This Saturday, 4th June, I have been invited to speak at the Rally Against Child Abuse in Trafalgar Square. The event last year was very well supported and it is absolutely clear that Hollie`s case, horrific though it is, is just one of many. Although I can only speak with authority on the Hollie Greig issue, it is overwhelmingly obvious that influential individuals operating within public authorities throughout Britain are programmed to conceal paedophile crime in as ruthless a manner as possible.
I am deeply concerned to learn that one of my fellow speakers, Kevin Annett from Canada, will be unable to attend as he has been arrested, deported and banned from re-entering the UK.
I am very pleased with recent progress in Hollie`s case and the fact that good people from various political parties all across the UK, are beginning to come forward publicly in support of our campaign for an independent, open and public inquiry into the various unsatisfactory issues related to Hollie`s case, including the forcible kidnapping and assault on Anne Greig and the possibility of the murder of key witness Robert Greig, the latter issue thrown even more starkly into focus by its undoubted personal and circumstantial connections with the murder of Mrs Claire Webster.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
The Great Satan
Regrettably, Scottish "Justice" Minister, Kenny MacAskill, seems to be sticking his head ever deeper in the sand as he continues to wilfully ignore the failings of the Scottish criminal justice system.
Commenting on the quashing of Nat Fraser's conviction he said: "It has always been the position of the Scottish Government that the High Court of Justiciary should be the final court of appeal for conviction matters in Scotland. I regret that once again the sovereignty of the Scottish courts appears to be challenged."
It is contemptible that MacAskill seeks to deflect attention from institutional corruption in the Scottish legal system by attempting to portray this as a turf war between Scotland and England.
Unfortunately, I cannot report any progress being made towards a public enquiry into the Hollie Greig case. Instead MacAskill is focusing on rushing in legislation to impose stiff penalties on those who incite violence at football matches. I wonder whether these laws will be applied retrospectively, and, if so, whether any action will be taken against a man who publicly referred to the English international team as "the great Satan". That man was .... Kenny MacAskill.
MacAskill clearly has some expertise on these matters having been arrested at Wembley in 1999 on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly. He dismissed the matter as "a simple misunderstanding". Is this incident at the root of his antipathy towards the criminal justice system in London ?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/535592.stm
Commenting on the quashing of Nat Fraser's conviction he said: "It has always been the position of the Scottish Government that the High Court of Justiciary should be the final court of appeal for conviction matters in Scotland. I regret that once again the sovereignty of the Scottish courts appears to be challenged."
It is contemptible that MacAskill seeks to deflect attention from institutional corruption in the Scottish legal system by attempting to portray this as a turf war between Scotland and England.
Unfortunately, I cannot report any progress being made towards a public enquiry into the Hollie Greig case. Instead MacAskill is focusing on rushing in legislation to impose stiff penalties on those who incite violence at football matches. I wonder whether these laws will be applied retrospectively, and, if so, whether any action will be taken against a man who publicly referred to the English international team as "the great Satan". That man was .... Kenny MacAskill.
MacAskill clearly has some expertise on these matters having been arrested at Wembley in 1999 on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly. He dismissed the matter as "a simple misunderstanding". Is this incident at the root of his antipathy towards the criminal justice system in London ?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/535592.stm
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
The Scottish Justice System Is Unfit For Purpose
The title of this blog is a quote from justice campaigner Iain McKie, a former police superintendent. He is calling for a Royal commission into the Scottish Justice System as a result of the numerous miscarriages of justices which are now coming to light. Mr McKie is the father of Shirley McKie, a policewoman who was wrongly charged with perjury, and is a prominent campaigner for a full enquiry into the Lockerbie bombing.
