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Cheers - AE

Saturday 19 June 2010

The hardest word.

Just ran across this about a man who spent three years in jail for a rape that apparently never happened. I'd just dialled the outrage up to 11 when I thought I'd better check the Ambush Predator's cave, false rape claims being one of her regular topics. Sure enough, she's started the day with it, and draws attention to the fact that the woman concerned isn't facing any comeback for her actions, a perjury trial for instance, despite having a history of crying rape.

And then there's the police attitude, which Julia touches on as well. Take a look at the timeline here from the Sky article (my bold).
Warren Blackwell, 40, was jailed in 1999 for a sex attack outside a social club. He was released in 2003 and his conviction was quashed on appeal in 2006, after new evidence undermined the credibility of the complainant.
And the Mail article Julia linked to.
Yesterday the IPCC criticised Northamptonshire Police for taking more than a year to finalise an apology and resolve disciplinary matters with officers involved.
The IPCC probe, launched in 2007, found failings by three officers who had a case to answer on misconduct grounds.
And what year is this? 2010, isn't it? So Mr Blackwell was released after three years, then a further three before the authorities concede he was innocent all along and compensate him - minus the costs of his bed and board while he was locked in the cell he should never have been put in, natch - then maybe a year for the IPCC to even begin an investigation, and another three years for them to work out that the police well and truly stuffed it up and arguably fitted him up. More than ten years of trial, jail, appeals and investigations, all leading up to this moment.
Northamptonshire Police Deputy Chief Constable Derek Talbot apologised to Blackwell in person earlier this week.
Only four years after the appeal court quashed the conviction, which suggests that making the effort to apologise for screwing up someone's life on the word of someone who's clearly as mad as a box of frogs is a high priority for Northamptonshire police. Before you know it they'll be arresting people for crimes they haven't even committed yet.

Ooops.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

All of that just boggles the mind.

JuliaM said...

Anf then, this afternoon, this one rears its head.

They're getting like buses! Always in twos...

Angry Exile said...

girl X, yep. You can't blame the cops for investigating a false allegation but you sure as hell can for stuffing up the investigation. And to add insult to injury I still can't believe that a simple apology took so long when the fact his conviction was quashed 4 years ago should have told the police they stuffed it up. Translation:

"We're sorry the IPCC has worked out what a fuck up it was."

No wonder Warren Blackwell feels it's a token gesture, too little too late. To have meant anything it should have been offered in 2006.


Julia, at least that one's being prosecuted. I noticed Warren Blackwell's accuser got off scot free because the CPS decided she was too ill. I'd have suggested that with her track record that should have been for a jury to decide.

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