An Open Letter, as produced to the Family run website is published below.


10th June 2008
Rt Hon Jack Straw
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Ministry of Justice
Selborne House
54 Victoria Street
London
SW1E 6QW
United Kingdom

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7210 8500
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7210 0647


Dear Lord Chancellor,


‘The Moral Imperative’


The Shalom Family Campaign for Social Justice Wales



With respect to the above please be advised this enquiry is open and may we kindly refer you to the record and all advice as received from your department, at the Ministry of Justice, dated 18th September 2007. We believe it is imperative that justice is seen to be done.



It has recently been brought to our attention that you and our present Labour Government, are on record as seeking remedy, to what government and ‘popular opinion’ perceives, as a general problem. This is in connection with under-age and drunken, inappropriate behaviour, (particularly in a public place) by some members of our society.



We understand that among other issues under consideration, is the notion that what some might consider to be immoral behaviour, (such as repeated acts of drunkenness in a public place, and somehow, parents also being responsible for ‘allowing’ it!) may be tackled with a ‘forced correction’, indeed with the passing of new laws, and severe penalties for the transgression of same. We also understand that in certain circumstances, such laws may encompass extended liabilities to parents and the like, and you have publicly announced that this matter should be dealt with as a “moral imperative”.


We would like to add our own concerns, that it is the apparent threat of violence and intimidation, which so often accompanies such behaviour, that as a Family, gives us most cause for concern. Our Family has already endured such disgraceful behaviour, even though we have peacefully been going about our legal business, in our efforts within our ‘Family Campaign for Social Justice’.


Whilst we kindly acknowledge your concerns and efforts in regard to this very important issue, may we kindly draw your attention again to our Family Campaign for Social Justice at  http://www.mvpicton.co.uk .


In the circumstances, it seems entirely appropriate to us that you and the Ministry of Justice should kindly re-appraise, and/or, note the following:-


You will be aware that it was this present Labour Government, serving under the Rt. Hon Tony Blair, (former Prime Minister,) that put recommendation before Her Majesty the Queen, that Mr. John Callcutt, former Chief Executive Officer of Crest Nicholson plc, should receive the award of Commander of the British Empire.


You will also be aware that it was this present Labour Government that considered, and actively invited, Mr. John Callcutt, to the position of Chief Executive Officer of English Partnerships, the UK Government’s National Regeneration Agency.


You will be aware that it was this Labour Government that further considered, and appointed, via the Rt. Hon Ruth Kelly MP, Mr. John Callcutt - to conduct official review into housebuilding delivery, on behalf of the United Kingdom Government. Indeed the ‘Callcutt Review’ now bears his name and has become a widespread public document of referral!


As a former barrister your good self you will become fully aware of the immoral, if not illegal, ‘tactic’, that Mr. John Callcutt, as Crest Nicholson’s Chief Executive Officer at the time, (and Crest Nicholson) employed, to get rid of our Family and Houseboat Home, (the M.V.Picton) after he, and his company were first negligent, in causing a night time grounding ‘accident’ to it.


John Callcutt CBE and Crest Nicholson do not dispute this event, or the fact that they caused it to happen. Neither do they dispute the fact that between them both, they wilfully prevented us from mitigating the loss of that accident. John Callcutt CBE and Crest Nicholson deviously orchestrated events, so that the company could present an apparently ‘legitimate’ legal case for eviction.


We must stress that we do not believe that Mr. Callcutt or Crest Nicholson Marinas staff were drunk at the time. However, subsequent to it, both he and Crest Nicholson, appear to have been so casually ‘allowed’, (by the public face of indifference, of leading members of our society), to so act, with immoral impunity. We see this collective behaviour as akin to the apparent indifference of some parents towards their child, children, and/or sibling(s) and the respective underage, drunken, inappropriate behaviour, of which you rightfully, seek to get rid.


Although we sought moral intervention and practical help from the Rt Hon Alun Michael MP, (and others,) who was our member of Parliament at the time of this nightmare, we were left feeling totally hopeless (speechless and very upset too) by his apparent acquiescence in, of, and towards our situation and the total violence and immorality perpetrated against our Family, our Home and our way of life. He was well versed to the facts.


Painfully aware of this present Labour Government’s long publicised stance on ‘Anti Bullying’ and ‘Respect’, and in view of what happened to us which we believe is tantamount to corporate bullying, and what we saw, which is the apparent reward (nomination and recommendation for the award of CBE) and the further indifference whilst making awards, via English Partnerships, and other local councils, of, large financial contracts - to the perpetrators of such immoral violence against our Family and our Home - we further sought clarification in this matter with the then Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Tony Blair.