http://www.firmmagazine.com/features/869/Outdated,_self_serving,_incestuous_and_redundant.html
The latest blow to the credibility of the Scottish criminal justice system is the successful appeal of Nat Fraser against his conviction for the murder of his wife, Arlene, in 1998. Mr Fraser has been imprisoned for 8 years as a result of evidence being tampered with and the prosecution failing to disclose all evidence to the court. Followers of the Hollie Greig case will not be surprised to learn that it was Grampian Police who investigated the alleged murder of Arlene Fraser, whose body has never been found.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-13534802
http://www.firmmagazine.com/features/869/Outdated,_self_serving,_incestuous_and_redundant.html
The latest blow to the credibility of the Scottish criminal justice system is the successful appeal of Nat Fraser against his conviction for the murder of his wife, Arlene, in 1998. Mr Fraser has been imprisoned for 8 years as a result of evidence being tampered with and the prosecution failing to disclose all evidence to the court. Followers of the Hollie Greig case will not be surprised to learn that it was Grampian Police who investigated the alleged murder of Arlene Fraser, whose body has never been found.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-13534802
Freedom Of Speech
Why is it that the mainstream media are so fascinated by allegations of an affair between a footballer and a reality TV star yet they have nothing to say about allegations that a Downs Syndrome girl was raped by a paedophile gang who are not being pursued by the Scottish criminal justice system ?
I do not believe that anything resembling a "super-injunction" exists in relation to the Hollie Greig case, therefore it is the decision of individual TV stations and newspapers not to run the story. The former Lord Advocate, Elish Angiolini, did, of course, write to various media organisations warning them not to run the story but I am not aware of any order being issued by any court to this effect.
I have an interdict (Scottish term for injunction) against myself which restricts my freedom of speech. The bail conditions for my criminal trial preclude me from revealing any further details of this matter.
I do not believe that anything resembling a "super-injunction" exists in relation to the Hollie Greig case, therefore it is the decision of individual TV stations and newspapers not to run the story. The former Lord Advocate, Elish Angiolini, did, of course, write to various media organisations warning them not to run the story but I am not aware of any order being issued by any court to this effect.
I have an interdict (Scottish term for injunction) against myself which restricts my freedom of speech. The bail conditions for my criminal trial preclude me from revealing any further details of this matter.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Vote Of No Confidence In Grampian Police
Following the conviction of Malcolm Webster, Grampian Police has been subjected to severe media criticism.
An article in "The Times" by Mike Wade contained the following section:
After his 19-week trial, critics expressed incredulity at the conduct of the first police investigation into the crash. They are also baffled by the force's failure five years later to act on information from police in New Zealand.
"Grampian was full of shambolic police investigations in the 1990's" said a police source "the initial enquiry was not good, Webster was never suspected."
Peter Morris, Claire's brother, said that during the trial he had been approached by Chief Inspector Ian Wallace, who was a constable at the time of the murder, and had suspected Webster since 1994.
"He had suspicions at the time... he saw the peculiarities in what had happened. He and another officer went to their seniors to try and make further inquiries, but their efforts were quashed."
An editorial in the "Sunday Mail" states:
You would not need to be Miss Marple to smell a rat. Luckily for Webster there were few Marples at Grampian Police .... it seems clear that the death of Claire Webster in 1994 was far too quickly written off as an accident.
Inexperience, bad decisions, Webster's dramatic talents and - most probably - a disinclination to open what would have been a can of worms meant Grampian simply closed the file, shut the drawer and locked the cabinet.
It was not, of course, the only inquiry botched by the force in the 1990's when the notorious murders of nine-year-old Scott Simpson and Arlene Fraser also took far, far too long to be solved.
Even when the Scots police were contacted by their counterparts in New Zealand after Webster's attempted murder of his second wife, they refused to act.
This damning criticism of Grampian Police in the 1990's, puts into context their failure to investigate either the sexual abuse allegations made by Hollie Greig or the suspicous death of her uncle, Roy Greig. The mainstream media have not yet reported on these matters but surely it can only be a matter of time before this happens.
An article in "The Times" by Mike Wade contained the following section:
After his 19-week trial, critics expressed incredulity at the conduct of the first police investigation into the crash. They are also baffled by the force's failure five years later to act on information from police in New Zealand.
"Grampian was full of shambolic police investigations in the 1990's" said a police source "the initial enquiry was not good, Webster was never suspected."
Peter Morris, Claire's brother, said that during the trial he had been approached by Chief Inspector Ian Wallace, who was a constable at the time of the murder, and had suspected Webster since 1994.
"He had suspicions at the time... he saw the peculiarities in what had happened. He and another officer went to their seniors to try and make further inquiries, but their efforts were quashed."
