Just listening to Radio 2, and it appears that Blunkett has successfully appealed in the case of docking 25% of the compensation awarded to Michael & Vincent Hickey, in lieu of board and lodgings. The two were wrongly convicted of murdering Carl Bridgewater in 1976.

I was just wondering, have the CPS EVER prosecuted any member of any police force involved in these high profile cases, because obviously if those released on appeal WERE innocent, they must have been fitted. In which case at an absolute minimum they must be able to make a perverting the course of justice charge stick?

 

Hold on... So they are being deducted the costs of living expenses incurred when they were in gaol for something they didn't do??

 

I always have mixed feelings about cases like these. There can't be much worse than being banged up for something you havn't done, but without knowing the intricacies of the case its difficult to form an opinion. For example, no one supported the gypo Brendan Fearon in his case against Tony Martin (and rightly so), despite the fact that he had a good case when taken to the letter of the law.

As for perverting the course of justice, it depends on the details of the case. If these people were convincingly guilty but got off on a technicality it is different from pulling random people off the street and fitting them up.

It could have been a case of "well, they are guilty of something"!

 

Or they genuinely thought that they were guilty but just got it wrong. It happens.

Suppose we all need the particulars of the people or case in question to form an opinion on a case by case basis.

 

The concept of paying for your enforced keep at Her Majesty's pleasure is ludicrous though. If we knew they were really guilty we would be glad at the decision, but it make it no less ludicrous.

If they are genuinely innocent then there can be no bigger kick in the teeth than being forced to pay for your own false imprisonment.

Blunkett is a maniac.

 

Agreed

 

 

LOL!

What makes it even more ridiculous is that he doesn't demand money from the people in prison that ARE guilty! God forbid, that would almost make sense!

 

Indeed. I don't remember Lord Archer getting a bill for his time inside...

 

LOL, but in the interests of accuracy, it should ideally be a KGB/Stasi uniform

 

Latest news, apparently the the money isn't being taken as payment for board and lodgings, it is taken to allow for the fact that if he had been living outside, he would have had to spend money on rent or a mortgage. If that isn't a well split hair, I don't know what is

But if they are basing calculations on spurious reasoning like that, surely they should now buy a nice house with that money, then sell it to him at it's 1976 price. Then dock the differnce from the pensions of the coppers that fitted him up in the first place

 

In this instance the police knowingly suppressed evidence that proved their innocence

 

Pedant!

 

No I'm not, I'm from a respectable middle class family







Aahhh! PEDANT, I'm sorry I thought you said PEASANT

Guilty as charged, m'lud

 

Can't belive such a penny pinching attitude towards innocent people. Maybe the government should take a look at their own tax free expenses then!

Les

 

never quite understood why the justice system is so slow to admit mistakes.

is there some strange reasoning that if the justice system admits to a mistake, then it would somehow undermine people's faith in the system?

 

I'm sure Blunkett only comes out with **** like this 'cause he can't see the look on peoples faces...

 

Out of interest what’s the going rate for wrongful imprisonment i.e convicted of murder then released after a number of years due to dibble lying etc.