Facts of the T Rial

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Adopt a prisoner would like to obtain further details about adopting a Polish trade unionist victimised for his/her membership of Solidarnosc. Military and civilian courts have already sentenced over 5000 Solidarnosc prisoners to jail terms 320 Grays Inn Road, London WC1X 8DP (0 THE prosecution case was that the defendants "set themselves up as a vigilante group and formed part of a frightening posse out for revenge against some white people against whom they had a grudge"

When three plain clothes officers accosted the group on the streets to arrest an individual in a green turban for possession of a defensive weapon, they were set upon and injured according to the prosecution.

The prosecution counsel, Mr Hart-Liverton, claims that the arrival of the plain clothes police officers on the scene before the uniformed officers was a pure coincidence. They happened to be on an 'anti-burglary' job when a radio message sent to all police cars in the area informed them of a large group of Asian youths congregating around Little Ilford School.

All the officers called denied knowledge of racist attacks in the area (with the exception of the murder of Akhtar Ali Baig in 1980). The defence, in cross-examination sought to establish that there was no vigilante group, but an ad hoc formation of young local Asians who had come together that afternoon to protect themselves from a very real threat of racist attacks. • The defence also sought to establish that the original incident would never have happened but for the intervention of the three plain clothes police officers, who were not known by any of the defendants to be police — a fact explained by the prosecuting barrister as 'rather unfortunate' Then three plain-clothes pol ice officers, Sgt Aylott (now with the SPG), PC Furzer, and PC Martin, all gave evidence in turn.

Stopping the car, Martin jumped out and went to arrest a youth in a green turban who had dropped a hockey stick. Martin says he shouted, 'Police under arrest' , which the defendants have denied.

Martin said that he did not show a warrant card, and agreed in cross-examination that the most sensible action would have been to approach the group and ask them what they were doing. The other two officers said they only got out after they saw Martin being assaulted. The defence disputed this.

Furzer had a truncheon - he said he "just happened to have it on him" . He agreed that he had hit Kalbir Khela several times with the truncheon, but believed he had been "fully within his rights to do so". didn't make any difference that he hit Khela on the head.

All three officers deny using racist abuse, though PC Furzer admitted that when he was approached by two white women who told him to leave Khela alone, he told them to 'fuck off"

The next officers to be crossexamined were PC Dick and PC Neville, who escorted the 8 to Forest Gate police station in a transit van. PC Dick agreed that the defendants were sitting on top of each other. Both officers denied that they or anyone else in the transit van had assaulted the defendants or had abused them. Neville denied having called Gurjit Hunjan "'Paki filth" , and tearing his turban from his head.

Detective Inspector Mucklow was questioned about the police handling of the affair after the arrests. He was unable to explain discrepancies, or why exhibit numbers in statements had been altered. He also could not explain how the same hockey stick dropped by the man in the green turban (whom the police said they had not traced) was said to belong to one of the defendants. (Information from defence committee hulletin 1/we (Name)

(Organisation)

Address of up to ten years.

Send to. NSZZ Solidarnosc Information Phone

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160 January