An editorial in the "Sunday Mail" states:
You would not need to be Miss Marple to smell a rat. Luckily for Webster there were few Marples at Grampian Police .... it seems clear that the death of Claire Webster in 1994 was far too quickly written off as an accident.
Inexperience, bad decisions, Webster's dramatic talents and - most probably - a disinclination to open what would have been a can of worms meant Grampian simply closed the file, shut the drawer and locked the cabinet.
It was not, of course, the only inquiry botched by the force in the 1990's when the notorious murders of nine-year-old Scott Simpson and Arlene Fraser also took far, far too long to be solved.
Even when the Scots police were contacted by their counterparts in New Zealand after Webster's attempted murder of his second wife, they refused to act.
This damning criticism of Grampian Police in the 1990's, puts into context their failure to investigate either the sexual abuse allegations made by Hollie Greig or the suspicous death of her uncle, Roy Greig. The mainstream media have not yet reported on these matters but surely it can only be a matter of time before this happens.
Frank Mulholland
Frank Mulholland has been promoted from Solicitor General to Lord Advocate following the departure of Elish Angiolini.
It would be fair to say that Mr Mulholland's appointment has not been universally acclaimed by other campaigners against injustice in Scotland. However I believe in giving Mr Mulholland the opportunity to demonstrate that, in his new role, he will take the steps required to restore public confidence in the Scottish criminal justice system. It goes without saying that it is imperative that he orders a full public enquiry into the Hollie Greig case, particularly in the light of the revelations in the Malcolm Webster murder trial.
It would be fair to say that Mr Mulholland's appointment has not been universally acclaimed by other campaigners against injustice in Scotland. However I believe in giving Mr Mulholland the opportunity to demonstrate that, in his new role, he will take the steps required to restore public confidence in the Scottish criminal justice system. It goes without saying that it is imperative that he orders a full public enquiry into the Hollie Greig case, particularly in the light of the revelations in the Malcolm Webster murder trial.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Will Grampian Police Now Investigate The Death Of Roy Greig ?
Following the conviction of Malcolm Webster for the murder of his wife Claire Morris will Grampian Police now investigate the suspicous death of Hollie's uncle, Roy Greig.
Roy was found dead in a burning parked car just north of Aberdeen in 1997. The official report at that time indicated there were no suspicous circumstances although Roy's family and friends were shocked at the notion that he could have committed to suicide. When Hollie later began to reveal details of the abuse she had suffered she alleged that Roy had witnessed her being raped and the time of this episode was narrowed down to around the time of Roy's death. Therefore there is a possible motive for murdering Roy in order to silence him.
Anne Greig fought long and hard to see her brother's post-mortem report and she eventually received a copy in 2009 - more than 12 years after his death. She was shocked to discover that at the time of his death he was suffering from injuries to his skull, ribs and sternum. These are not consistent with the official cause of death, smoke inhalation, and suggest that Roy may have been assaulted shortly before his death.
Malcolm Webster murdered his first wife Claire Morris in 1994. She was found dead in a burning car just a few miles from the scene of Roy Greig's death. At the time her death was not thought to be suspicous and it was only after Webster's second wife was involved in a similar "accident" that a murder enquiry was launched.
The pathologist who performed the post-mortem on Claire Morris was Dr XXXXX XXXXXX who also carried out the post-mortem on Roy Greig. My bail conditions prohibit me from contacting Dr XXXXXX. It is also worth noting that at least one policeman expressed concerns about Claire Morris's death but was instructed to "move on and tell my colleagues to do so as well".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-12733255
Roy was found dead in a burning parked car just north of Aberdeen in 1997. The official report at that time indicated there were no suspicous circumstances although Roy's family and friends were shocked at the notion that he could have committed to suicide. When Hollie later began to reveal details of the abuse she had suffered she alleged that Roy had witnessed her being raped and the time of this episode was narrowed down to around the time of Roy's death. Therefore there is a possible motive for murdering Roy in order to silence him.
Anne Greig fought long and hard to see her brother's post-mortem report and she eventually received a copy in 2009 - more than 12 years after his death. She was shocked to discover that at the time of his death he was suffering from injuries to his skull, ribs and sternum. These are not consistent with the official cause of death, smoke inhalation, and suggest that Roy may have been assaulted shortly before his death.
