After more than two years since the false allegations of assault were made against me by a Manchester prison officer, a verdict has been entered by the judge of Not Guilty, without the need for a trial. Expecting to be attending Manchester Crown Court on 18 November for the purpose of setting security arrangements for the scheduled trial on 30 November following complaint by the Prison Service, I was greeted instead by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirming my innocence and withdrawing the case. Kevan Thakrar writes from HMP Wakefield.
Hundreds of thousands of pounds have been wasted through this vindictive prosecution which the Prison Officers Association (POA) pressured the CPS into taking, full in the knowledge that I had done nothing wrong, in an attempt to spite me and, as part of their ongoing vendetta for exposing the racist and brutal regime they operate at HMP Frankland. Constantly complaining of funding cutbacks whilst squandering such large sums in an act of outright corruption is total stupidity causing the smaller pot to be spread even more thinly. Decent pay and conditions will never be possible with such unprofessional conduct frittering away substantial amounts of public money.
I did not get the chance to hear the verdict live due to the refusal of HMP Wakefield to comply with the judge’s production order again, meaning I watched the circus on TV through a video-link instead. Although the ridiculousness of this entire case is best suited to a TV drama, the audacity of the prison to repeatedly refuse to bring me to court throughout is a matter the judge should never have tolerated. Obviously too used to making up their own law in the kangaroo adjudication process, those from within the prison system believe they can force the criminal courts to bow to their degenerate ways.
A trial putting on display the outright lies which brought about this case, as well as my mistreatment within the Close Supervision Centre (CSC) system since 2010 and secretive world of solitary confinement within a country whose propaganda claims it to be a bastion of human rights and the strongest opponent against the torture of prisoners would have been nice, but other means of publicising this hypocrisy will now need to be utilised. A protest outside the court was arranged for the trial and I thank all those who intended to come, as well as those who made it to hear the verdict; however a shift away from Manchester aimed instead at my location on and treatment within the CSC is what is now necessary. I therefore ask that my supporters arrange a demonstration outside the Prison Service headquarters demanding my removal from the CSC where I have been held as a political prisoner for almost six years, and educate the public as far as possible on my situation and the existence of the CSC. Time has come for an end to my torture but only through your support will this be possible.
Thank you for your support.
Kevan Thakrar A4907AE
HMP WAKEFIELD, 5 Love Lane, Wakefield WF2 9AG
[Kevan was originally charged in August 2013 with common assault against a prison officer at Manchester prison. In March 2014 the CPS then accepted a defence submission that it was not in the public interest to proceed (presumably as Kevan was already serving a life sentence). Backed by the POA, the officer judicially reviewed this decision and succeeded in getting the charge reinstated, only to have it – and a further spurious charge of ‘interfering with a witness’ – once again withdrawn, this time by the prosecution itself, presumably when it finally became apparent there was no actual evidence to support the charge.]
