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CASH FOR QUESTIONS
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The cash-for-questions affair was the one of the biggest political scandals of the 1990s in the United Kingdom. It began in October 1994 when The Guardian newspaper alleged that London's most successful parliamentary lobbyist, Ian Greer of Ian Greer Associates, had bribed two Conservative Members of Parliament in exchange for asking parliamentary questions, and other tasks, on behalf of the controversial Egyptian owner of Harrods department store, Mohamed Al-Fayed.
The Guardian's story alleged that Al-Fayed had approached the paper and accused Ian Greer of paying Neil Hamilton and Tim Smith to table parliamentary questions on his behalf at £2000 per question. Smith resigned immediately after admitting to accepting payments from Al-Fayed himself, but not from Ian Greer as The Guardian alleged. Hamilton and Greer immediately issued libel writs in the High Court against The Guardian to clear their names.
In July 1994, a 'sting' operation by The Sunday Times also implicated MPs Graham Riddick and David Treddinick in the scandal. Two reporters from the newspaper posed as people wishing to have questions asked in the House of Commons. Both Riddick and Tredinnick accepted cash for asking questions in breach of the rules of Parliament and were forced to offer their resignations as a consequence, although neither resignation was accepted by the party, the two were suspended from Parliament for 10 and 20 days respectively, Mr Riddick recieving a shorter 'sentence' due to his apparent decision to apologise quickly and return his £1000 bribe.
The furore prompted Prime Minister John Major to instigate the Nolan Committee, to review the issue of standards in public life.
Six weeks later in December 1994, in a private letter to the chairman of the Parliamentary watchdog the Members' Interests Committee, Mohamed Al-Fayed alleged that he too had paid Hamilton, in addition to the original allegations that Ian Greer was the paymaster. Hamilton denied this new allegation too.
Two years later, in the last days of September 1996, three days before Hamilton's and Greer's libel actions were due to start, three of Mohamed Al-Fayed's employees claimed that they had processed cash payments to the two men. Hamilton and Greer denied these new allegations. Three days later Hamilton and Greer settled their actions against The Guardian when a "conflict of interest" occurred between them.
Hamilton's and Greer's withdrawal of their libel actions provoked an avalanche of condemnation of the two men in the British Press, led by The Guardian. Parliament immediately ordered a senior civil servant named Sir Gordon Downey to conduct an official inquiry into the affair. In December The Times reported the collapse of Ian Greer's lobbying company.
In early 1997 Downey began his inquiry, but before he published his report Prime Minister John Major prorogued Parliament for a general election to be held on 1 May 1997. Smith resigned from Parliament on 25 March and said he would not contest the next general election.
In the election former BBC reporter Martin Bell stood in Hamilton's Cheshire constituency of Tatton as an independent candidate on an "anti-corruption" platform. Bell defeated Hamilton with the assistance of the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats who both withdrew their candidates and supplied party workers to help Bell's campaign.
In early July 1997 Sir Gordon Downey published his report, clearing Ian Greer, Neil Hamilton, and Tim Smith of The Guardian's original allegations that Ian Greer had paid the two MPs to table questions. However, Downey decreed that the three Fayed employees' testimony that they had processed cash payments to Hamilton amounted to "compelling evidence", though he did not accept their claims to have processed cash payments to the lobbyist Greer.
In 1998 Neil Hamilton issued a writ for libel against Mohamed al-Fayed, over allegations that Al-Fayed had made on a Channel Four documentary programme broadcast in January 1997. In late 1999 the trial began at the High Court. Hamilton lost and was ordered to pay costs.
Two months later, in February 2000, The Mail on Sunday reported that shortly before Hamilton's libel action Mohamed Al-Fayed had acquired reams of privileged legal papers stolen from the chambers of Hamilton's barristers. Hamilton immediately lodged an appeal against his libel defeat.
In late 2000 Hamilton's appeal was heard at the Court of Appeal. The three judges dismissed Hamilton's appeal on the grounds that Fayed's acquisition of the stolen papers would not have materially affected the outcome of the trial.
In 2001 Neil Hamilton declared bankruptcy.
LINKS and REFERENCE
A - Z of Sussex officer investigations
Melanie Ann Liebenberg (Doctor)
The above is just a few of a number of persons likely to be investigated in respect of certain cases brought against Wealden Action Group members, on the instigation or encouragement of known Masons, councillors, or planning officers, many of which are themselves Masons.
Full details of this case will be available for publishing in newspapers from 25 April 2008 subject to confirmation. This will include full disclosure of all factors relied on photographs of the officers concerned, the CPS staff, expert witnesses, teachers and the subjects of the allegations, the defendant, alleged victim and family and others, video footage, transcripts and an exclusive from the defendant. The case is to be heard in September 2007 at a Crown Court in Sussex, which we will advise of closer to the time.
Newspapers are warned that interim, they should be exceptionally careful about reporting this matter, due to a Section 39 Order. Those in attendance at Court will already know the identity of the girl and that a Not Guilty plea has been entered on all counts.
Armed with the name of the girl, newspaper reporters will be able to investigate the matter for themselves, for the purposes of balanced reporting at the appropriate time, but should take special care where allegations are already on the table with the police investigating the possibility that such reporting is likely to reveal the identity of the girl concerned to the general public.
This case looks set to be every bit as exciting as the BBC 'The Verdict' drama. It is bound to raise a whole raft of questions as to social issues, how the system works, who it protects, who it doesn't protect and what might have gone wrong within the family concerned. Just who the victim is in these cases is sometimes hard to define.
It could be that the defendant deliberately set out to abuse a young girl, or he could be the victim in the wrong place at the wrong time. It could be the young girl feels the need for attention she is not getting at home, and this is a cry for help. Indeed, there are a number of possible explanations, but one thing is for sure, the trial is bound to explore the situation and the jury deliver a verdict.
As for the players, what will happen to them? How will this affect their lives, their family and future, and what are the lesson to be learned? See below for details.
A DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY - GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT
We are following this case in Sussex, England, since the law has changed. The allegations follow the break up of a 3 year long relationship with a single parent mother claiming suicidal thoughts in the early stages of the relationship, with reminders. Some three months after the girl believed her mother's boyfriend was not coming back, and after another rejection by her absent natural father, the 14 year old daughter alleged assault, which she claims took place in the preceding years, but chose not to mention at the time.
Is this an attention seeking cry for help, a mental disorder, blackmail, or did these events take place? PA 20-11-06 (Full and exclusive rights to this story available)
The mother and single male had known each other for a couple of years prior to getting together, having been introduced by the mother's father. The relationship began to get serious when the family invited the single male to a birthday party, after which the man began dating the mother. Pretty soon the lady had talked the gent into moving in with her and her two children, a boy and a girl, on a temporary basis. With a promise they would move to his home once repairs had been effected.
They enjoyed weekend family outings like any other. The girls father had shown up on a couple of occasions in the first year, but did not keep this up. In fact it is somewhat incredible that the mother allowed this, since the breakup had been particularly bitter, involving a break-in (simulated burglary) and other terror tactics. The girls natural father was prone to affairs and in fact has several children with different mothers all out of wedlock.
As the long term plan was for the family to move in with the bloke, to begin with the family unit would spend weekends at the chaps home, so everyone would get used to the idea. Apart from the companionship of country walks and shopping outings, he was particularly good with his hands, able to make things for the children, but he was also an entrepreneur with plans to expand his business. However, he was also kindly disposed to teaching the children various skills and went out of his way to think of projects which might interest them.
The long term plan faded into a distant memory, as the mother and her family applied pressure for him to abandon his home. It transpired the mother did not own her own home at all, but it was owned or managed by her parents. This too came as something of a shock to the male, since he was led to believe otherwise and that they would eventually pool resources.
Undeterred, he continued to live with the family and they became engaged, hoping things would turn out for the best. With the short hours he was now forced to work, his business development slowed to a crawl. All his money went on outings and travel. Although the mother at first supported him in his endeavors, her demands of his time began taking its toll. To make matters worse the mother's family did not understand his business at all. They kept trying to make him change his career, to support their daughter and forget all that he'd worked on for the past 12 years. They also made it plain they did not want their grandchildren living anywhere, but the home they managed for their daughter.
Indeed, they expected their daughters partner to abandon his home and questioned him on every occasion when he spent money at this location, or on anything other than the family. Things finally came to a head when the children's grandfather rowed with their daughter's suitor for the first time, the older man accusing the single male of not contributing enough to the running of his daughter's home, not picking up the children from school and continuing with his business plans, rather than change to a career they preferred.
BONDING
Inevitably, the substitute father became good friends with the children. The girl would confide her day to day troubles and would expect attention, as would any daughter. The boy took to the various projects like a duck to water. He became quite adept at making things and his school performance improved from the practical experience. He too demanded a high level of attention.
The girl was not as easy to please, since the man could not sew or dance and did not fancy walking dollies in prams, etc. So he concentrated on sport and coached her during phases of her wanting to be a pop star. He had special clothes made to try and make them feel part of his world. He arranged for the girl to be with horses, until she lost interest in this also, when she got into sport in a big way. In fact sport, dancing and acting took over her life, to the point where she wanted to start a dancing school. Previously, she had wanted a stables.
His presence was required at nearly all parties, functions and outings and he genuinely felt part of the family and wanted to see the children do well. He actively promoted them, bought them a computer each, all of which they enjoyed and must have added to their confidence. Naturally, he was by this time very much in love with his partner, confiding that he trusted her completely. They almost never had a cross word. But would rather bottle up their emotions.
The girl continued to have problems at school and with certain friends. At this time she entered puberty, which of course made things worse and mood changes became apparent, which the bloke admits, he had trouble coping with. There were now two potentially moody females to cope with. If the girl was having a bad day or not getting her way, she would take it out on him, since she could not treat her mother in that manner. The bond they had developed, now became something else. He became the emotional punch-bag. The only friendly face for the bloke was the young lad.
RAIN CHECK
After the row between her father, the chap felt he could not live up to the expectations they had of him. He felt inadequate and unable to cope, where all he could do to salvage some dignity and self respect, was to return to his home. This might also give him the opportunity of recovering financially and effecting repairs to the building, by now more urgent than the two or so years ago he had left them.
He offered to return at weekends to continue the relationship, enjoy outings, etc as before. He did not want to abandon the family or leave his partner is a state where she might do something silly. It seems his partner did not appreciate the demands she had made on him and he had not appreciated what would be demanded of him. He bought a large tv and other electrical devices and was frequently called upon to sort administrative issues, his partner appeared not to be able to cope with - mend this and that. He became the repair man. He also went on a holiday with the family, which he could ill afford, and to a location he'd rather not.
During the weekdays at home he missed the family. But, when he returned at the weekend, things were not the same. The children, who'd previously enjoyed many hours on a one to one basis, only got minutes. They were rushed to bed, or to some other event and the family unit began breaking down. The mother was on edge during these weekends, possibly due to feeling neglected but also due to work and financial pressures, and medical problems.
Unfortunately, just when things were beginning to get better, the mother had a serious car accident, which unfortunately was her fault, in the process wiping out two other vehicles. This incident appeared to unbalance her judgment on unrelated issues. Perhaps, one straw too many. Despite the fact she was also on a tight budget, she went on a spending spree. The bloke offered her a free car - she insisted on a newer, better one than his. There were other significant purchases. Where the chap had been holding off on several business items, just in case there were other emergencies, he now felt justified in making the investment.
Undoubtedly, during this troubled time the girl lost the father figure. Homework too, had started getting more demanding and her sport was just about an everyday after school matter of fact, or therapy. The boy too did not get any time, and in fact the mother deliberately kept them apart, despite part completed projects crying out to be finished. One can imagine the confusion in the minds of the children. It may have seemed to them they had become pawns in a pre-marital tussle. The engagement was called off.
One weekend not long after this, the mother attacked the bloke and threw him out of her house. Rejection was hitting them both hard. Contact became less and less. The bloke tried to one last ditch attempt to get things back on the rails at Christmas 05, but just as he was limbering up to ask for her hand in marriage again, the mother staged a fight about almost nothing. It might have seemed like nothing to the bloke, but she'd obviously been storing up issues they never talked about and finally let fly. At this point the bloke collected up his belongings and left, having been completely degraded in front of her whole family. If you want to end a relationship, this is one certain way to go about it.
Her parents tried to get them together again, but it didn't work. There were a few outings, which were very awkward, and during which the chap wondered why he was there at all. Finally, the mother told him she had a new relationship and that was that. Shortly after this, the girl made her allegations.
OTHER ISSUES
Other factors to be taken into consideration are that the mother is a trained psychiatric nurse. The Mother and daughter live next door to a policeman. The accusers grandfather is a mason, a district councillor and sits on a local police committee. This is only interesting after learning the officer conducting a taped interview admitted they would not normally follow up on such a claim. It is interesting because most senior police officers are masons - and masons sometimes do favors for each other! However, that may not be an issue unless the grandparents are not called to give evidence.
Quite often false allegations are levied at defenseless single males. They become the victims of their own kindness, if they join and support, then decide to leave the family. They are especially vulnerable where a young girl is part of the family group and where the girl is between the ages of puberty and leaving school, perhaps does not have much luck with the opposite sex (no boyfriend). Such girls sometimes hang out with teachers during lunch breaks. In this case we are advised the girl would spend lunch breaks with a male teacher.
GRIEF
The bloke remains devastated at the break up, and despite all he's gone through still feels deeply for the family. He is now faced with a grueling series of court appearances, where he has no alternative but to defend himself and reveal all the details he believes should be held forever private.
Already, the police have put him in an awkward position, by publishing the allegations, including the girls name, for all to see. Indeed, this may not have been the proper thing to do and we will be looking into this aspect of the proceedings in due course. The press to are contributing to these issues, where previously published web articles may (according to the Police) identify the girl. Hence, we are taking every precaution not to reveal the girls name or address. This will of course change when she is no longer a minor.
The single man is still somewhat confused as to why the girl felt it necessary to pursue such a desperate course, when if any of the family had wanted attention, they had only to telephone. He says he'd not abandoned the family and had hoped it would be possible to recover the situation given time. Yet it seems as if the girl wants more than attention. It might be she wants to punish someone, or maybe something else? But what is her lot and why? Is she a deprived child. Apparently not. Her grandparents are relatively wealthy.
So, who is/are the victim(s) here. The bloke, the mother, the boy, the girl, or all of them................................... to be continued.
CONVICTION QUASHED OVER 'MADE UP' VAMPIRE CLAIM
A man who was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2004 after a teenager falsely alleged he repeatedly raped her in "vampire" rituals had his conviction quashed yesterday.
Leon Benjamin Forde, 21, of Lincoln, was jailed 18 months ago after the girl claimed he subjected her to a sex ordeal two years previously, when she was 13. But he won his freedom at the appeal court after the prosecution accepted the girl's testimony was undermined by evidence uncovered from a computer diary which suggested she had "made it all up".
Mr Forde later said his time in prison had been "hell".
TEACHER
CLEARED OF RAPE TOO LATE
after battling to clear her son Darryl's name
The
music teacher, who protested his innocence, died in his cell from an
undiagnosed blood cancer. He had served 18 months of an eight-year
sentence. It comes as government guidance designed to speed up investigations into alleged abuse of pupils is introduced in schools. Unions say this will reduce the risk of innocent teachers being smeared by false allegations.
Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT, said: “This is an extreme and tragic illustration of the consequences of malicious allegations and underlines the need for these new procedures.”
Mr Gee’s 88-year-old mother, Molly, awarded £62,493 costs by the court, said the case should be a warning to other teachers.
“It all boiled down to one girl’s word against his, and the jury believed her,” she said. “That’s all it took to send my son to prison and it has left me very angry and grief stricken. I don’t think anyone should have to work alone with a child – it is just too easy for an allegation like this to be made.”
Mr Gee, a supply teacher who taught brass instruments, was found guilty at Leeds crown court in January 2001 after being accused of raping and indecently assaulting a pupil in a Huddersfield school in 1989. He died aged 55 in August 2002, a month after a second appeal failed.
His
conviction was eventually quashed when his mother alerted the Criminal
Cases Review Commission, which asked a leading psychiatrist to report on
his accuser. The study cast doubt on her mental state. It also emerged
that the girl, now 26, made similar allegations against another man, whose
conviction was quashed earlier this year.
SEX ATTACK LIAR NAMED BY PEER 19th October 2006
A woman with a long history of crying rape who sent an innocent man to jail was named in Parliament amid calls for a change in the law.
Shannon Taylor was unmasked by a peer who told the House of Lords her lies had put father-of-two Warren Blackwell behind bars for more than three years.
Lord Campbell-Savours
Lord Campbell-Savours used Parliamentary privilege to expose her identity and lambast the 'shabby' police investigation that saw Mr Blackwell imprisoned.
Legal experts praised his decision to speak out to prevent other men falling victim to fake sex attack allegations.
Mr Blackwell, 36, whose loyal wife Tanya never doubted his innocence, was dramatically cleared at the Appeal Court last month after Miss Taylor's background as a serial fantasist was exposed by a Criminal Cases Review Commission investigation.
But although his name was blackened, anonymity laws meant his accuser's was automatically protected, and she became known only as Miss A.
Even the appeal judges wanted to name her - but were powerless to do so - to warn other blameless members of the public.
The Daily Mail led calls for her identity to be revealed before she put another innocent man through torment.
Yesterday, Lord Campbell-Savours - said to be motivated by 'outrage' at the case - stood up and publicly did so.
He asked fellow peers: "Is not the inevitable consequence of the workings of the law, as currently framed, that we will carry on imprisoning innocent people like Warren Blackwell, who was falsely accused by a serial and repeated liar, Shannon Taylor, with a history of false accusations and multiple identities?
"As a result of her accusations, he spent three and a half years in prison following a shabby and inadequate police investigation, and was only exonerated when the Criminal Cases Review Commission inquiry cleared him and exposed her history."
The Labour peer added: "Shouldn't mature accusers who perjure themselves in rape trials be named and prosecuted for perjury?"
Miss Taylor's own daughter backed the decision to disclose her name, saying: "She is a danger and the public needs to be warned. She needs prosecuting for what she did. She is every man's worst nightmare."
Mr Blackwell's ordeal began when his accuser, now 38, claimed she had been seized with a knife outside a village club early on New Year's Day 1999, taken to an alley and indecently assaulted.
She later picked him out of an identity parade and a jury found him guilty, even though there was no forensic evidence against him and he had no previous convictions.
Eventually, the case was investigated by the Criminal Cases Review Commission which found that the woman had made up at least seven other fake allegations of sexual and physical assault, including against her own father. She frequently changed her name and police forces did not realise they were dealing with the same woman.
Her own mother has described her as "a persistent liar, very manipulative and a bully" who frequently claimed to have been beaten, sexually attacked and raped - all of which were untrue. She has a history of mental illness and self-harm.
The original investigation by Northamptonshire Police was exposed as shoddy, with Mr Blackwell's lawyers claiming that normal safeguards and procedures were completely ignored. He plans to sue.
Yesterday, a friend of 63-year-old Lord Campbell-Savours explained why he decided to speak out. He said: "He named her because he was outraged. He doesn't think it's got anything to do with the issue of rape, he thinks it's an issue of perjury.
"This woman made up the story and told lies and he can't see why a person who has perjured themselves should be protected, irrespective of the type of offence.
"Sometimes people have to stick their heads above the parapet in cases where the law is clearly an ass and needs to be reformed.
"He thinks the law around anonymity, particularly where false accusations have been made, needs to be changed."
Welcoming the development, Mr Blackwell, from Woodford Halse, Northamptonshire, said: "It's absolutely fantastic. I didn't think anybody would have the guts to name her.
"This woman needs to be stopped. The fact is, she remains free to carry on crying rape and up till now has been enjoying the full protection of the law. It's absolutely crazy that she could not be named and shamed, because innocent men need to be warned to avoid her like the plague.
"Now I hope she will go on to be prosecuted." But she is unlikely to face charges for perjury or perverting justice.
Northamptonshire Police yesterday claimed there was "insufficient evidence", while Crown Prosecution sources have cited her mental illness as a barrier.
But Mr Blackwell's barrister Anne Johnson said: "There is a clear public interest in her being prosecuted for perjury or the very least wasting police time.
"It's fantastic that somebody of authority has finally come out and named this woman. The issue needs to be aired otherwise nothing will be done."
At Mr Blackwell's appeal last month, Mr Justice Tugendhat admitted that similar tragic cases could follow because of the lies of the 'Miss A', adding that Parliament had not seemed to have considered this possibility when framing the law. Last night the judge said he did not wish to comment on yesterday's twist.
In the 1970s, the Daily Mail campaigned for women in sex cases to be granted automatic anonymity, to protect genuine victims of genuine crimes. Although Miss Taylor has now been publicly named, there is nothing to stop her changing her identity yet again.
Callers to her most recent address were told by her boyfriend that she no longer lived there.
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below?
It is unfortunate that in my opinion women seem to be able to make allegations and men are treated as guilty unless proven innocent. This spills over into family law where this happens all the time. It is time for laws to be changed and the system to be exposed for what it is. I take my hat of to the judge for naming this women. It is about time that more professional people i.e. judges and lawyers started looking at what is right and wrong instead of either following there own political agenda or lining their own pockets.
The sentencing for false accusations of rape should be as harsh, and enforced as harshly, as rape itself.
Warren Blackwell and wife Tanya - Guilty until Proven Innocent
Man freed but serial rape accuser remains anonymous12th September 2006
Warren Blackwell and his wife Tanya outside the Court of Appeal
An innocent man jailed for a sex attack was dramatically cleared after it emerged that his 'victim' is a serial liar with a long history of crying rape.
But because of laws that protect her anonymity, judges are powerless to name and shame her, leaving her free to make more false accusations against blameless members of the public.
Mr Blackwell, 36, hugged his loyal wife Tanya and wept as the Appeal Court quashed his conviction.
He described his accuser as "every man's worst nightmare".
Mr Justice Tugendhat admitted, however, that similar tragic cases could follow because of the lies of the woman, Miss A.
"Parliament does not seem to have contemplated this situation.
"There appears to be no means of displacing her entitlement to anonymity."
In the 1970s, the Daily Mail campaigned for women in sex cases to be granted automatic anonymity, but now there are questions about whether the law has gone too far.
Warren Blackwell's nightmare began when Miss A, now 38, claimed she had been seized with a knife outside a village club early on New Year's Day 1999, taken to an alley and indecently assaulted.
She later picked Mr Blackwell out at an identity parade.
There was no forensic evidence against him and he had no previous convictions.
'She needs to be stopped'
Yet Mr Blackwell, from Woodford Halse, Northamptonshire, was found guilty and spent three years and four months behind bars.
Eventually
the case was referred to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) which
assigned Detective Chief Inspector Steve Glover, to investigate. He
discovered that the woman:
The Crown Prosecution Service did not oppose the appeal.
David Farrell QC, for the Crown, said: "This conviction is unsafe. What has come out of the woodwork paints a picture of a woman with immense personal problems with serious difficulties in distinguishing between truth and lies."
If this information had been known at the time of the trial, he added, "this case would not have made it off the ground".
Mr Blackwell said: "Clearly something has to be done about this woman. She needs to be stopped. The prosecution say she is psychiatrically disturbed, but insane people who murder are tried and if found guilty put away."
Mr Blackwell, who plans to sue police over his ordeal, will now have his name removed from the Sex Offender Register.
His accuser has a history of mental illness and self-harm - once inscribing the word 'HATE' on her body with scissors.
However, because she has changed her name at least eight times, and moved between addresses in at least three counties, it seems police never realised they were dealing with the same woman.
For Mr Blackwell, her accusations meant he missed more than three years of family life. His son Liam, ten, and stepdaughter Holly, 16, were three and nine when his ordeal began.
His 36-year-old wife said: "I never doubted him for a second. We were together six years before it happened, and ever since."
Add your comment | View all Comments (48)48 people have commented on this story so far. Tell the Mail on Sunday what you think using the links above. I
think that most right-thinking people would support a change to allow
these people to be identified. It might even have some deterrent effect. When
you name the accused guilty or not you should also name the accuser. If
his photo is published then so should hers be. Let's have things equal
and fair all round. This
government does not have the time to waste on changing this law they are
all too busy jostling for the top office job.
F.A.C.T.
(Falsely Accused Carers and Teachers)
Guidance
for education staff and volunteers in schools
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