Bristol Police Harrass Climate Activists
[Bristol] Innocent Dave | 08.06.2010 13:22
The arrest of one of the Merthyr Train Blockade activists for alleged breach of bail on sunday leaves others open to similar harassment.
One of the train blockaders was arrested following a random stop check in Bristol on sunday. He was arrested for breaking his bail, in particular the condition requiring him to live and sleep at an address in Frome. After 28 hours in custody, he was finally released, to reappear before a court on the 7th of July.
The "Residence" bail conditions given to all 18 defendents - in some cases requiring them to also sign in daily at police stations over a hundred miles away - were all varied at the first court hearing, with the District Judge explaining that there was no need for anyone to spend every night at those addresses, so long as they could receive post there. With several of the defendents homeless or itinerant, this was a great relief to us all.
On Sunday, however, it emerged that the policed force hold a very different view of these things, and still consider the original bail condition to be in place, exactly as they specified it. Even more worrying, they arrested the activist in question for being in a different town to his Residence address, just an hour's train ride away, at midday. Contrary to the arresting officer's statement - a work of creative fiction worthy of a prize - the activist has yet to comment to the police on whether or not he is "living and sleeping" at that address.
Until the issue (hopefully) gets resolved at the next hearing, a precedent has now been set for the arrest of the defendents at any time for the alleged breach of a condition that has been overridden by a judge, with a second judge affirming this at the second hearing. As demonstrated by this first case, these potential arrests wouldn't require actual breach, nor even reasonable grounds for suspicion.
It's also a flying start to the new job of the arresting officer, PC 2004, the new Beat Manager for St Paul's, Bristol. His personal motives for the arrest remain obscure, but may be connected to his muttered comment at the custody desk of-
"Don't know what judges think they're doing changing bail conditions. Someone should sort them out."
One of the train blockaders was arrested following a random stop check in Bristol on sunday. He was arrested for breaking his bail, in particular the condition requiring him to live and sleep at an address in Frome. After 28 hours in custody, he was finally released, to reappear before a court on the 7th of July.
The "Residence" bail conditions given to all 18 defendents - in some cases requiring them to also sign in daily at police stations over a hundred miles away - were all varied at the first court hearing, with the District Judge explaining that there was no need for anyone to spend every night at those addresses, so long as they could receive post there. With several of the defendents homeless or itinerant, this was a great relief to us all.
On Sunday, however, it emerged that the policed force hold a very different view of these things, and still consider the original bail condition to be in place, exactly as they specified it. Even more worrying, they arrested the activist in question for being in a different town to his Residence address, just an hour's train ride away, at midday. Contrary to the arresting officer's statement - a work of creative fiction worthy of a prize - the activist has yet to comment to the police on whether or not he is "living and sleeping" at that address.
Until the issue (hopefully) gets resolved at the next hearing, a precedent has now been set for the arrest of the defendents at any time for the alleged breach of a condition that has been overridden by a judge, with a second judge affirming this at the second hearing. As demonstrated by this first case, these potential arrests wouldn't require actual breach, nor even reasonable grounds for suspicion.
It's also a flying start to the new job of the arresting officer, PC 2004, the new Beat Manager for St Paul's, Bristol. His personal motives for the arrest remain obscure, but may be connected to his muttered comment at the custody desk of-
"Don't know what judges think they're doing changing bail conditions. Someone should sort them out."
[Bristol] Innocent Dave
Original article on IMC Bristol:
http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/692584
Comments
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Sue the twats for wrongful arrest!
12.06.2010 00:24
I have to warn that using the law in this way is very long-winded and tedious and time-consuming - imagine you're running a series of marathons - but muster the stamina to see it through and it will work. It is likely to make all activists safer in the long run. Every time somebody sues the police for stepping outside their authority, it reinforces the boundary of what they can and can't do.
Annie Citizen
Homepage:
http://www.rightsandwrongsuk.blogspot.com