Malcolm Webster murdered his first wife Claire Morris in 1994. She was found dead in a burning car just a few miles from the scene of Roy Greig's death. At the time her death was not thought to be suspicous and it was only after Webster's second wife was involved in a similar "accident" that a murder enquiry was launched.
The pathologist who performed the post-mortem on Claire Morris was Dr XXXXX XXXXXX who also carried out the post-mortem on Roy Greig. My bail conditions prohibit me from contacting Dr XXXXXX. It is also worth noting that at least one policeman expressed concerns about Claire Morris's death but was instructed to "move on and tell my colleagues to do so as well".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-12733255
A fireman who attended the death scene also expressed similar concerns.
http://news.stv.tv/scotland/north/233947-fireman-suspicious-of-car-crash-that-killed-wife-of-murder-accused/
In another bizarre co-incidence, two friends of Webster who gave evidence at his trial were XXXXXXX and XXXXXX XXXXXX, Hollie's aunt and uncle on her father's side. My bail conditions also prohibit me from contacting the XXXXXXX.
http://news.stv.tv/scotland/north/243307-murder-accused-malcolm-webster-complained-over-police-force-co-operation/
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Situation Vacant: Lord Advocate
I am intrigued that the position of Lord Advocate of Scotland remains vacant following the departure of Elish Angiolini. Given that Mrs Angiolini announced her resignation seven months ago, one would have thought that this would have allowed more than sufficient time to recruit her successor.
My only hope is that the Scottish government is taking it's time in order to ensure that the new Lord Advocate is a person with the integrity and moral courage to lead a full public enquiry into the Hollie Greig case as well as some of the other high-profile miscarriages of justice, which are at least reported in the mainstream media.
Far more eminent figures than myself, including QC's Robert Black and Ian Hamilton, have been highly critical of Mrs Angiolini and once again I call upon Alex Salmond to take the necessary steps to restore public confidence in the Scottish justice system.
http://lockerbiecase.blogspot.com/2011/05/windhoek-musings.html
http://www.ianhamiltonqc.com/blog/?p=475
My only hope is that the Scottish government is taking it's time in order to ensure that the new Lord Advocate is a person with the integrity and moral courage to lead a full public enquiry into the Hollie Greig case as well as some of the other high-profile miscarriages of justice, which are at least reported in the mainstream media.
Far more eminent figures than myself, including QC's Robert Black and Ian Hamilton, have been highly critical of Mrs Angiolini and once again I call upon Alex Salmond to take the necessary steps to restore public confidence in the Scottish justice system.
http://lockerbiecase.blogspot.com/2011/05/windhoek-musings.html
http://www.ianhamiltonqc.com/blog/?p=475
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Trial Delayed Until September
At my intermediate diet in Stonehaven this morning the Crown argued that my trial should commence in June, ie the date set at the hearing in January. My solicitor, Gerry Sweeney, counter-argued that the trial date should be put back by several months to give my legal team sufficient time to wade through the prosecution evidence and to prepare my defence. Sheriff Hammond agreed with Mr Sweeney and the trial is now due to commence on September 5th.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Another Court Appearance
Tomorrow I will be attending Stonehaven Sheriff Court for another intermediate diet at which I will be represented by Gerry Sweeney.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/enforce/enforcementguidesc/criminal.htm#_Intermediate_Diet
This will be the seventh time I have attended this court since my arrest fifteen months ago. Travelling from my home in Cheshire to Stonehaven involves a round trip of nearly 700 miles.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/enforce/enforcementguidesc/criminal.htm#_Intermediate_Diet
This will be the seventh time I have attended this court since my arrest fifteen months ago. Travelling from my home in Cheshire to Stonehaven involves a round trip of nearly 700 miles.
Monday, May 9, 2011
SNP Election Victory
I would like to pass on my congratulations to Alex Salmond and the Scottish National Party on their convincing victory in the Scottish Election. Mr Salmond stated in his victory speech:
"The nation wants to be a better and I'll do everything I can as First Minister to make it better. We have given ourselves the permission to be bold."
