Sanctum Zone

Keyword
A+ A A-
Welcome, Guest
Username: Password: Remember me
  • Page:
  • 1

TOPIC: Hillsborough investigation should be extended to Orgreave, says NUM leader

Hillsborough investigation should be extended to Orgreave, says NUM leader 22 Oct 2012 19:05 #1

  • oioioi
  • oioioi's Avatar
  • ZONED OUT
  • Zone Facilitator
  • Rankmod
  • with my droogs
  • Posts: 13058
  • Thank you received: 7307
  • Karma: 91

The police complaints watchdog is under pressure to widen its investigation into alleged fabrication of evidence by South Yorkshire officers in the 1980s as new allegations emerge of attempts to frame miners at the Orgreave coking plant clashes.

Chris Kitchen, general secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers, said the Independent Police Complaints Commission and the director of public prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC, should include in their examination of South Yorkshire police's post-Hillsborough "cover-up" the force's alleged framing of 95 miners for serious criminal offences after Orgreave.

"Many miners were subjected to malpractice during the strike by South Yorkshire police – and other forces," Kitchen told the Guardian. "I will be asking the NUM's national executive committee to consider complaining to the IPCC and DPP for the police operations at Orgreave and elsewhere during the strike to be investigated, now the details of what South Yorkshire police did at Hillsborough have been revealed."

At Orgreave in 1984, police officers on horseback and on foot were filmed beating picketing miners with truncheons, but South Yorkshire police claimed the miners had attacked them first, and prosecuted 95 men for riot and unlawful assembly, which carried potential life sentences. All 95 were acquitted after the prosecution case collapsed following revelations in court that police officers' statements had been dictated to them in order to establish evidence of a riot, and one officer's signature on a statement had been forged.

On Monday night, a BBC1 Inside Out documentary, to be broadcast in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, features a retired police inspector who was on duty at Orgreave, Norman Taylor, recalling that he and other officers had parts of their statements dictated to them. "I recall this policeman in plain clothes mentioning that he had a good idea of what had happened. And that there was a preamble to set the scene," Taylor told the programme. "He was reading from some paper, a paragraph or so. And he asked the people who were there to use that as their starting paragraph."

Taylor said the paragraph was "basically the time and date, the name of the place".

However, a barrister specialising in criminal trials, Mark George QC, analysed 40 police officers' Orgreave statements, and found that many contained identical descriptions of alleged disorder by the miners. To prove the offence of riot, the prosecution has to establish a scene of general disorder within which a defendant committed a particular act, for example throwing a stone, which would otherwise carry a much lesser charge.

George found that 34 officers' statements, supposed to have been compiled separately, used the identical phrase: "Periodically there was missile throwing from the back of the pickets."

One paragraph, of four full sentences, was identical word for word in 22 separate statements. It described an alleged charge by miners, including the phrase: "There was however a continual barrage of missiles."

Michael Mansfield QC, who defended three of the acquitted miners, described South Yorkshire police's evidence then as "the biggest frame-up ever". He is now acting for the Hillsborough Family Support Group, which has campaigned since the 1989 disaster for the South Yorkshire police officers responsible on the day – and those responsible for the scheme afterwards to blame the disaster on the fans, which Mansfield labels a cover-up – to be held accountable. "South Yorkshire police operated a culture of fabricating evidence with impunity, which was not reformed after Orgreave, and allowed to continue to Hillsborough five years later," Mansfield said. "The current investigations by the IPCC and DPP into the force's malpractice related to Hillsborough should include other malpractice by the same force at the time."

South Yorkshire police paid £425,000 in 1991 to settle civil actions brought by 39 miners for what happened at and after Orgreave, including for assault, wrongful arrest and malicious prosecution, but no police officer was ever disciplined for any misconduct. The operation and prosecutions were given unqualified backing, even after they collapsed, by the chief constable, Peter Wright. Last month, the Hillsborough Independent Panel's report revealed that Wright personally oversaw the South Yorkshire police operation to blame supporters for the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, including by briefing false stories to the media, and the wholesale changing of junior officers' statements.

