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Law - in brief (6)

01 November 1999

UK: Black man fined for racially aggravated harassment: A black man has been convicted at Ipswich magistrates court for racially aggravated harassment under legislation introduced as part of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to protect black people. Andrew Wilson was fined £50 after calling police officers "white trash" when they questioned him in the street as he helped a friend to move his television. Peter Herbert, of the Society of Black Lawyers described the prosecution as "a joke" saying that the legislation was never intended to protect white police officers from members of the black community. Lee Jasper, of the 1990 Trust compared the prosecution with the introduction of race relations legislation in 1965. Then, Jasper points out, five out of six of the first people to be prosecuted under the
legislation were black. Mr Wilson will appeal against his conviction, but the Suffolk crown prosecutor defended the decision saying that the legislation applied to all perpetrators of racist incidents. Independent 27.7.99.

UK: M25 Three - CCRC refers Rowe's conviction to Court of Appeal: The Criminal Cases Review Commission referred the conviction of Raphael Rowe (one of the M25 Three) to the Court of Appeal in October. Rowe, who was convicted of armed robbery and possession of a firearm in June 1996, has always maintained his innocence (see Statewatch vol 2 no 6, vol 3 no 2 & 4, vol 7 no 2). Earlier this year the European Commission of Human Rights ruled that the three men had not received a fair trial. Criminal Cases Review Commission press release 29.10.99.