A better Scotland would surely require wholesale changes to the Criminal Justice System and Hollie Greig is just one of many Scots who has been badly let down by this system. I trust Mr Salmond will be bold enough, now that he commands an overall majority, to order a public enquiry into all aspects of Hollie's case. I would be more than happy to co-operate with the Scottish Government on this matter based on a spirit of goodwill. I am more concerned about progress and constructive action to obtain justice for and to protect the most vulnerable of Scottish citizens than recriminations relating to past misjudgements, apart from the actions of those most directly responsible for the dreadful events connected to the case.
My client Anne Greig received valuable assistance from SNP MSP's Richard Lochhead and Brian Adam in the early days of her fight for justice.http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/video/2011/may/07/alex-salmond-snp-victory-video
"The nation wants to be a better and I'll do everything I can as First Minister to make it better. We have given ourselves the permission to be bold."
A better Scotland would surely require wholesale changes to the Criminal Justice System and Hollie Greig is just one of many Scots who has been badly let down by this system. I trust Mr Salmond will be bold enough, now that he commands an overall majority, to order a public enquiry into all aspects of Hollie's case. I would be more than happy to co-operate with the Scottish Government on this matter based on a spirit of goodwill. I am more concerned about progress and constructive action to obtain justice for and to protect the most vulnerable of Scottish citizens than recriminations relating to past misjudgements, apart from the actions of those most directly responsible for the dreadful events connected to the case.
My client Anne Greig received valuable assistance from SNP MSP's Richard Lochhead and Brian Adam in the early days of her fight for justice.http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/video/2011/may/07/alex-salmond-snp-victory-video
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Support From Lord Monckton
At Perth last Sunday I was delighted to take the opportunity to speak to Lord Christopher Monckton, deputy leader of UKIP, at Perth last Sunday. He is the most prominent politician so far to make a public statement of support for Hollie Greig.
As I have stated before, this is a single issue campaign, and we welcome people irrespective of their political or religous views. Hollie's growing army of supporters will have a diverse range of views on all sorts of subjects, but it would be entirely inappropriate for anyone to criticise a fellow-supporter for holding a different view on a matter unrelated to the case.
As I have stated before, this is a single issue campaign, and we welcome people irrespective of their political or religous views. Hollie's growing army of supporters will have a diverse range of views on all sorts of subjects, but it would be entirely inappropriate for anyone to criticise a fellow-supporter for holding a different view on a matter unrelated to the case.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
My Visit To Scotland
Last weekend I took a short break in Scotland where I had hoped to visit Braemar and Royal Deeside. Unfortunately I was unable to reach my planned destination as Braemar is situated a few miles inside the county of Aberdeenshire. My, highly unusual, bail conditions for my forthcoming Breach of the Peace case prevent me from entering either the County of Aberdeenshire or the City of Aberdeen. The Crown has claimed that there is "a risk of serious public disturbance" if I enter these areas. As I did not wish to provoke riots or petrol-bomb attacks in the streets of Braemar I turned back, when I saw the "Welcome to Aberdeenshire" sign.
On the Sunday, myself and a number of other Hollie supporters went to Perth where the BBC were holding a Scottish party leader's debate. We were able to hand leaflets to First Minister Alex Salmond as well as Annabel Goldie of the Conservatives, Tavish Scott of the Liberal Democrats and a number of senior BBC journalists. The giant "Scotland's Shame ? - Google Hollie Greig" banner made a huge impact and the majority of the audience were very keen to learn about the case as they queued to enter the building.
I would like to thank the small number of police who were in attendance for the common sense and courtesy they demonstrated.
On the Sunday, myself and a number of other Hollie supporters went to Perth where the BBC were holding a Scottish party leader's debate. We were able to hand leaflets to First Minister Alex Salmond as well as Annabel Goldie of the Conservatives, Tavish Scott of the Liberal Democrats and a number of senior BBC journalists. The giant "Scotland's Shame ? - Google Hollie Greig" banner made a huge impact and the majority of the audience were very keen to learn about the case as they queued to enter the building.
I would like to thank the small number of police who were in attendance for the common sense and courtesy they demonstrated.
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