Fitted-In » ALUN MICHAEL

A Bulging Underlay

Satish Sekar — Thu, 02 Apr 2015 18:19:48 +0000

By Satish Sekar © Satish Sekar (July 16^th 2013)
Inadequate
I am disappointed, but not surprised in the least by the latest failure of the processes imposed on the public by public authorities that have failed those they promised to serve. South Wales Police’s Professional Standards Department unlawfully seized control of my work and property for their own purposes after the collapse of the Lynette White Police Corruption Trial in December 2011.
That included servicing the deeply flawed processes that ended in abject failure today (July 16th 2013). The terms of reference of both the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) were clearly insufficient. Both The Fitted-In Project and I had made our concerns clear from the start. Not only were they ignored, but our co-operation was then stolen to support processes that we had taken a principled decision to oppose.
Both reports have failed to explain how and why one of Britain’s most notorious miscarriages of justice was allowed to occur. These reports address few if any of the major causes for concern. There are so many flaws that even a swift perusal vindicates my position – this was a process that would take this case off the agenda yet again and then it could be swept under the carpet once and for all. It remains to be seen if the public will tolerate it.
Conspiracy to Silence
The Home Secretary was aided and abetted in a long-standing policy to prevent this case from achieving its potential to benefit the public. As long ago as 1995 I called on the then Home Secretary Michael Howard to secure evidence and order a public inquiry into South Wales Police. At that time I highlighted a serious institutional problem in that force. This case was a large part of that.
I was supported at the time and since by the then Shadow Minister for Home Affairs, Alun Michael.1 However, Sir David MacLean and Ann Widdecombe insisted that the correct course of action was for me to bring my concerns to the head of the organisation that I was complaining about. This course of action was rejected. The conduct of those Ministers had dire consequences. Evidence subsequently went missing.
Inappropriate
They re-opened the Lynette White Inquiry and claimed it was their decision on whether to use up all the DNA, after having wasted months, resources and precious DNA on tests that proved as futile as we had predicted they would. They were forced to abandon these plans by the withdrawal of co-operation of Lynette’s natural mother Peggy Pesticcio.
The inquiry was headed by the then head of South Wales Police’s CID, Phil Jones. After his retirement Jones was jailed for corruption. Readers can judge for themselves whether the credibility of the path suggested by Widdecombe and MacLean was anything other than grossly inadequate.
Putting Wrong What they Got Right
South Wales Police made history in 2003 by resolving a miscarriage of justice with the conviction of the real killer. This was the first time that this happened in Britain in the DNA age. Howard, Widdecombe and MacLean were no longer in government. Alun Michael was, but South Wales Police reacted swiftly. They insisted that they would put right what they got wrong.
Eight and half years and at least £30m later, the Phase III of the Lynette White Inquiry ended abruptly when the CPS threw in the towel – the latest of several failures of that organisation in this case. The terms of reference of both investigations ignored the root cause of the problem – the original miscarriage of justice. As such I chose not to co-operate, but my rights were trampled underfoot.
I called for a public inquiry into the whole case, but representatives of the surviving Cardiff Five were determined to exclude me in favour of a limited and ultimately worthless process that coincided with gazing at the entrails of the one part they had not been compensated over – the collapsed trial, which just happened to be the thing that both the IPCC and HMCPSI had just spent months looking into.
While both The Fitted-In Project and I maintain that any investigation must look at the whole case from start onwards, they have given Theresa May what she wants – a chance to sweep an egregious miscarriage of justice under the carpet. So much has already been swept under this particular carpet, there’s no more space under it.

1 Mr Michael is now the Police and Crime Commissioner for South Wales. The position replaced Police Authorities with the exception of London, which transferred Police Authority powers to the Mayor of London.

First Interviews on Radio Cardiff

Satish Sekar — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 10:49:17 +0000

January 20^th 2015

Radio Cardiff

Part One Satish Sekar with Georgina Sammut and Shawty

Satish Sekar discusses the foundation of The Fitted-In Project and why it was re-established on this Community Radio programme. He explains why the vindication of the Cardiff Five was necessary. Sekar details the methods used to secure convictions and consequences of it. He comments on why he holds the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) more responsible than the police for the wrongful prosecutions of the Cardiff Five. Sekar credits the work of Professor Dave Barclay in the eventual vindication of the Cardiff Five and also South Wales Police in correctly solving the murder of Lynette White. He details how they detected Gafoor.

http://fittedin.org/fittedin/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Satish-Sekar-Georgina-and-Samantha-Part-1.mp3

