No Guilty Men

I had a laugh over the weekend as a variety of people - in very different ways - gave voice to the old saying that 'there are no guilty men in prison'.

First up was Christopher Tappin - a retired millionaire from England somewhere - who was extradited to the USA earlier this year while vehemently protesting his innocence.

Now it seems the retired businessman has cut a deal which will mean him going to jail for a year or two in America - then released back to the UK where he will no doubt continue to protest his innocence - even after pleading guilty as charged.

Next up was Silvio Berlusconi - the septuagenarian and Bunga Bunga obsessed former Prime Minister of Italy - who was on Friday sentenced to four years in prison for fraud and tax evasion.

But he's innocent to its seems and accuses his (Italian) accusers of being politically motivated - so he has already lodged an appeal and will probably never see the inside of a prison cell - because of his age and the time it will take the courts to see the whole thing out.

Finally Conrad Black - who is also 'Lord something or other' at the Palace of Westminster - but the noble lord was on Have I Got News For You (HIGNFY) on Friday night - having recently spent four years in an American jail - again for fraud and tax evasion, if I remember correctly.

Yet wouldn't you know it - grumpy old Conrad was fitted up too and as another  perfectly innocent man - Conrad is now on a mission to clear his name despite being found guilty, presumably by a judge and jury - not a kangaroo court.

So now I understand.

Not only are there no guilty men in prison - there are no guilty men awaiting extradition who might end up in prison - and even after they've served their time in the 'pokey' they are still innocent when they finally come out again.  

The arrogance of it all - takes your breath away.
  

Innocents Abroad (29 February 2012)

Every time someone is up for extradition in the UK there's a big media campaign highlighting how unfair it is - allegedly - to send poor 'so and so' off to face justice in a foreign land.

Doesn't really matter who it is - young or old, rich or poor - though interestingly most suspects turn out to be men.

But whoever's involved there's always a tear inducing argument at hand to explain how terrible things are likely to be - for the alleged criminal.

The underlying logic being that they must be allowed to remain in the UK - at all costs - instead of being packed off abroad to face their accusers.

So to illustrate the point:

Julian Assange says he won't get a fair trial in Sweden - he didn't sexually assault anyone.

Shrien Dewani says he shouldn't be extradited to South Africa - he didn't arrange for his new bride to be murdered.

Christopher Tappin says American justice is not to be relied upon - he didn't know his weapons grade products were destined for Iran.

But put the boot on the other foot for a moment and consider the following case - where the argument is made in reverse by two Frenchmen - accused of murdering a British teenager in a Spanish holiday resort.

A young British teenager - Andrew Milroy (15) - was killed on the Costa Brava last year in a brawl involving some French youths.

Two young Frenchmen - Jeremy Puydeboix and Ludwig Galler - were charged with murder and causing his death by the use of a knife - but argued that they would not get a fair trial in Spain because of 'virulent anti-French sentiment'.

In other words they should be allowed to stay in France - where of course they cannot be charged with a alleged crime not committed on French soil.

Which is clever legal speak for saying they should be allowed to walk away - Scot-free.

"I don’t want to go there. I don’t want to be involved in a homicide case,” Mr Puydeboix told Lyon Appeal Court. “It was just a fight.” Mr Gallier admitted to detectives that he stabbed the British teenager during a disturbance outside a disco in the resort of Lloret del Mar.

But Galler claimed he was unaware that Andrew Milroy died of his wounds.

The two French suspects told police they had been insulted and attacked by about 12 people - but their stories are contested by various witness statements collected by Spanish police.

Wisely the French courts decided that the two suspects should face their accusers in a Spanish court - which is the only place where the evidence can be properly tested of course.

And in the case the British family of the British victim wanted the extradition to proceed - in the interests of justice for their dead son.

I suppose it all just goes to show that while there are no guilty men in prison - there are no potentially guilty men facing extradition either.

Not in the UK anyway.