When HHJ Taylor rejected the police and CPS case in so devastating a fashion in August last year, I noticed that the official version was released without any redactions.
I thought at the time this had been a mistake and got my solicitor to call the Court; indeed, False Accuser names were then redacted and the decision released once more to the media. I knew this was the way the law worked; giving anonymity (for no reason) to False Accusers.
But when I read the redacted version I saw that some names - Mark Williams Thomas, for example, had NOT been redacted.
I think the lack of redactions was deliberate. After all, the False Accusers and police had all appeared in the Witness Box at trial, their names revealed in open court to Judge, Jury and reporters (and any members of the public who popped in, curious).
And two of the False Accusers, revived from 2000/2001, had waived their media anonymity for large sums of money in the past.
In fact both of those had their claims pronounced NOT GUILTY by Judge and Jury in 2018.
Both of the False Accusers who had given evidence in court in 2018 had been shown to be - at least - mistaken or - at worst - liars. Indeed, one of the reasons HHJ Taylor would not even allow the trial to continue or be appealed (the CPS chose not to appeal, knowing all this) was that the "element of surprise" would no longer be there in a further trial. The man who said, firmly in all statements, that he had no further contact with me after April 1970 ("No; why would I have?") almost fainted when the defence produced evidence, concerning his mother and other proof, to the contrary. The other liar (who had raped his 10 year old sister when he was 20) claimed the contradictions between his 2002 statement and his 2015 one were because he couldn't read or write. Surrey Police then, under pressure, produced evidence that every word and every line had been read to him and initialled in 2002 (oddly, failed to be disclosed beforehand).
Several times Jurors caught my eye and smiled or winked during this flawed evidence.
All this had been in Open Court. Why bother to redact the names? Even though one False Accuser had changed his name by Deed Poll in order to "do a runner to Northern Cyprus" - assisted by his "witness" - the Surrey Police officer in charge of him.
HHJ Taylor described the police and CPS behaviour as a "debacle". I think it was worse than that (and she spotted it); it was deliberate and intentional dishonesty; possibly even criminal. And it is currently being investigated by TWO police forces. And Surrey Chief Constable Ephgrave has jumped ship before their published revelations.
My respect for the Judge increases every day. And I see more and more similar Judicial behaviours. Check out the Oliver Mears case at Guildford Crown Court and the comments of Judge Black.
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