Court updates

Note: we are keeping this list updated with new information when we get it.

We have a selection of defendant profiles below. There is an outstanding legal decision that could affect Scottish census cases: read more on Indymedia. Note: “MC” stands for Magistrates Court.

8 Jun: Derek Shields (Liverpool Crown Court)
Appeal hearing.

14 Jun: Andy Manifold and Sarah Ledsom (Liverpool MC)
Mention hearing.

~15 Jun: Stephen Grieve (Ashford MC)
Adjourned from 4 May, exact date not yet announced.

26 Jun: Mandy Woods (Bury St Edmunds MC)
Full hearing at 10am.

21-22 Aug: Jane Howarth (Exeter MC)
Full hearing before District Judge, over two days due to issues raised in her defence statement.

Defendant profiles

Cooper, Gyles: “I have for many years campaigned against the arms trade and I cannot in good conscience co-operate with an organisation, Lockheed Martin, which is a manufacturer of cluster bombs and which has a long record of bribery and corruption.”
 – 1 Mar, Highbury MC: plea hearing. Plead GUILTY and fined £200, with £85 costs and a £15 victim surcharge. [Gyles’ story on our blog]

Dowling, Barbara: protesting about CACI’s involvement in the Scottish census. More info on our friend website Ethicalcensus.org.uk
 – 26 Jan, Glasgow Sheriff CourtADJOURNED to intermediate diet (pre-hearing) on 6 May.
 – 6 May, Glasgow Sheriff Court: intermediate diet (pre-trial hearing).
 – 15 May, Glasgow Sheriff Court: trial diet (full hearing). ADJOURNED to 25 Sep, after motion from Barbara’s solicitor.

Franklin, Roger: 84, veteran peace campaigner from Horsley. He wrote to the court to outline his moral and political objections, instead of attending or entering a plea. [http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/Mayor-facing-court-refusing-census/story-14388627-detail/story.html]
 – 11 Jan, Bristol MC: ADJOURNED to 8 Feb after Roger wrote to the court explaining his objections.
 – 8 Feb, Bristol MC: vigil outside from 9am. FOUND GUILTY and fined £460. He has refused to pay the fine.

Glass Woodin, Deborah: community activist and former Green Party councillor.  [http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2011/11/488727.html]
 – 13 Dec, Reading MC:  ADJOURNED to 2 Feb.
 – 2 Feb, Reading MC: pre-trial date.
 – 14 May, Reading MC: trial. FOUND GUILTY and fined. [Deborah’s story on our blog]

Grenville, Roger: refusing on grounds of conscience, and has no intention to pay fines or costs. [http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2011/11/488714.html]
 – 5 Jan, Birmingham MC: preliminary hearing. Heard with a plea hearing for Marcus Hoo, “Vicky”, and one letter written in.
 – 2 Mar, Birmingham MC: with “Vicky” and Marcus Hoo.
 – Unknown dateFOUND GUILTY and fined £65 with £175 costs and a Victim Surcharge of £15. Made it clear to the court that he doesn’t intend to pay.

Grieve, Stephen
 – 4 May, Ashford MC: hearing ADJOURNED at last minute for ~6 weeks.

Howarth, Jane: mother of six, lives in Barnstaple but was called to court in Plymouth (four hours round trip). [http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2012/01/491473.html?c=on#c278346]
 – 1 Feb, Plymouth MC: plea hearing, entered not guilty in writing, as she did not have enough notice to make court date.
 – 22 Feb, Plymouth MC: pre-trial hearing ADJOURNED to 8 Mar.
 – 8 Mar, Barnstaple MC: pre-trial hearing, plead not guilty.
 – 27 Apr, Exeter MC: planned to defend right to refuse.

Ledsom, Sarah: 57 year old grandmother from Bromborough, who refuses to pay any fine. She objects for moral reasons, partly to do with selling arms to Israel. [http://blog.caat.org.uk/2011/12/12/courts-begin-to-prosecute-census-refusers/]. More info on our blog.
 – 8 Dec 2011, Liverpool MC: preliminary hearing, more info on our blog.
 – 17-18 Jan, Liverpool MC: ADJOURNED to 7 Feb.
 – 7 Feb, Dale Street MC: no required attendance.
 – 28 Feb, Liverpool MC: delayed pending outcome of other hearings, including Derek Shields’ appeal.

Manifold, Andy
 – 8 Dec 2011, Liverpool MC:
 
plea hearing, more info on our blog.
 – 17-18 Jan, Liverpool MC: ADJOURNED to 7 Feb.
 – 7 Feb, Dale Street MC: no required attendance.
 – 28 Feb, Liverpool MC: delayed pending outcome of other hearings, including Derek Shields’ appeal.

