just a quick update to my recent post "SOCPA - the brown stuff" on indymedia ( http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/07/376600.html)

it turned out that barbara's arrest last thursday at clapham county court was most probably unlawful, and her detention overnight at charing cross police station tantamount to kidnapping.

this fits into the pattern of extreme harassment and intimidation that barbara suffers at the hands of the metropolitan police.

having been arrested at 4.30pm, she was taken to charing cross police station and held overnight, and then appeared in front of judge tempia in court 4 at westminster on friday. her deranged stalker pc roger smith sat in the public gallery with two plainclothes police while the judge heard about barbara's arrest.

the story is that the cops arrested her for 'breach of her community exclusion order' (that bans her from the socpa zone near parliament). since such a breach is not actually an arrestable offence, their explanation was that they were unable to serve a summons and could not be sure she would attend court because she was of 'no fixed abode'.

barbara's barrister pointed out that the very community exclusion order at the heart of the complaint had barbara's address on it - "parliament square"! there is also photographic evidence of her arresting officer pc roger smith delivering a summons to her tent in the square on a prior occasion. so, the arrest was unnecessary, almost certainly unlawful, and without doubt will be the subject of yet another complaint to the independent police complaints commission.

incidentally, if anyone's wondering how all of barbara's complaints (going back over 18 months) are progressing, well, so is she! the independent complaints commission seem to be dragging their feet to say the least, and are looking distinctly un-independent.

so, after barbara had been held in a police cell overnight, at westminster court on friday the judge took just a few minutes to release her with a trial date in six weeks, with a possibility of further delay if her appeal hasn't been heard by that time against the original ludicrous trial and exclusion sentence. she was freed on unconditional bail. can the police arrest and detention have been anything other than harassment?

stephen jago also went to court of his own volition as he was concerned he might also have a police warrant against him. he was told he is summonsed to appear for the exclusion breach charge on the 30th july. no warrant, no arrest. just barbara then.