Officer To Be Charged Over Plebgate

[ChillDoubt]

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-25101706

About time, but why only one? Surely the whole thing has been a conspiracy, so why only one sacrificial lamb?
Or is this to set the ball rolling and others will subsequently be charged with more serious offences?

[Peter Pedant]

16 00,,,, news conf

this casts grave doubt on the ability of the police to investigate themselves.

I agree
[oliticians on steep learning curve

[Peter Pedant]

blimey - he goes on about lying and dishonesty
it is worth a view

and still to come - the video with his post-commentary

[Zeuhl]

/when does lying become perverting the course of justice/

bazzer - i agree it's all a bit hypothetical now but;

if the Police brought a case against Mitchell for 'causing harassment alarm or distress' (the usual charge for swearing at someone)

and Mitchell denied it

a conspiracy employing false police witnesses could well be 'perverting the course of justice' - and perjury if it went to court

[ChillDoubt]

It's slightly convoluted but there are still questions to be asked of the officers I feel.

There's legs in this one yet!

[Peter Pedant]

I cannot recall politicians calling the Police
dishonest and liars

presumbaly the people outside Downing St were visiting tourists
who have left

[dunnitall]

This world is full of corruption in all circles. Why are we surprised at what goes on, humans at their worst and yet we still wonder why.

[ChillDoubt]

Sounds like the CPS have fudged it.

Fancy that.......

Mitchell's brief is asking some very pertinent and searching questions that will have to be answered.

[ChillDoubt]

I hope PC Rowland's has got a good brief, he's gonna need one for the pending libel trial!

[Old_Geezer]

Police feeling harassed or distressed having been sworn at: what a bunch of wilting violets they would be. Not sure if that is better or worse than being a bunch of plebs though. Heck; everyone involved comes out with no decent reputation from this. Time they all toughened up a bit.

[jomifl]

Zeuhl, originator as in originator..not responder or defender or denier.... originator

[jomifl]

The Plebgate press conference demonstrated convincingly that the police officer who engaged in conversation with the speaker lied. When I first saw the footage I thought that there was insufficient time for the alleged conversation to take place so how the officer cannot be prosecuted for falsifying evidence I do not know.
As a mildly amusing slightly relevant anecdote ....Half a century ago whilst on my motorcycle near the severn Bridge I was apprehended by the boys in blue for a road traffic violation. My words were along the lines of
'I know it was illegal but I missed the turnoff because a lorry obsructed my view'.
The police version which the arresting officer wrote down in his notebook inspired by my London accent was
''Its a fair cop I know I done wrong you've got me banged to rights''.
Ever since that incident I have had reservations about the note taking abilities of the police.

[mikey4444]

Its just as I predicted...a complete whitewash. Anybody who still thinks that the Police can be trusted to investigate themselves should now be aware of the truth. They are liers, pure and simple.

[Peter Pedant]

Chilldoubt - both you and I may be paying for PC Thingey's defence lawyer as tax payers. The issue is connected with his work and so the CC can OK paying from public funds _ ie you and myself.

This happened a few months ago to general comments of Oh! Oh!

[Peter Pedant]

jomifl you have to take these things philosophically.

I was accused to doing 56 in a 30 mph area in an old post office van.
Famously they dont go that fast. I toyed with that as a defence
but in fact paid up.....

I remember with shame 1980 advising a black fella who had been verballed, 'just don't bother.... save your money... you wont be believed.'
Shamefully true, and a bit less now...

[jomifl]

PP, I had little choice but to take it philosophically, I was guilty after all and what the police officer wrote was practically irrelevant. If I had contested it in court because the statement was incorrect I would still have been found guilty and would also have lost at least 2 days work, the cost of at least one night in a hotel, the cost of getting to the court. Justice however trivial is just too expensive for a lot of people. If the police had been trying to stitch me up, I, along with many others wouldn't have stood a chance.

[Peter Pedant]

The main change I look forward to, is when sons of Political fathers come hom (like Bliar's son) and say Dad it wasnt like that,

Dad doesnt now say - play the game lad and pay up

but says instead - God I know what you mean....

[mikey4444]

I don't understand. One officer is being charged but the other 7 aren't. And yet they will all "disciplinary charges"

So if they are facing disciplinary charges, what have they done wrong ? Why aren't they facing prosecution ?

As Alice said, curiouser and curiouser !

[bazwillrun]

"what have they done wrong ? "

probably on bureaucratic technicalities like not following procedure or not filling in the correct form, something petty no doubt, just for show