Part Two Satish Sekar with Georgina Sammut and Shawty

Sekar explains the arrest of Jeffey Gafoor and the significance of vindication. There are currently seven such cases in Britain. He explains that there are more victims of these cases and that there has to be processes to explain how justice miscarried. Sekar details the trial of the core witnesses. He calls them the New Cardiff Three, He explains the role of the CPS in another vindication case, that of Phillip Skipper, for the murder of his estranged wife, Karen. It gifted a defence to the real murderer, John Pope, who repeatedly accused Skipper of being the murderer after Skipper had been acquitted and had sadly died. Sekar details how Barclay demolishes the prosecution scenario in the Lynette White Inquiry and why he should have been a witness in the collapsed trial, before explaining why Sekar was prevented from attending the Police Corruption Trial and its consequences. He explains his controversial view that the CPS, rather than South Wales Police are more responsible for the miscarriages of justice and how they have evaded taking responsibility for any of it. Sekar also calls for fiscal responsibility. He says both the IPCC and HMCPSI processes were inadequate.

http://fittedin.org/fittedin/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Satish-Sekar-Georgina-and-Shawty-Part-2.mp3

Part Three Satish Sekar with Georgina Sammut and Shawty

In the third part of these interviews Sekar explains the process of trying to secure accountability from the CPS over the whole case. The CPS refused to answer his complaint – a process that has been ongoing since 1993! He explains how its own Code for Crown Prosecutors proves the Cardiff Five should never have been prosecuted. Sekar details why the CPS has to be held responsible and that Alun Michael has asked questions of the CPS as well. He then explains some projects that The Fitted-In Project conducts and the scandalous treatment that all the victims of vindication cases have been subjected to. Sekar then makes his case for fiscal accountability.

http://fittedin.org/fittedin/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Satish-Sekar-Georgina-and-Samantha-Part-3.mp3

Press Release – Sekar’s Pivotal Role

Satish Sekar — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 00:22:32 +0000

Experts acknowledge the pivotal role that Satish Sekar, author of Fitted In: The Cardiff 3 and the Lynette White Inquiry and The Cardiff Five: Innocent Beyond Any Doubt played in the Lynette White Inquiry over twenty years. His latest book is hailed by experts as essential reading.

“This is one of the most important books ever written about criminal justice.It would be easy to confine my remarks to the Cardiff Five case but this would be a disservice to the thrust of this narrative as well as its author. If anyone wants to know what has been going on, and going wrong, over the past half century spanning my entire professional career, here it is. Written with spell-binding passion alongside meticulous research and observation, Satish Sekar has accomplished what few others have achieved. It is redolent of those magnificent French films starring Yves Montand where one man takes on the state in the pursuit of truth and justice – and succeeds.”

Michael Mansfield QC

The Fitted-In Project welcomes the publication of Satish Sekar’s new book The Cardiff Five: Innocent Beyond Any Doubt, which follows on from his first book Fitted In: the Cardiff 3 and the Lynette White Inquiry. Sekar’s analysis provides an exhaustive account of a vexed and unique case. His long awaited second book explains why this case rather than any other made history several times.

“The Lynette White murder case, with its long-drawn-out repercussions, has now become one of the most important in the entire history of British criminal justice. This is entirely because of the tireless work and extraordinary insight of Satish Sekar, who has fought for many years to achieve justice for all concerned.”

Bob Woffinden (Author and journalist)

It has taken 14 years for Sekar to produce another book. The Cardiff Five: Innocent Beyond Any Doubt published by Waterside Press has proved worth the wait and sadly necessary. Even now, with their innocence proven, an unjustified whispering campaign continues. This book demonstrates the innocence of the five accused men clearly.

“As the local MP I came to respect and admire his thoroughness and persistence and he also won the respect of senior police officers and others with a knowledge both of this individual case and the processes of criminal investigation whether in regard to the use of forensic evidence or in setting the criminal investigation process in the context of the individual experiences of those who were drawn into the courtroom events that followed. His contribution has been enormous.”

Alun Michael JP, MP

Sekar’s book shows how history was made several times. It details the concept of vindication – a concept developed by Sekar – arguing that it is the motor of change in the criminal justice system that resulted not only in the conviction of the real killer, Jeffrey Gafoor, but a unique, but ultimately flawed investigation into what went wrong. Sekar points out that this obscured successes and prevented it from achieving its full potential.

“This is one of the most important books to have been written in the last decade on miscarriages of justice and everyone should read it. Satish Sekar has been one of the most dedicated opponents of miscarriages of justice for many years. His work has been invaluable. His persistence has also ensured that these issues have remained within the public eye. His constant fight for justice has led to some very important questions being asked and issues highlighted.”

Mags Gavan (BAFTA award-winning film-maker)