Of verbals and planted evidence
Saturday, February 08, 2014
Downing Street police arrested over allegations of pornography exchange | UK news | The Guardian.
When I practised criminal law in my youth, I was sceptical of clients who said the police had made up false statements or 'verballed' them - giving false evidence of oral confessions or remarks suggesting guilt. As a nice young man brought up to respect the boys in blue, I did not believe they would descend to such dishonesty. I didn't want to believe it.
I presented the cases as best I could of course. I hope the magistrates didn't detect my scepticism.
The Metropolitan Police have finally convinced me that those long-ago clients were telling the truth. Its officers verballed Andrew Mitchell and made up false statements about the 'plebgate' incident so casually that it's obviously routine. They expected to get away with doing it to Mitchell because they had so many times before.
My clients also told me that the police routinely planted evidence. I didn't believe that either. Now we learn that evidence has been found on the smartphones of the very officers who embarrassed the Met.
It's easy to put damning materials on someone's computer or mobile phone. You can do it at your leisure and don't even need the sleight of hand required to put drugs in someone's pocket. There now almost always seems to be illegal content on hard drives seized by the Bill.
My scepticism is rather heightened when I read that the disciplinary proceedings against these officers have been suspended while the CPS decides what to do about their alleged 'extreme porn' habit. Suspended until the public loses interest perhaps?
Until the public loses interest or just this natural tendency to procrastinate when faced with the irrefutable?
Posted by: james higham | Monday, February 10, 2014 at 07:37 AM
I agree. Give men or women unaccountable power and you will see humanity at its worst, with noble exceptions. The more state power grows, the more such stories will be heard.
Posted by: Tom | Saturday, February 08, 2014 at 07:48 PM
The plot thins http://goo.gl/QZzhOC
Posted by: Tom | Saturday, February 08, 2014 at 07:45 PM
Some years ago nearly all believed that those in authority including the police would by virtue of the position they held would in all circumstances act honestly and fairly. However it became increasingly evident that they did not so checks and balances were brought in to ensure they did. It appears to have had little impact and in fact incompetence, inefficiency, waste and corruption is very much on the increase. The question is why but I believe easy to answer in that the opportunities have increased and accountability has decreased. With the increase in the size of the state and the roles that government undertake we have seen institutions such as quangos set up that are removed from direct scrutiny of the people and who actually police other institutions in which they do not have the incentive or competence to do well. It would be thought that the introduction of elected police commissioners would at least address the problems to be found there as the idea of them is a good one. However I fear it will not because they are not elected on merit but on political ideology, do not have a brief to route out corruption and no doubt most of them do not have the intellect, training or experience that can penetrate what is bound to be a very opaque world.
Posted by: Antisthenes | Saturday, February 08, 2014 at 06:41 PM