Friends of Ronnie Easterbrook picket MoJ
friend | 19.01.2009 12:18
78 year old Ronnie Easterbrook is in the 4 weeks of his hunger strike. He is still determined and in good spirits, despite his very weak condition but needs your help in his efforts to gain a retrial now before its too late.
Ronnie from South London was convicted of armed robbery and attempted murder in 1988 after a failed robbery on a supermarket wages van went horribly wrong. A police informant, Seamus Ray, set the job up and duly tipped off the police. As they made their getaway Easterbrook, Tony Ash and their driver Gary Wilson were ambushed by a Police team from PT17, the elite tactical firearms unit. A dramatic shoot-out ensued. Ash was shot dead by a Police marksman and Easterbrook, Wilson and a police inspector all suffered gunshot wounds. The shoot-out was captured by a Thames TV crew.
Ronnie maintains that he was a victim of a Metropolitan Police shoot-to-kill policy and that he was prevented from putting forward a defence based on this by both his own barrister's refusal to co-operate and by the trial judge's refusal to allow a political defence. He ended up having to represent himself and as he admits, made a lousy job of it. “I left school at the age of 14. I was totally out of my depth in the trial and didn't have the intellect to put forward a structured defence.”
Initially sentenced to a whole life tariff, subsequently reduced to 12 and a half years, he says he won't apply for parole because he doesn't recognise the legality of his sentence and that until he gets a new trial justice will not have been done. Now after 20 years in prison (8 years beyond his tariff) and in a last desperate bid to draw attention to his case Ronnie has embarked on what is in effect a death fast if the authorities fail to act.
To show their solidarity, his friends and supporters will be holding a picket of the Ministry of Justice, 102 Petty France, SW1 on Thursday 22nd January from 12-2 pm. Please come along and show your support.
Or send a letter to Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, urging her to initiate a review of his case (she has the discretionary power to refer cases back to the Appeal Court):
Jacqui Smith, MP
Secretary of State for the Home Office
3rd Floor, Peel Buildings
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
Fax: 020 8760 3132
e-mail:
smithjj@parliament.uk
Ronnie maintains that he was a victim of a Metropolitan Police shoot-to-kill policy and that he was prevented from putting forward a defence based on this by both his own barrister's refusal to co-operate and by the trial judge's refusal to allow a political defence. He ended up having to represent himself and as he admits, made a lousy job of it. “I left school at the age of 14. I was totally out of my depth in the trial and didn't have the intellect to put forward a structured defence.”
Initially sentenced to a whole life tariff, subsequently reduced to 12 and a half years, he says he won't apply for parole because he doesn't recognise the legality of his sentence and that until he gets a new trial justice will not have been done. Now after 20 years in prison (8 years beyond his tariff) and in a last desperate bid to draw attention to his case Ronnie has embarked on what is in effect a death fast if the authorities fail to act.
To show their solidarity, his friends and supporters will be holding a picket of the Ministry of Justice, 102 Petty France, SW1 on Thursday 22nd January from 12-2 pm. Please come along and show your support.
Or send a letter to Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, urging her to initiate a review of his case (she has the discretionary power to refer cases back to the Appeal Court):
Jacqui Smith, MP
Secretary of State for the Home Office
3rd Floor, Peel Buildings
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
Fax: 020 8760 3132
e-mail:
smithjj@parliament.uk
friend
e-mail:
friendsofronnieeasterbrook@gogglemail.com