Thread by @BarbaraRich_law

The Times has reported today on the association between @rebell_justice which publishes The View Magazine and is promoting the Someone’s Daughter photography project with a crowdfunding appeal, and serial fraudster Farah Damji. I am quoted in this article thetimes.co.uk/article/frauds…

The View magazine was originally the idea of Farah Damji, who first produced it whilst in Downview Prison. See @BaronessUddin in House of Lords debate on 25 July 2019 describing it as “a wonderful magazine” hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2019-07-…

In this podcast of 1 May 2020, Jeremy Dein QC discusses The View with Farah Damji. She identifies herself, with Clare Simms and solicitor Sara Watson, as the three women responsible for the magazine as published, and also talks of “someone’s daughter” anchor.fm/criminaljustic…

Farah Damji is fluent, articulate and knowledgeable in this podcast. She does not disown her life and history of imprisonment. Yet the interviewer, a criminal QC, does not ask a single question about governance and integrity in the management of The View Magazine CiC’s business

As the Times reports, shortly after that company was formed, in April 2020, with Clare Simms as its initial some director, a further directorship was registered (since removed) in the same false Icelandic name as Farah Damji used whilst a fugitive from UK justice in Ireland

The company, a community interest company, is limited by guarantee. The name of the second guarantor appears to be misspelled on Companies House records. If Farah Damji had used her own name, a search would have revealed a previous company compulsorily struck off the register

@rebell_justice filed this community interest statement, as required by law, on its formation. Yet one of its activities since formation has been to crowdfund litigation costs for a “Miss L” to sue the NHS for failure to treat her mental health in prison. crowdjustice.com/case/mental-he…

“Miss L” is Farah Damji, as this news report, which hyperlinks to the CrowdJustice page, says. I think there was also a hyperlink from The View’s own website a few days ago. Why was Miss L not identified? And how is this activity in the community interest? news.sky.com/story/ex-femal…

I first tweeted about The View and its Someone’s Daughter crowdfunding project about a week ago, as did others @NoXYinXXprisons @BluskyeAllison @SVPhillimore and others. @rebell_justice’s response was to complain to my chambers and to accuse me of harassment and defamation

@rebell_justice did also make a more constructive gesture towards transparency by updating its platform crowdfunder (since closed) and producing some documents. These documents don’t give me confidence in the integrity of financial governance of this company

Nor does the publication of this statement on Monday 23 August, containing material omissions, inaccuracies and unfounded allegations of harassment

https://twitter.com/JudieannRose/status/1429732485957668864

This is the direct fundraising page for Someone’s Daughter. It does not tell contributors how their money will be protected. theviewmagazine.org/fundraiser-for…. Artist Jess de Wahls publicly severed her connection with it on Tuesday. Farah Damji’s is apparent from this tweet a few weeks ago

I think there are lessons to be learned here about due diligence and transparency. I hope that whatever is of value for women prisoners and criminal justice in the project can continue on a more trustworthy footing in the future, under new management of unimpeachable integrity

I’m not a criminal barrister but in my professional legal practice I see a fair amount of financial abuse of elderly and vulnerable people. I abhor it. I have also seen abuse of crowdfunding here. I will not be intimidated by the sort of threats and abuse I have received here

I am blocked by @rebell_justice but have read the statement they have published in response to the Times article. It is defamatory of me and others and I would suggest caution in retweeting or otherwise sharing it, as that is regarded as publication in the law of defamation

I’m grateful for this and a number of other similar tweets over the past week from people who actually know me professionally

https://twitter.com/stuartadamsuk/status/1430845720517652481

And for this and the following tweet to it from @SBarrettBar

https://twitter.com/faiselsadiq/status/1430799559991627776

I read emerging accounts of The View Magazine’s responses to others
- It’s completely wrong, especially for a community interest company, to react as they’ve done, and
- What may not harm a self-employed professional near the end of a career is intolerable for those less secure

In @rebell_justice’s extraordinary statement today, they sought to distance Farah Damji from the Someone’s Daughter crowdfunder. Their account is disputed. And misses the point. The View Magazine CiC owns that fund, and with irregularities in the directorship, that raises concern

Instead of meeting that well-founded concern in a reasonable way, this community interest company and its director have continued to make absurd, threatening and defamatory statements to and about those who have raised their voices

A reasonable way of meeting concerns would be to publish a statement, covering
- directors CVs
- risk management policies more convincing than a nameless draft
- accounts of The View Magazine CiC since formation
- appointment of two named people of integrity to manage crowd funds