Free David Ferguson

Help to right a grave miscarriage of justice....

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Blog entry 14th September 2018

It's been a couple of months since my last blog. I'd hoped that in that time my appeal solicitors would have made efforts to move my appeal forwards. Unfortunately this has not been the case.

After writing to the senior partner at the solicitors raising issue at the lack of action in my appeal I received a response. David Wells assured me that he himself would now monitor what actions Gavin Rose was taking to move my appeal on. That was almost two months ago. Since then I have heard nothing more from my solicitors and no progress has been made. When Mr Wells last wrote to me he excused Gavin Rose's lack of progress as being due to Kent Police and CPS refusal to respond to his requests for disclosure of all the withheld evidence in my case.

Immediately I wrote back to Mr Wells. I pointed out that I had supplied Gavin Rose with documentation that irrefutably proved that Kent police and CPS had withheld key evidence proving my innocence and were continuing to do so. Also, that an MG6D file had been used in my case with no plausible justification. I argued to Mr Wells that in view of this, and that Kent Police and CPS were now refusing to respond to our official requests for disclosure we were more than justified to seek a court order to force the police and CPS to disclose the evidence they are withholding. I do not think it unreasonable to have expected either Gavin Rose or Mr Wells to have responded to that letter.

The recent Prison Officers Association (POA) illegal strike was justified by its spokesman as necessary to force the Government to address the undeniable high levels of tensions, violence and drugs. So in its infinite wisdom the POA leadership decide to lock-up 80,000 prisoners for longer than usual, disrupting and denying them access to visits, family contact, showers, gym, education, religious services, legal visits etc, etc. Now I don't think that I'm too far from the mark in reasoning that this is only going to inflame an already volatile prison population more, putting POA members at at even greater risk?

I do not disagree with the POA leadership that the current prison environment is unacceptably dangerous for all concerned. However, the petulant strike action directed by the POA leadership is irresponsible, badly reasoned and unjustifiable. It is also a clear demonstration of the militant and selfish way in which the POA operate.

This is not the first time that the POA leadership have ordered 'strike' action knowing full well that it is illegal for them to do so. Each time the high court has ruled against the POA. It should now be questioned why the POA is being allowed to continue to exist. An organisation whose members are entrusted to rehabilitate those who have been found guilty of breaking the law (either rightly or wrongly), has no place in breaking the law itself. If and when it does, these taking part in that unlawful action should be brought before the courts, charged, convicted and sentenced accordingly.