The Grenfell inquiry is not the first inquiry into state wrongdoing that has had vital evidence inexplicably destroyed. It's so common that you could see it as something akin to standard practice.
Earlier this year an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct found #SpyCops had destroyed files despite explicit orders to preserve all documents for the forthcoming @ucpinquiry public inquiry.
Sarah Green, IOPC regional director, said “it is extremely unfortunate that a number of former police managers have refused to engage with this investigation”. The Met continue to be custodians of evidence that incriminates their own #SpyCops. httpscontinuesmetro.co.uk/2020/03/18/met…
.@GreenJennyJones was spied on when she was a member of the Greater London Authority & the Met's scrutiny body the Metropolitan Police Authority. When she asked for answers in 2014, #SpyCops destroyed her files without keeping copies. theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/j…
The Stephen Lawrence Review found evidence of police corruption, including one of the investigating officers being on the payroll of the father of one of the killers. Full details were unavailable due to unexplained destruction of 'a lorry-load' of files bbc.com/news/uk-266213…
At Hillsborough, CCTV tapes were stolen from a locked cupboard inside a locked, alarmed room. No sign of entry & the alarm didn't go off. When the theft was reported, police wrote at the bottom of the sheet 'NO PUBLICITY RE THIS OFFENCE', with 'NO PUBLICITY' underlined twice
When PC Ian Harwood killed Ian Tomlinson in 2009, police & the Independent Police Complaints Commission tried to prevent footage being seen. They said there were no CCTV cameras. After photos of 6 were posted on social media, they had to admit they existed theguardian.com/uk/2009/apr/14…
When footage of the fatal attack on Ian Tomlinson was published by the Guardian, police & IPCC went to their offices to insist it be taken down lest it upset Tomlinson's family. They told the family the assailant might be a protester in a stolen uniform theguardian.com/uk/2009/jun/30…
The inquest into the police killing Jean Charles de Menezes didn't see any CCTV footage of the platform. Police said there'd been 'a technical problem' with it system, but the Tube Lines consortium who maintain the system said it was in full working order independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/…
The family of Jean Charles de Menezes, like the family of Stephen Lawrence & many others simply seeking the truth of what happened to their late loved one, were targeted by #SpyCops. Resources that should have been spent holding the guilty to account were used to obstruct justice
Victims of state wrongdoing face a double injustice. First, there is what is done to them. Second, there are the obstacles, delays, smears, & chicanery that the state uses to create a protracted & gruelling path towards any measure of truth & justice.
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These hearings are being live-streamed on Youtube, so from 10am onwards you'll be able to watch the proceedings as they happen -
First up today is Rajiv Menon KC
He represents three men who were politically active in the period covered by this 'Tranche' of the @ucpinquiry – the years 1968-82 – Tariq Ali, Piers Corbyn and Ernie Tate.
First thing this morning , the Inquiry will be reading out summaries of the evidence of officers: HN2152; HN350 and HN308.
ucpi.org.uk/individuals/hn…
Richard Reeves Scullly joined Special Branch in 1968, doesn't remember exactly when he was in SDS but it's thought to have been around 1977.
He worked in the back office processing reports – sometimes making corrections but not filtering the info. He didn't decide which reports were forwarded or who the intelligence went to.
The #spycopsinquiry starts again soon - for Day 9 of this set of hearings - more info at ucpi.org.uk/hearing/ucpi-t…
You can listen to this morning's hearing via Youtube
morning
We began with a summary of HN2401's evidence being read by a member of the @ucpinquiry staff, Elizabeth Campbell.
This officer's name is Anthony Greenslade.
He joined the police in the mid 50s, and Special Branch in 1960.
@ucpinquiry He worked at Britain's seaports, and after a spell in Anguilla, returned to London in 1970 to work in a section that was concerned with Black Power for around a year.
Next, he was asked about the Registry Files he earlier admitted to taking along to the SDS safe house, e.g. ucpi.org.uk/wp-content/upl…
Was this because the managers wanted to target those individuals or because the #spycops officers asked for info about them?
The managers
He went on to explain that these requests for info were usually accompanied by notes (often from other parts of Special Branch) so he would put the notes in the bags too and take them to the #spycops
Barr: 'SP' and 'C' appear on the page – we've been told these are security classifications, and stand for Secret Pink and Confidential. Did you add these markings?