Many happy returns

ACAB of the day - Ryan Coleman-Farrow

As a detective constable, working for the specialist police Rape and Serious Sexual Assault Unit (SAPPHIRE) Coleman-Farrow failed to investigate 10 rape cases and 3 sexual assault cases. This included at least one case where witnesses confirmed a rape had taken place.

He also falsified witness statements, didn't bother forwarding evidence for analysis (and falsified false results from forensic tests) and falsely claimed one victim had dropped the charges.

Coleman-Farrow was first investigated when a sex worker complained that he had failed to investigate a stalker that she had reported. She committed suicide a few days later.

He was today sentenced to 16 months, a ridiculously light sentence, given the damage he caused to so many people; but indicative of the state's attitude to both rape and to bent coppers.

If anyone's still wondering why so few rapes get reported, and why the conviction rate for reported rapes is so low,this is a good example of why - the experience of Coleman-Farrow's victims is hardly uncommon. ACAB.

ACAB of the day - Azelle Rodney's murderers, and the state that protects them

The murder was in 2005, but the family's had to wait seven years for the inquiry to take place. And this week we've heard from officer 'E1', who was the head of the armed response team that shot Azelle Rodney 4 times in the head. Officer E1, when questioned at the inquiry, gave the view that the murder was 'a successful operation'.

E1 was also questioned over footage of the incident from a police helicopter which for years police have denied existed and then attempted to prevent being handed over the enquiry. Disgracefully, the inquiry judge has refused to allow this footage to be released to the public, and emptied the public gallery before showing the footage to E1 (this also meant the press were banned from reporting its contents). Given that the police fired 8 shots at their victim, and given the evidence from a paramedic who was at the scene suggests the police planted guns in the vehicle, I reckon you could make a fairly reasonable informed guess as to why the judge was so keen for the footage not to be released.

The United Families and Friends Campaign has its annual march in Central London tomorrow. If for whatever reason you can't make it to Walthamstow, and you can get to Central London, please go and support them.

A new series - ACAB of the day - PC Alex McFarlane

Alex McFarlane, the pig who was recorded in August last year racially abusing a black man in back of a police van last year was today discharged after a second jury failed to reach a verdict on a charge of criminal racist abuse.

The recording includes McFarlane saying to Mauro Demetrio "The problem with you is that you will always be a n***er." It also includes one of his colleagues boasting about strangling Demetrio. Even through Demetrio reported the assault, and marks were left on his neck as evidence of it, no charges were brought. The CPS had tried to bring no charges at all. Indeed, when Demetrio handed his phone in to Forest Gate police station, PC Joe Harrington, another of the pigs who had been present at the assault arrested him on a trumped up accusation of theft from an ATM during the London riots. McFarlane was only charged following the publication of the recording on the internet, where it quickly went viral. You can listen to it here.

In case anyone's wondering how a jury can fail to reach a verdict in a case like this, it's worth bearing in mind that 90% of juries in this country are vetted by Special Branch (as revealed by Newsnight some 20 years ago).

The problem with PC Alex McFarlane is, he'll always be a copper. ACAB.

The British ruling class

The Savile affair is gaining even more momentum:

Labour MP Tom Watson has said police must investigate claims of a "powerful paedophile ring" linked to a previous prime minister's "senior adviser" and Parliament... 

Mr Watson said an evidence file collected by the police to convict paedophile Peter Righton in 1992 "contains clear intelligence of a widespread paedophile ring". 

"One of its members boasts of his links to a senior aide of a former prime minister, who says he could smuggle indecent images of children from abroad," he said. 

"The leads were not followed up, but if the files still exist, I want to ensure that the Metropolitan Police secure the evidence, re-examine it and investigate clear intelligence suggesting a powerful paedophile network linked to Parliament and No 10." 

David Cameron said it was a "very difficult and complex case" and he was "not entirely sure" which former prime minister Mr Watson was referring to.

Now, don't be coy, David, it's one of two possible Prime Ministers, and one of the possible Prime Ministers hosted Jimmy Savile at their country residence every Christmas for eleven years (not that that's incriminating - I'm just saying it can't be that "difficult and complex" to work out). 

Add all this to the Hillsborough cover-up, phone hacking, rate fixing, repeated deaths in police custody and, what, is the ruling class in this country just one giant 'ring', a syndicate of mobster perverts? Don't mess with their boat races, mofo, because if you do you're going down.

For your information

Norman Bettinson, the man who ran the Hillsborough police 'liason' unit that spread ugly lies about Liverpool fans after the disaster, has also been in charge of PREVENT, and Vice Chair of ACPO's Terrorism and Allied Matters committee. This:

puts him at the heart of state snooping against Muslim, Kurdish and Tamil communities, as well as 'counter-terror' strategies against LWX (left wing extremists) and anarchists.

In his PREVENT role he has shown evidence of some rather unpleasant views. When the Met was found guilty and fined in a corporate prosecution for the killing of Jean Charles de Menezes, he described it as "a triumph for health and safety, a lucrative new territory for lawyers, a disaster for common sense."

He has also claimed that that schoolchildren as young as 13 are being groomed for terrorism, said that it will “probably take 20 years” to prevent the “infection” of extremism spreading within Britain’s borders", and blamed Muslim communities for not doing enough to prevent terrorism. He's not averse to a bit of the high life. In July he was criticised for spending £300,000 of his force's money on seven high performance executive cars for the 'personal and professional use' of senior officers, including himself, despite moaning on about police spending cuts. His crusade against 'all forms of extremism' has also taken him on all-expenses paid trips to Pakistan, Bangladesh and Abu Dhabi.

It's alright for some, isn't it?

About Friday's Critical Mass

The point about the Critical Mass arrested (drawn from an excellent article in the Bike section of the Guardian online). The Metropolitan Police tried to limit the ride under Section 12 of the Public Order Act 1986, which allows police to impose limits on such an event when "it may result in serious public disorder, serious damage to property or serious disruption to the life of the community". The Critical Mass ride has been happening monthly in London for 18 years without even a hint of “public disorder”.

The Metropolitan Police tried to limit the ride to a certain ‘agreed’ route. The route was not agreed. It never is. The direction of Critical Mass is decided by consensus on the day. Critical Mass is intended to promote cycle use and cycle users rights on public highways. It operates within the law and is therefore entitled to the road, and in 2008 the High Courts agreed with this.

The significance is this:

1. The police are an unelected body.
2. The police assume the right to practically define the meaning of the law. In this case that a demonstration that has never resulted in “serious public disorder” suddenly might and that a procession that doesn’t have to define its route beforehand suddenly does.
3. If you want to live in any kind of democracy you have to challenge this assumption by the police.

Today in London

You may not have known but today in London was the monthly Critical Mass bike ride, and overwhelmingly peaceful protest that has gone on for years. If you support the Olympics you support this: the police pepper spraying and assaulting a disabled man on a tricycle.

Like bad pennies in broken jar

They just keep turning up! ‎"Make sure you do a lot with your 60 grand because you're not gonna get it no more bruv..." Well done the lad for standing up to racist bullies. He is an absolute hero! Take down PC Alex MacFarlane, racist PC Alex MacFarlane, violent racist PC Alex MacFarlane, take him down, all the way. While we're on the subject DISBAND THE MET!