We confirm our earlier efforts to personally deliver a petition (and further enquiries) addressed to Mr. Blair at No 10 Downing Street. The ‘best’ and subsequent response received, in a letter dated 8th November 2006, informs us that the matters within our enquiry were a matter for the ‘devolved administrations’. This beggars belief. With respect, you are presently considering the Government’s appropriate action for antisocial behaviours. We believe that bullying, in all its forms, should always be a central government issue, especially when one considers the circumstances of our case where it appears that the bullies receive ‘honour and reward’ directly from central government! Given what’s been going on we feel this enquiry is long overdue. However, we were also informed that our enquiry was to be sent to the National Assembly for Wales, for ‘them to reply’, but we would like to assure you that no such response has ever been forthcoming, and that was over 19 months ago!


We do not accept that our case for social justice should be overlooked or continue to suffer from some form of ‘bystander effect’ of elected Government leaders. In this sense, it is not exclusively to Government that we have been seeking the moral lead. We have repeatedly invited HRH Prince Charles, President of Business in the Community and further invitations have been made to the Board of Trustees of same, to get involved, to speak out, against corporate bullying. Likewise, we have respectfully petitioned Mrs. Sarah Goad, the Lord Lieutenant of Surrey, who, on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen, has poured honour and praise to Crest Nicholson since our immoral, disgusting eviction by that same company.


We confirm our best efforts to contact all formerly listed major shareholders of the Crest Nicholson Group to inform them of our ‘just cause’ in our Family Campaign for Social Justice including Lloyds TSB Bank plc, Legal and General Group Plc, and HBOS Bank Plc (the latter being presently co-owners with Sir Tom Hunter’s West Coast Capital, Bank of Scotland Corporate and investment vehicle Castle Bidco).


You will undoubtedly be aware that Crest Nicholson is presently under investigation, via Pearce Construction, by the Office of Fair Trading, concerning price fixing and the like.



We acknowledge that English Partnerships and the Housing Corporation are presently working with the Department for Communities and Local Government to establish the proposed Homes and Communities Agency. However, we further acknowledge, that under the relatively new and privately held ownership of Sir Tom Hunter, West Coast Capital and HBOS Bank plc, English Partnerships continues to award Crest Nicholson, multimillion pounds contracts, for national and local government projects.



Our Houseboat Picton was a perfectly decent, safe and satisfactory Family Home for 14 years. It is totally destroyed. This was caused by Crest Nicholson. You and other members of local and central government and leading members of our society are better informed as to exactly how that happened, and how their people and company behaved.



We are just ordinary parents, looking out for our Family and children and the community at large. None of our personal Family possessions have been returned to us, as they were also seized with our Home more than four years ago. It would seem to us that our situation is ‘everybody else’s problem’ and it appears that nobody in government or elsewhere wants to know, or cares much about it. Lord Chancellor, we kindly invite you to take the lead and show us and the wider community, that you care much more!



We firmly believe that the answer to your present enquiries, especially regarding antisocial behaviour and the like may be found ‘closer to home’ than you think. We kindly reiterate, we have five young ‘underage’ daughters and they need and deserve our collective hope. Hope, that somebody somewhere in this great country, especially within central government, is looking out for, and cares about, what has actually happened to them, their parents and home, their personal possessions - including their 7 pet goldfish, their present circumstances and their future.


We kindly reiterate, we believe it is imperative that justice is seen to be done. In view of the above and your present open enquiries, we respectfully ask to look at our Family Campaign for Social Justice again and again and again. On this occasion we also kindly urge you to consider it, especially, as a moral imperative.


With kind regards,

Yours sincerely,



Marie Louise and Vince Shalom

With our daughters Hannah, Naomi, Rachel, Rebekah and Jessica




Formerly of the Houseboat M V Picton
A safe and satisfactory Family Home of 14 years
Immorally evicted and destroyed by Crest Nicholson Marinas
Penarth Marina Cardiff Bay Wales




c.c. .
HM The Queen
Mrs. Sarah Goad, Lord Lieutenant of Surrey
Rt. Hon Gordon Brown MP Prime Minister
No 10 Downing Street Communications Unit
Rt. Hon Hazel Blears MP Department of Communities and Local Government
Rt. Hon Alun Michael
Rt. Hon Rhodri Morgan AM First Minister National Assembly for Wales


Mr. David Shearer Chairman Crest Nicholson Group
Sir Tom Hunter West Coast Capital
Mr. Andrew Hornby CEO HBOS Bank plc/ Bank of Scotland Corporate

Mr. John Walker Chief Executive English Partnerships

Teachers Parents Governors
C/o Mike Clinch Head Teacher
St Richard Gwyn Roman Catholic School Barry Vale of Glamorgan

Teachers Parents Governors
C/o Maurice Flynn Head Teacher
St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Primary School Penarth

Archbishop of Cardiff Peter Smith
Rev Joseph Boardman St Joseph (Penarth) St Mary (Dinas Powys)

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