Another one from our intrepid spotter RR:
They are slags, not victims, lawyer tells grooming trial
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/crime/article4375457.ece
Rotherham Politics
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At 300 victims of the Oxfordshire gangs identified by a report (link sent to Rothpol, though likely he reported it at the time). Likely to be the tip of an iceberg it says. Most incredibly one victim was returned to the gang by a social worker for not paying a cab fare! The good news, the Oxford gang sentenced in 2013 got life.
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Oh, so still no convictions in Rotherham then??
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Apart from the five in 2010, three of whom were free by the time of Jay, one doing just nine months after his sentence was cut on appeal and his time on remand (which he would have served if acquitted) was taken into account.
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Magarian QC
I thought these trials were to be handled with sensitivity following previous outrageous court room tactics
Telford – Operation Chalice trial
“I want to ask you once more why you are telling lies?” demands defence barrister Tayyab Khan. He is cross-examining a witness on her evidence relating to the multiple violent rapes she suffered at the instigation of a child-grooming gang operating in the West Midlands.
“No,” she says. “I’m not telling lies.” She breaks down, but the court transcript shows the barrister pressing the point. “You’re a compulsive liar,” he states. She’s shouting and crying now. “Was you there? Was you there?” she asks.
“You’re telling lies,” Khan insists again. “No, I’m not, shut up, shut up!” she shouts. She’s clearly distressed, but this seems not to bother him as he continues with his line of questioning regardless.”
http://www.theguardian.com/law/2013/may/19/lawyers-oxford-abuse-ring
“but not before the main victim in the trial, a girl called Abby, was aggressively cross-examined by seven barristers every day for three weeks”
“Having watched their daughter crumble as she endured this concerted legal assault, Abby’s parents are appalled. “She’d already gone through a horrific experience, and then had another horrific experience in court,” says her mother. “For weeks they laid into her. You wouldn’t put a hardened criminal through that, let alone a child.”
Is this the rule of law, or the rule of amoral, fee troughing parasite lawyers? What was the bloody judge thinking of letting this court room abuse proceed unhindered? Everything conspires against the victims and their families.
One sympathises with the views expressed by “Dick the Butcher” in Henry VI Part 2 on the subject of such lawyers
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What you’ve identified is a major problem in the adversarial legal system.
Cases involving sexual offences against children cry out to be switched to the inquisitorial system. Yet whenever moves away from the traditions of the English adversarial system are suggested it results in a surge of “little England” protests and support for the mythical assertions that England’s legal system and English justice are the best in the world.
Wake up people there are serious problems with our legal and politically appointed judiciary that suggest they’re not fit for purpose.
All our child protection laws and processes are based on a multi-agency approach.
It’s an approach that sounds great in a Downing Street summit, or seminar presentation but it overlooks the basic fact that a multi-agency approach is only as good as the weakest link in the chain.
Based on work I’ve done around the country I’d say there are serious issues with the levels of knowledge in child protection laws and the processes agencies should follow in almost every childrens services department and every police force, Knowledge of the processes they are meant to follow stops after a pretty web-site has been launched. There is no follow-through on knowledge, application and compliance with the laws and processes that are there for the whole world to see on the web-sites.
Parsonage is spot on in saying why didn’t the judge stop it. The answer is two-fold and will do nothing to re-assure him but here they are. The specialist CPS prosecutors and specialist judges required to be involved in these cases since June 2013 are specialists in name only. In practice they demonstrate a woeful lack of knowledge and understanding of the processes they’re meant to follow. Secondly the accountability of lower tier judges has been eroded. Their decisions are rarely scrutinised and rarely make the news. Under the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 this is set to get worse.
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I think this is an outstanding idea! Perhaps special rape courts with an inquisitorial system and sentences decided by juries (within the range of penalties allowed by law of course)? Juries could be enlarged to avoid inconsistency in sentencing.
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Absolutely right Sarah Alice. Since the early 1960’s I have attended Court and given evidence in hundreds of cases. As a result, I have always said, “If you want to hear the truth, never listen to what is said in a Courtroom.” This is because the evidence is twisted, lied about and perverted by the unscrupulous lawyers who are allowed to say anything they wish as they are not made to take the oath to tell the truth. I believe it should be a criminal offence for ANY lawyer to defend a person they KNOW is guilty. Mitigate, yes but not defend.
