There Are Reasons Why Justice Must Be Seen to Be Done
By ATWadmin On September 23rd, 2008ONE OF THOSE reasons being that open justice prevents shabby, backroom deals done for the administrative convenience of the police.
GEORGE MICHAEL – a man with some previous when it comes to this kind of thing – has received a police caution after being arrested in public toilets in possession of crack cocaine.
A NEWCASTLE UNITED footballer – all 6’3″ of him – has received a police caution for assaulting a woman.
When did it become the job of the police to issue cautions for serious offences? Who decided that the courts are not to be bothered when a man assaults a woman, that the police can take it upon themselves to to slap the perpetrator’s wrist instead? Justice can only be done in a properly constituted court, open to the public, presided over by an independent bench that has sworn to do justice “without fear or favour, affection or ill-will”, not behind closed doors in a police station.
Wait, what? And the police tell us, that when some lout who’s been terrorizing someone in their own home for weeks on end, makes a complaint of assault against their victim, that they HAVE TO take it seriously by arresting the victim?
Footballers get let off all sorts unfortunately. Because they’re footballers.
A police caution? How sweet.