MINISTRY OF DEFENCE POLICE ABUSING THE LAW AT NSA MENWITH HILL, U.K.
7th November 1999
The Military Land Byelaws at NSA Menwith Hill have again been declared
valid by the High Court earlier this year. In August the Crown
Prosecution Service(CPS) discontinued all outstanding pre-Appeal Byelaws
charges because they wanted to 'wipe the slate clean'. Despite this the
Ministry of Defence police(MDP) are still playing with the law.
On the one hand the MDP insist that the Byelaws are valid and in force -
on the other hand they are refusing to charge peaceful 'trespassers' who
are in breach the Byelaws. This would appear to be a deliberate policy
by the MDP to prevent cases coming to court, thereby denying the citizen
the right to challenge the validity of the Byelaws again. Certainly the
MDP are very devious in answering any questions as to whether they have
been given instructions. One or two officers are clearly very
uncomfortable when questioned about this and others are obviously not
telling the truth.
Since Lindis Percy (joint co-ordinator of CAAB) was released from prison
at the end of July she has continued to challenge the Byelaws by walking
peacefully and non-violently on a corner of NSA Menwith Hill.
Lindis has been arrested many times by the MDP using increasing violence
but on every occasion except one they have refused to take her into
custody. Instead they have dragged her off the land or into a police
vehicle and driven her to one of the exits. She has immediately been
de-arrested or ‘reported with a view to prosecution’.
Even sitting on a farmer’s fence to insist that the MDP did abide by the
rules of arrest and detention proved unsuccessful as on several
occasions the MDP have used bolt cutters and brute force to remove her.
The fence has been cut round Lindis. She has been forced into the
van, again de-arrested and ‘reported with a view to prosecution’.
Lindis has continued to voice her concern to the MDP that someone could
be seriously hurt because of their actions.
0n one occasion Lindis was arrested when sitting on a farmer’s fence.
Having again insisted that the MDP abide by the rules of arrest and
detention Lindis was given a choice. The choice was either she could be
taken into custody and the custody officer would be Sergeant Quinn or
she could walk off the land (despite being under arrest). There were
problems however with both the options. Sergeant Quinn has a
conviction of assaulting Lindis while acting as the custody officer on
another occasion and the second option was unacceptable because the MDP
testify to uphold the law, prevent crime and have to abide by the rules
and regulations as laid down in statute.
On Monday 1 November Lindis received a letter from Inspector
Williams-Brown (MDP) at NSA Menwith Hill, to say that after
'consultations with CPS' they had decided to take no further action
against six cases where she had been arrested, dearrested and ‘reported
with a view to prosecution’. No decision has been made yet about the
rest of these incidents.
Despite having received this letter the next day Lindis was again
arrested and the MDP continued to behave in the same way as before.
After being de-arrested
Lindis immediately returned with the full knowledge of the MDP. After
about half an hour Chief Inspector Drummond (Senior MDP) arrived in a
police vehicle and informed Lindis that she would not be arrested
anymore. She was to walk the land in peace.
However on 2 November again while observing the construction of the two
SBIRS radomes (see separate article for details of Writ) at Menwith Hill
Lindis was arrested (despite the conversation with Chief Inspector
Drummond) and was suddenly taken into detention before custody officer
Sergeant Ranson. She was told that there was ‘enough evidence to be
charged’ under the Byelaws. She was asked for her property (camera,
binoculars and a tape recorder) but she was not prepared to hand it
over. Having previously had tapes interfered with and a scanner
deliberately disabled while in the MDP’s possession we have no reason to
trust them.
Lindis was told that she would be put in a holding room while ‘the
charge sheet was prepared’. Sergeant Ranson suddenly changed his mind
and informed Lindis that it was ‘a minor offence’ and indicated to the
arresting officer (PC Crawford) to ‘report with a view to prosecution’
which he did. Having gone straight back on to the land Lindis was left
to sit and observe the construction of the SBIRS radomes with no
interference from the MDP.
This deliberate policy by the MDP to prevent cases coming to court is
nothing new. It has gone on for nearly twenty years. It is part of a
pattern of behaviour stretching back to the peaceful protests at
Greenham Common in the 80's when US Cruise Missiles where sited there.
After the Byelaws were declared invalid by the House of Lords 900 cases
were dropped and costs awarded. It is also the third time at NSA
Menwith Hill. The first time was when Lindis and John Bugg began their
successful challenge of the Byelaws in 1990 and again numerous cases
were discontinued and costs awarded. The second set of Byelaws were
challenged in 1997 when Anne Lee and Helen John (Womens camp) challenged
them and 74 cases were discontinued. The present situation reflects
an appalling and institutionalised abuse of power and manipulation of
the law by the MDP.
At NSA Menwith Hill construction has begun on two radomes that will be
part of the European Ground Relay Station for the new American owned and
controlled Space Based Infra Red System (SBIRS) satellite which is due
to be completed by February 2000. SBIRS is part of the American
Ballistic Missile Defense System(BMDS) which is today’s version of
Ronald Reagan's 'Star Wars'. President Clinton is not expected to make
a decision about this until June 2000. However at Menwith work has
already started. CAAB will continue to monitor and observe the work in
progress.
We urge as many people as possible to peacefully walk onto the base to
protest against the new role at Menwith without fear of being charged
under the Byelaws as at the moment, the MDP are asking 'trespassers' to
leave first and only arresting or reporting if they decline as we have
outlined.
In the meantime the MDP (on behalf of their American clients) make up
the rules as they go along and it is more than time to bring them to
account for abusing and manipulating the law and their authority. The
MDP are making a mockery of the law.
STOP PRESS
Lindis walked the land at NSA Menwith Hill on Saturday 6 November to
check on the construction of the two SBIRS radomes and was observed by a
MDP dog handler from a distance for nearly an hour. No other action by
the MDP was taken.
THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF AMERICAN BASES SERIOUSLY
QUESTIONS THE PURPOSE AND THE POLICING OF THE BYELAWS AT NSA MENWITH HILL.
(See also Byelaws update - 7/2/00)