I should have known that the media would not leave alone Siön Jenkins following his acquittal at the Central Criminal Court, last week.

The first warning of his continued persecution was the less than sympathetic reporting on Channel 4 News immediately following his acquittal.  There followed the next day a report in The Daily Mail, which detailed the evidence “that the jury was not allowed to hear”.  Now, today, The Times reports on the domestic violence to which Jenkins first wife was purportedly subjected and the strict discipline, which included corporal punishment, to which his children including Billie-Jo were subjected.  During the weekend we learned that Billie-Jo’s natural parents were considering issuing civil proceedings in the High Court against Jenkins.

Given that the case against Jenkins finally failed because the Crown’s case was flawed, all these revelations of “unheard evidence” do not amount to a hill of beans.  The “additional” evidence comprised nothing more than character assassination and should not have made any difference to the outcome of the case. In fact, I think I can safely say that it did not have any effect upon Jenkins’ final trial, because the jury knew about most of his alleged misdemeanours before they were empanelled.  None of the “new” information was actually new.  These revelations had been reported by the media in the aftermath of Jenkins’ conviction following the first trial.  If I could remember those reports clearly, so would any other potential juror.  On that basis, I had believed that Jenkins could never receive a fair trial.  I am glad that have been proved wrong – by a hair’s breadth.

The media might have misjudged the public’s mood in seeking to publish such material.  Jenkins spent six years in prison.  He had to suffer the stress of enduring three long trials as well as having to await the outcome of the Court of Appeal’s deliberations upon the merits of his appeal.  In the past I had always encountered heavy opposition when I sought to argue that his conviction was “dodgy”.  This is no longer the case.  People I had always considered to be members of the “hang ‘em high” faction, are now telling me of their irritation that the media keep vilifying Jenkins.

There is a wider issue. Perhaps the days when the media could easily manipulate Joe Public by publishing partisan reports which predisposed us to think the way they and the Establishment wanted us to, are coming to an end.

As much as it irritates me to agree with a radical Muslim, Anjem Choudray, former leader of the al-Muhajiroun group in the United Kingdom, I believe that Omar “Bomber” Khayam has been victimised by his recall to Prison.  Some officials doubt whether Khayam has breached his licence.  So do I.  He should be released immediately.

For a full report putting Khayam’s wrongdoings in context, read the report today in The Times by Richard Ford and Daniel McGrory.

I hope common sense prevails.

Politicians have left the “prosecuting authorities” in no doubt that they expect action to be taken in respect of the Muslim demonstrations that took place at the weekend.

Whilst no one is openly criticising the Police for failing to arrest protestors on the spot, many people want blood.  David Davis, the Shadow Home Secretary was reported[1] to have said that it was essential that action was taken against demonstrators who deliberately tried to stir up violence. He continued,

“I do expect that action should be taken – and taken soon - against those who clearly incited violence because it is vital that we make it very clear that incitement to violence has no place in the political life of the country.”

I hope that the Crown Prosecution Service will be allowed to exercise its independent judgement in this matter, without political interference.  As experienced lawyers with years of experience of what does, and does not “stick” in Court, no one is better equipped to make the right judgement as to whether any prosecutions take place.

Many things were said and done by the protesters last week that were intended to be and were provocative, but they were just exercising their right of freedom of speech.  They did not injure anyone nor was any criminal damage caused.  People who witnessed the protests seemed annoyed, rather than frightened.  We were being confronted with signs that made us angry, just as a week earlier; these same protesters were presented with something that angered them.

Alone in a dock, with the full force of the State arraigned against them, they will look like victims.  British juries punish trumped up prosecutions.

The Metropolitan Police were right not to make arrests during the demonstration that took place in London, last week.  A small number of the protesters were being deliberately provocative and I have little doubt that arrest was what they craved. Notwithstanding that bystanders were insulted by some of the placards, the protesters were not physically violent and no one had any reason to be put in fear.  The whole demonstration was a lot of hot air spouted by a small number of hotheads.

I do not believe that the Police should now take action against some of those hotheads.  True, by applying the principles that the Police use in relation to other demonstrations and according to the strict letter of the law, public order offences were committed.[1]  I do not take this view because I am soft when it comes to Muslim protesters, but because I am soft on protesters generally.  Peaceful protesting does not mean just gentlemanly, peaceful demonstrations such as for instance, the Jarrow Marchers or the Countryside Alliance March a few years ago.  It includes those demonstrations where tempers are frayed and a great deal of rude, abusive, insulting language is used.  People should be allowed to let off hot air in public.[2]  It is therapeutic for a start.[3]  It lets us know where they stand, second.

I hope that the Police will now approach other, non-Muslim, non-physically violent but very loud demonstrations in much the same way.  It would save so much trouble and expense.

[2] A lot of what I do constitutes a s.4 or s.5 public disorder offence when I've just cleaned my car and a bird immediately dumps on it.

[3] And how many incidents of public disorder have escalated because the Police misjudged their response to a little bit of argy-bargy?