McDonald’s to try to justify themselves have had to bring all their big guns into the witness box. ibid. Dave Morris
One of the biggest battles we had throughout the trial was getting McDonald’s to hand over the relevant documents. ibid. Helen Steel
They flew over to have secret talks with me and Helen. ibid. Dave Morris
They just couldn’t bear to accept any of our demands really, and so it was back to court. ibid.
They would not be allowed to carry out any overt union activity on McDonald’s premises. ibid. trial judge
Key practices that they’ve pioneered over the last fifty years are spreading throughout society. ibid. Dave Morris
McLibel is now the longest trial ever in English history. ibid. Helen Steel
Libel laws are being used in this country as a draconian form of mass censorship. ibid. Dave Morris, day 309
Judgment Day: It has not been proved that a diet high in fat and animal products and low in fibre leads to a very real risk of cancer. ibid. trial judge
McDonald’s are culpably responsible for cruel practices in the rearing and slaughter of some of the animals which are used in their food. ibid.
Two days later: 21st June 1997: today is mass defiance day. There’s going to be protests outside five hundred of McDonald’s UK store, and lots around the world too. They haven’t seen the last of the leaflet. ibid. Helen Steel
Most so-called anti-social behaviour is actually people fighting over the crumbs that are thrown from the table. The real people who are behaving anti-socially are those who control all of the resources. ibid.
Having largely beaten McDonald’s ... we have now exposed the notoriously oppressive and unfair UK laws. As a result of the ... ruling today, the government may be forced to amend or scrap some of the existing UK laws. We hope that this will result in greater public scrutiny and criticism of powerful organisations whose practices have a detrimental effect on society and the environment. The McLibel campaign has already proved that determined and widespread grass-roots protests and defiance can undermine those who try to silence their critics, and also render oppressive laws unworkable. The continually growing opposition to McDonald’s and all it stands for is a vindication of all the efforts of those around the world who have been exposing and challenging the corporation’s business practices. Steel & Morris press release
I’m a born Catholic. But I would not like to be excluded from Heaven on a technicality. My name is Giovanni di Stefano. I’m a lawyer. Best known as the Devil’s advocate. I have defended the indefensible, from Saddam Hussein to Charles Manson. Devil’s Advocate: The Mostly True Story of Giovanni di Stefano, Sky Documentaries 2022
His client list runs as a Who’s Who for the criminal world. ibid. QC
The case of John Palmer. Goldfinger … ‘Giovanni got a £33 million confiscation order set aside for a notorious criminal.’ ibid.
R v Hoogstraten … ‘His conviction quashed.’ ibid.
‘His motivation was to stick two fingers up to the legal establishment.’ ibid.
MGM: I got away with $249 million. ibid. Giovanni
‘He said, I’m in Iraq. I’m representing Saddam Hussein. ibid. other client
May 2006: ‘I was handed a file that contained an allegation brought against Giovanni di Stefano … of stealing the bail security.’ ibid.
Was he allowed to practice here? I don’t think he was legally allowed to practise law, was he, in this country? ibid. QC
A hornet’s nest of politics and espionage. ibid.
He didn’t appear to have done any work on my behalf. Devil’s Advocate: The Mostly True Story of Giovanni di Stefano II disgruntled client
He’d never registered with the Law Society. ibid. rozzer
By hook or by crook, whether he was brought back kicking and screaming, he was going to come back to the UK for a trial. We just had to find him. ibid.
He was clearly affected by the fact that he was going to be tried. And he knew the establishment would be against him. Devil’s Advocate: The Mostly True Story of Giovanni di Stefano III
The defendant is a long-standing member of the security services, MI6. ibid. Giovanni
Giovanni di Stefano was sentenced to 14 years in prison after being convicted of 25 charges of fraud and deception. ibid. news
There’s not a chance of Giovanni ever going quietly. ibid.
Julian Assange refused permission to appeal against US extradition by UK’s top court: Assange is wanted in America following Wikileaks’ publication of classified files:
Britain’s top court has refused Wikipeaks’ founder Julian Assange permission to appeal against a decision to extradite him to the US to face spying charges.
A Supreme Court spokesperson said that senior judges had refused Assange’s bid to challenge the decision as his case did not raise ‘an arguable point of law’. Independent online article 14 March 2022
Assassin #1: He looks like a lawyer, doesn’t he?
Assassin #2: Aye, a twisted one.
Assassin #1: Is there any other kind? The London Firm aka AB Negative 2015 starring Vincent Regan & Seb Castang & Stephen Marcus & Roger Ashton-Griffiths & Robert Cavanah & Csilla Barath-Bastaic et al, director Neil Horner
I don’t give a shit about the law. Nixon by Nixon: In His Own Words, Sky Atlantic 2018
The confession was king and police were a law unto themselves. Catching Britain’s Killers: The Crimes that Changed Us III ***** introduction, BBC 2019
A miscarriage of justice so shocking it exposes the dark secrets of the police interrogation room and transforms the rights of us all. ibid.
‘Establishing time of death is terribly important: it is absolutely vital to get it right or the wrong people could finish up being convicted.’ ibid. Dr Cameron
Radio Times: After the body of Maxwell Confait was found in his south London bedsit in April 1972, three boys were quickly arrested and questioned. Confait had been strangled, and the trio – Colin Lattimore (18) who had learning difficulties, Ronnie Leighton, 15, and Ahmet Salih, 14 – confessed their supposed involvement to police. ibid.
In the early 1970s the questioning of a suspect often took place in a cellblock, and with no independent witness, the only version of what was said came from the police themselves. The three boys were taken to Lewisham police station. ibid.
All three boys were being tried for arson, but Colin and Ronnie were also standing trial for the murder. They all pleaded their not guilty and protested their innocence. ibid.
‘The confession had been obtained under threats, duress without strong strong evidence … The police behaved badly.’ ibid. brief
‘Colin’s alibi was absolutely superb.’ ibid.
Life sentences with no time limit. ibid.
The Fisher Inquiry set out to discover how the boys could have confessed to something they didn’t do. ibid.
‘The police were absolutely hostile to begin with.’ ibid. Justice lady
New evidence emerged January 1980: a prison inmate was overheard discussing his and another inmate’s involvement in the crime. ibid.
‘One of the most serious miscarriages of justice in legal history.’ ibid. BBC news
The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984: Pace. ibid. BBC news
The police culture of a previous era persisted. ibid. BBC news
4 years after Pace, a case in Cardiff would publicly expose the dangers of a police service that still chased confessions. On Valentine’s Day 1988, 20-year-old Lynette White was found stabbed to death in her flat in Butetown near the Cardiff docks. 10 months later her ex-partner Stephen Miller was arrested on suspicion of murder and questioned at Cardiff police station. After 5 days of interrogation he confessed to Lynette White’s murder … At his trial Miller was found guilty of murder along with 2 other men both implicated by his taped confession … ‘They’ve become known as the Cardiff 3: serving a prison sentence for Life for a murder they say they didn’t commit.’ ibid. television news