his innocence and the jury in the murder trial heard that fingerprints, footprints and DNA evidence found at the murder scene did not match the defendant's.

Hall's wife, Stephanie, said: "We're all thrilled – Simon, me and Simon's family – and hopeful the conviction will be overturned and the truth will come out in the end."

His family and supporters have disputed many elements of the prosecution's case, especially its reliance on fibre evidence. They have pointed out that Hall was a regular visitor to his mother's house, and that she frequently visited her friend Joan Albert.

However, an appeal against conviction was dismissed in 2004 and his case has been before the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) for more than four years.

Yesterday the commission said that although it had examined a number of issues raised by Hall and his legal team, it had decided to refer the case on the weight of new forensic evidence alone.

"The referral is based … exclusively on a forensic development identified and pursued by the commission and centres on fresh forensic analysis of fibre samples taken from the crime scene and other locations during the original police investigation," a CCRC spokeswoman said today.

"The commission has decided to refer the case to the court of appeal because it believes that new forensic evidence is capable of undermining key forensic evidence presented at the trial and therefore raises the real possibility that the court would quash the murder conviction."

Tests carried out for a 2007 BBC Rough Justice programme suggested that the fibres linking Hall to the murder scene should have contained glass, as Albert's killer entered through a broken window. They did not.

Keir Starmer QC, who is now the director of public prosecutions, told the programme: "Simon Hall's case is really peculiar because there is no particular reason to believe he is guilty of this offence. The one crucial link is the fibre evidence. Break this and the case disappears.".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009...mon-hall-murder-conviction-appeal

Angeline · Joined: 02 Oct 2008 Posts: 148

Notice the final quote in this article - the DPP is conceding that there is no reason to believe Simon is guilty, and without the fibre evidence, there would be nothing against him.

What's really interesting about this quote is that it was made more than two years ago originally - so even the DPP was pretty much conceding that something was terribly wrong here, but it took all that time to get it officially acknowledged.

Truth is, the information at the basis of this latest referral has been there since the day Simon was convicted.

_________________
As long as one heart still holds on, then hope will never really be gone