The trial opened with what would have been a comedy of errors if it hadn't been for the seriousness of what was happening.
Wednesday: Mr Justice Flaux began the trial at 10:30 am on Wednesday 18th April and adjourned it 15 minutes later as only two of the defendants were in Court. GeoAmy prisoner escort custody services didn't get the other 6 to Birmingham Crown Court until 12:00 noon.
When they were transferred from the escort vans into the holding cells in the Crown Court the senior custody officer refused to let the 6 change into their good clothes, this action was unwarranted and the 6 were eventually allowed to put on their Sunday best before entering the court dock at 14:00 hrs. Not much happened the rest of the afternoon, which was spent on jury selection.
Court 12 only had seats for 26 people in the public gallery, and had been segregated between families of the defendants and families of the deceased and no members of the public were allowed in. Yet the bloody press had 36 seats!
Thursday: Both the manager for GEOamy and the senior custody officer were brought before the court this morning and given a roasting by the presiding single judge. Mr. Flaux made clear to GEOamy that they would face the full might of the courts wrath if they ever brought the defendants late to his court again and that if this meant they had to buy more vans, employ more personal, they must do so and do it quick. He further instructed them that they must have the defendants in the court cells no later than 09:15 each morning. He also instructed the senior custody officer that they must allow the prisoners to change their clothes on arrival at court, they would not be required to make the change in prison before being escorted to the court.
The trial itself finally got under way close to noon. The indictment read to the jury named each defendant in turn as being charged with murder. Mr. Spencer QC, opening the case for the Crown Prosecution, said there were three cars involved, an Audi, containing Mr. King, Mr. Goodwin, Mr. Ruiz-Gaviria and Mr Flynn. A Fiesta, containing Mr. Donald and Mr. Parkins and thirdly the only car which hit the deceased a Mazda containing Mr. Graham and driven by Mr. Beckford.
Next Mr. Spencer showed a video of the actual moment that the car hit the deceased, not only did he show it once but showed it three times. He was oblivious to the distress that the families of the deceased were showing, all of them breaking down in tears.
At this moment for reasons that are very unclear a verbal dispute broke out between the two sets of families, which led to the public gallery being cleared and the hearing suspended. After 15 minutes the families were allowed back in and the trial resumed with the QC getting down to the nitty-gritty of the events of the three nights of rioting in August last year.
Now it will be just the CPS building there case calling witnesses and when the CPS is done the defendants will take their turn. The trial is scheduled to last 10 weeks.
MOJUK is emphatic that only one person should be on trial for murder. Nowhere did Mr. Spencer for the CPS say that 8 people were in the car that hit the deceased, he was more than clear that 6 of the defendants were in other cars and only 2 defendants and only 1 of them at the wheel of the car that caused the fatalities. The video footage was clear that only one car was involved.
The defendants are: Adam King, 24, of Redhill Road, Kings Norton; Joshua Donald, 27, of Kelsall Croft, Ladywood; Ian Beckford, 30, of Holly Bush Grove, Quinton; Ryan Goodwin, 21, of Cranford Street, Smethwick; Shaun Flynn, 26, of Wandsworth Road, Kingstanding; Everton Graham, 30, of Mount Pleasant Avenue, Handsworth; Juan Pablo Ruiz-Gaviria, 31, of Coplow Street, Ladywood; and 18-year-old Aaron Parkins, of Cavendish Road, Edgbaston.
When they were transferred from the escort vans into the holding cells in the Crown Court the senior custody officer refused to let the 6 change into their good clothes, this action was unwarranted and the 6 were eventually allowed to put on their Sunday best before entering the court dock at 14:00 hrs. Not much happened the rest of the afternoon, which was spent on jury selection.
Court 12 only had seats for 26 people in the public gallery, and had been segregated between families of the defendants and families of the deceased and no members of the public were allowed in. Yet the bloody press had 36 seats!
Thursday: Both the manager for GEOamy and the senior custody officer were brought before the court this morning and given a roasting by the presiding single judge. Mr. Flaux made clear to GEOamy that they would face the full might of the courts wrath if they ever brought the defendants late to his court again and that if this meant they had to buy more vans, employ more personal, they must do so and do it quick. He further instructed them that they must have the defendants in the court cells no later than 09:15 each morning. He also instructed the senior custody officer that they must allow the prisoners to change their clothes on arrival at court, they would not be required to make the change in prison before being escorted to the court.
The trial itself finally got under way close to noon. The indictment read to the jury named each defendant in turn as being charged with murder. Mr. Spencer QC, opening the case for the Crown Prosecution, said there were three cars involved, an Audi, containing Mr. King, Mr. Goodwin, Mr. Ruiz-Gaviria and Mr Flynn. A Fiesta, containing Mr. Donald and Mr. Parkins and thirdly the only car which hit the deceased a Mazda containing Mr. Graham and driven by Mr. Beckford.
Next Mr. Spencer showed a video of the actual moment that the car hit the deceased, not only did he show it once but showed it three times. He was oblivious to the distress that the families of the deceased were showing, all of them breaking down in tears.
At this moment for reasons that are very unclear a verbal dispute broke out between the two sets of families, which led to the public gallery being cleared and the hearing suspended. After 15 minutes the families were allowed back in and the trial resumed with the QC getting down to the nitty-gritty of the events of the three nights of rioting in August last year.
Now it will be just the CPS building there case calling witnesses and when the CPS is done the defendants will take their turn. The trial is scheduled to last 10 weeks.
MOJUK is emphatic that only one person should be on trial for murder. Nowhere did Mr. Spencer for the CPS say that 8 people were in the car that hit the deceased, he was more than clear that 6 of the defendants were in other cars and only 2 defendants and only 1 of them at the wheel of the car that caused the fatalities. The video footage was clear that only one car was involved.
The defendants are: Adam King, 24, of Redhill Road, Kings Norton; Joshua Donald, 27, of Kelsall Croft, Ladywood; Ian Beckford, 30, of Holly Bush Grove, Quinton; Ryan Goodwin, 21, of Cranford Street, Smethwick; Shaun Flynn, 26, of Wandsworth Road, Kingstanding; Everton Graham, 30, of Mount Pleasant Avenue, Handsworth; Juan Pablo Ruiz-Gaviria, 31, of Coplow Street, Ladywood; and 18-year-old Aaron Parkins, of Cavendish Road, Edgbaston.
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