Also, don’t forget that all Judges have been lawyers and it is the “Old Boy” network which makes the system so twisted, and money of course!
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Actually, I think you might find that parasites do in fact have a role to play on the planet – scum lawyers and their chums, scum judges, are not to be considered in any way necessary for quality of life to exist.
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The email of this vile bully is (deleted)
I shall be sending him a strongly worded protest. I urge all Rothpol readers to do the same. He describes himself as a fearless advocate who prides himself in standing shoulder to shoulder with his clients. Please avoid threats, though don’t mince words.
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I sincerely hope that no-one follows your suggestion!
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I do not nor ever could condone any form of vigilantism. It disgusts me.
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I’d be interested to know why? Don’t you think this behaviour should be challenged? I wasn’t abusive, just objected to his calling the victims slags.
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Ah I see you have answered my question. You see it as vigilantism. A strong word for a politely worded letter of protest.
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Your suggestion would have some merit, were it not for the inevitable and unforeseen consequences of that kind of action may well have. I am most emphatically opposed to such a move and could not support anyone, so moved!
A bad idea in our circumstances, then.
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Clare Dowse – the Juniion who is also quote
http://www.3tg.co.uk/people/clare_dowse/
… and
“Clare Dowse
Journalist to barrister
For the past five years, Clare Dowse has worked almost every waking hour. During the day she does shifts for various magazines as a freelance sub- editor, and in the evenings and at the weekends she studies law.
“I’ve always been interested in law,” says Dowse, “but it simply never occurred to me that I could do it, especially become a barrister. I just thought it was one of those careers that wasn’t open to someone like me, with a background where none of my family were involved in the profession.”
She pursued a successful career as a journalist but never got law out of her head. Then, at almost 30, she learned of a part-time law degree course at London University’s Birkbeck College. Five years on, she is doing her Bar School finals.
During this time she has made enormous sacrifices: she hasn’t been on holiday, hasn’t had a relationship and has given up drinking, smoking and most of her social life (“for financial reasons and because I can’t afford to be exhausted or under par”).
“To pursue a career at the Bar the way I’m doing it, you have to be 120 per cent sure it’s what you want,” she says. “It is so arduous and expensive. I try not to have any low points. If I allowed myself any, I would have given up years ago.”
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/working-all-hours-to-make-6310908.html
….but she ended up getting slagged-off in the Times!
Definitely not QC material, with just 2.1’s from Goldsmith’s and Birkbeck, a sad story really.
________________
[Declaration of interest: I did my Computer Science Masters in the evenings at Birkbeck back in 1966 – I really enjoyed my time there. Birkbeck is great! – as is Jenny Lee’s Open University.]
.
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I notice Magarian prides himself on his willingness to defend the most vicious criminals. Which is fine as every accused is entitled to a defence. But in this day and age I am inclined to think calling rape victims slags is unlikely to help one’s clients as well as being plain wrong. I sent my protest. The junior I shall leave alone. An aside, RR is quite right that the Open Uni offers an exceptionally high standard of education, judging by the experience of a friend who attended, albeit some years ago.
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I guess technically you don’t “attend” the open Uni. That’s why it’s so great.
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Unfortunately scum lawyers have in the past been able to hide behind the relative anonymity of their precious little world, in much the same way as scum like Savile, Clifford, Harris, et al, did in their grubby world.
But now these odious sh!tes can be traced and exposed, and their despicable practices can be made known to everyone and anyone.
And the more these scum are exposed, then so much the better
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… and we can leave that to Andrew Norfolk.
Until last week I had never realised just how much work he had done in exposing that scams that took money out of the miners’ compensation payments. It made me respect him even more than I had before.
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Well, I have always respected your judgement. My own protest has been sent, but I have no objection to you deleting the comment that provides his email. I am always willing to be guided.
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In case its unclear, my last comment was in response to Rothpol’s objection to writing to the lawyer. As the chief voice that has spoken truth to power in Rotherham Rothpol has earned the right to be listened to.
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more to come out of Oxford – the various institutions are STILL covering up
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