The IPCC announced on 12 October that South Yorkshire police had referred its conduct at and after Hillsborough to the IPCC for possible misconduct and criminal offences, including perverting the course of justice and perjury. Starmer announced that he would examine all the evidence brought to him to consider whether criminal charges should be brought.

On the collapsed prosecutions after Orgreave, South Yorkshire police told the Guardian in a statement: "We note the NUM's intention and will await any decision from the IPCC. As always, SYP will co-operate fully with the IPCC in whatever it does. The force is not aware of any adverse comment about the [police] statements from the trial judge in the [Orgreave] case. If concerns existed then normal practice would have been for the judge to raise them at the time."
www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/oct/21/hillsb...tend-orgreave-miners
If you have any issues with the forum or it's members, for a speedier response, rather than pressing the report button, please post them here: sanctumzone.co.uk/forum/Forum-Projects--...scussion-thread.html
You must register to post here.
The following user(s) said Thank You: psketti

Re: Hillsborough investigation should be extended to Orgreave, says NUM leader 22 Oct 2012 19:20 #2

  • dantesrevival
  • dantesrevival's Avatar
  • ZONED OUT
  • Junior Boarder
  • Rank2
  • Posts: 453
  • Thank you received: 300
  • Karma: 15
To fucking right, corrupt scum fucks, they were just thachers boot boys as where the met, I saw wrapping with my own eyes, was like a war zone at times.
You must register to post here.
The following user(s) said Thank You: psketti

Re: Hillsborough investigation should be extended to Orgreave, says NUM leader 22 Oct 2012 20:44 #3

  • psketti
  • psketti's Avatar
  • ZONED OUT
  • Hired help
  • Rankadmin
  • we cant stop here, this is dog country
  • Posts: 15528
  • Thank you received: 5668
  • Karma: 100
If heads don't roll for this mess, I expect the pigs are gonna see some more 'war zones'.
the anorak hides the fact that sean is composed of 95% vaginas
You must register to post here.
  • Page:
  • 1
Moderators: psketti, oioioi, batou
Time to create page: 0.128 seconds

Latest Members Blogs

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
Prev Next

What is going on when it comes to 9-11 I…

The EPA (environmental protection agency) and OSHA took air samples in the days following September 11th, they reported that they found no excessive levels of asbestos contrary to other findings....

Read more

9-11 Eleven Years Later

9-11 Eleven Years Later

With the anniversary of September 11th literally just around the corner, unanswered questions still remain for families who lost loved ones during the tragic event, as well as from families...

Read more

Strange Noises, Possible Link to Mass An…

Strange Noises, Possible Link to Mass Animal Deaths

In 2008 the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to review a series of lower court rulings that restrict the United States Navy's use of sonar in submarine detection training exercises off...

Read more

Annual Server Target

Whether its 50 cents or five dollars, your donations are appreciated and help keep this community site running so we can all continue to enjoy using it.
This target is to meet our server cost for one year, June 2020 - May 2021, in USD.
$ 340 - Target
( £ 250 GBP )
donation thermometer
donation thermometer
$ 192 - Raised
( £ 140 GBP )
donation thermometer
56%
Most Recent Donation:
$122 USD on 4th Jan 2021
Bitcoin Address: bc1q0kazqya0nurfxtunxv807vm0m8852nnrrk8mj8
 
Ethereum Address: 0xe69915c80dd75df19f438d556267e04f932f057d
 
More Info: Donation options for TZ

No one is obliged to donate, please only donate what you can afford. Even the smallest amount helps. Being an active member is a positive contribution. Thank You.

TradeZone Latest

Visitors

Today947
Yesterday1477
Week2424
Month947
Total1162950

Your IP Address: 216.73.216.156 Your Browser and OS: Unknown - Unknown Tuesday, 01 September 2026 20:27

Who Is Online

Guests : 740 guests online Members : No members online
© 2012 – 2021 Sanctum Zone | All rights reserved. This website is a place for people to express and discuss their views on the news and world events. DISCLAIMER: Please Note: Views expressed and submitted by contributors are their own personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions and beliefs of the Sanctum Zone website and its founder(s) , administrators , moderators , and any other website maintenance technicians, personnel and volunteers. Articles and messages posted on this website and forum are solely the opinion of their authors.

Login or Register

LOG IN

Register

User Registration
or Cancel