Marjoram, John: 72, Quaker and mayor of Stroud. A peace protester for 50 years who plans to plead not guilty, after seeing the trauma suffered by his uncle in the First World War. Other members from his Nailsworth Quaker Meeting are also refusers but have not yet prosecuted. [http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/Mayor-facing-court-refusing-census/story-14388627-detail/story.html]
 – 8 Feb, Bristol MC: first hearing at 10am, vigil outside from 9am.
 – 9 May: CASE DROPPED, John’s story on our blog.

Reid, Mary
 – 30 Jan, FalkirkADJOURNED for a hearing on the competence of the charge.

Sambrook, Judith: Shrewsbury resident who finds the extra travel to distant court venues difficult, as she is a single parent and on kidney dialysis three days a week. [http://blog.caat.org.uk/2011/12/12/courts-begin-to-prosecute-census-refusers/]
 – 11 Nov 2011, Wrexham MC: Preliminary hearing, messages sent from Occupy London.
 – 9 Feb, Mold MC: pre-trial ADJOURNED to 29 Feb in Shrewsbury, pending decision on PV vs Parveen Akram.
 – 29 Feb, Shrewsbury MC: pre-trial, attendance not required.
 – Unknown date: CASE DROPPED, but then revived by Judith.
17 May, Shrewsbury MC: found NOT GUILTY after CPS didn’t produce evidence, Judith’s case on our blog.

Shields, Derek
 – 8 Dec 2011, Liverpool MC: plea hearing, more info on our blog.
 – 17-18 Jan, Liverpool MCFOUND GUILTY and fined £75, with £100 costs and a £15 victim surcharge. He refused to pay the fine, and submitted an appeal.
 – 16 Feb, Liverpool Crown Court: mention hearing.
 – 4 Apr, Liverpool Crown Court:  appeal hearing.

Stuart, James:
 – 27 Jan, Nottingham Magistrates CourtFOUND GUILTY and fined.

“I had my day in court here in Nottingham. I spoke about the evils of Lockheed Martin and put forward two lines of defence – first my conscience would not allow me to fill in the census form because the profits from the census process would go to Lockheed Martin; second that I never categorically refused to fill in my form but rather gave a conditional statement that I would be pleased to fill in the form if the data-processing contract was taken away from LM and given to a fit and proper organisation.

“The judge listened to my “conscientious objector” defence for a while but then interrupted me and said such a defence was “inadmissible” and “irrelevant” to the charge. My other line of defence was also rejected in his summing up.

“I was fined £250, plus £15 victim surcharge, plus £600 costs, totalling £865, but my intention is not to pay the fine.”

Voysey, John: he was a conscientious objector in 1947, and is still standing up for his principles today, aged 82. He is planning to refuse to pay any fine imposed, to avoid becoming ‘an accessory’ to the actions of the arms industry. [http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2012/01/491473.html]
 – 1 Feb, Wrexham MCADJOURNED til 2 Mar [Indymedia article]
 – 2 Mar, Wrexham MC: pre-hearing, heard by a District Judge in acknowledgement of the legal points John raised previously.
 – 10 May, Wrexham MC: CASE DROPPED one day before court date.

Woods, Mandy: a single mother who, like other census objectors, was summoned to a court 40 miles from her home.
 – 17 Jan, Bury St Edmunds MC: ADJOURNED to 13 Apr.
 – 13 Apr, Bury St Edmunds MC: trial hearing, ADJOURNED to 26 Jun.

 

Many thanks to NoCONcensus for helping us compile this list

2 Responses to Court updates

  1. Pete says:

    On the same afternoon court list at Highbury with Gyles Cooper was the case of Stan Richardson. He pleaded Not Guilty by letter and asked for his case to be transferred to Uxbridge Mag Ct. as he lived in Hillingdon and had age-related travel problems. His letter also said that witnesses would be called. The bench said that although they were willing to transfer the case, Mr. Richardson would have to be present at Highbury for that to happen. (!) A new date of 19/4/12 at 13.30pm at Highbury was set.

  2. Rachael says:

    It seems clear that those prosecuted have previous form for protest. Foolish on behalf of the CPS as they are known for being able to cope with the law, unlike people who may have not had experience.

    Are they still going through the lists? I didn’t fill in the form but apart from being visited by a teenager who was confused by my diatribe about Lockheed Martin have heard nothing.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *