IT WAS THE MORNING OF Monday, 22 October, at Barnet magistrates' court in North London. There was more usual because a new stipendiary magistrate was expected in court. After the terror of Canham «and the vindictiveness of McDermott could Mr C Burke be any worse?
This was not an unimportant question for the six men on trial — including Gurmil Brard, central leader of Movement One of them, Aulak, had four separate assault charges. He is the person you can see in the logo above the appeal for the defence fund being held by four policemen!
Burke enters the court. He is wearing a three-plece. suit, navy blue with thin white stripes. A whiter-than-white sticks out of his jacket pocket. He is balding and wears spectacles.
David Harvey, the defence lawyer, delays the proceedings by announcing that the case against the six is so vital that he operational orders and radio logs of the police for 23 April. Surprisingly, the magistrate hears the argument.
The prosecution counsel is sent to ring the Chief Solicitor for the Metropolitan police, to inquire what was in these orders. She returns and announces 'snatch squads' in the orders.
Harvey tion. He then asks the magistrate to insist that David Helm, the MeNee's assistant in charge of operations on 23 April, appears as a witness.
Helm served on him. The magistrate does not dismiss
'excitement', than
between Southall Youth were all charged with assault.
handkerchief could япу Southall needs the seriously, Southall:
that there is no mention of • help. reluctantly accepts this informa'Butcher of Southall' and the idea out of hand. If the trial necessitates Helm's presence he will consider it seriously.
The trial starts. Harvey tears the police evidence apart, reveals sharp inconsistencies the evidence. offered police officers, and it soon becomes clear that the police are lying. that, but in this case it is extremely blatant.
The question is whether magistrate Burke will do as McDermott and Canham and the other magistrates at Barnet have disregard defence witnesses and photographic The trial is expected to last for at least three days. As Socialist Challenge goes to press there is no way in which we can foretell the verdict. But given the seriousness of the charges it is likely that some of the defendents will receive heavy prison.sentences.
In such an event a mass picket of the courts will become a necessity. Balraj Purewal of the Youth Challenge: 'We are considering the matter very as other Meanwhile in many localities the plans to burn the Barnet magistrates and collect money for the Southall Defence Fund are going ahead. Money is now drying up. More has to be raised. Please raise the matter in trades unions and students unions. Even Sograll on Schobill then Da Southall discussion led by M Asghar and Suresh Grover, Institute of Race Relations, 247 Pentonville Rd, London N1, 6.30pm, Thursday 1 November.
EDMOND Asst by different Nothing unusual about generally done and sympathy magistrates Socialist organisations in modest donations will presented MACDERMOTT served in the office of the DPP for over 25 years and from 1968-72 was DPP, becoming stipendiary in 1972. On the London court circuit he is known as a man of politically reactionary views.
JOHN CANHAM [with a 93 pe cent conviction rate at Barnet] is to have little for security defendants. After legal service in the army during the 1950s Canham was in private practice on the SE circuit handling police prosecutions almost exclusively. He has rarely been known o acquit as a magistrat 'ENNETH COOKE {84 per cen conviction rate worked his way up via a number of jobs such as clerk to in Lancashire and Yorkshire. He has been a stipendiary since 1970 and was made a recorder in the Crown Court in 1972. An ex-RAF volunteer reserve squadron leader, he has a reputation as something of an unpredictable character in court.
Finally PETER BADGE [77 per cent conviction rate worked for a time at the solicitors' department at Scotland Yard. For two years before his appointment as a stipendiary in 1975 he was senior solicitor to the commissioner in and the state's case at the Detention Appeals Tribunal, where Ulster detainees contested the state's right to intern without trial.