Des militants agés du Royaume Uni inquiétés par la police

[Animal 0]

Des militants agés du Royaume Uni inquiétés par la police pour
des motifs ridicules :

U.K.
Another pensioner feels the full force of the law
On Friday we reported the story of the 80 year old woman Pauline Nelson who
was charged with harassing workers at Wickham animal research laboratories
and whose case was dismissed by the Judge. Today we can report the story of
another pensioner who has been similarly treated by what appears to be an
ever increasing politicised police force.
Lancashire Constabulary Special Investigations Unit have spent thousands of
pounds investigating and prosecuting a Blackpool pensioner, Mrs Frances
Gavin (73), for failing to move her animal welfare information stall exactly
every 20 minutes - as stipulated on her Pedlar's Licence. A pedlar's licence
is issued by the police. However, if the person loiters in one place whilst
not making a sale, they are classed as a static street trader and
enforcement action can be taken against them.
The incident occurred on 14 August 2004 and involved a stall that Mrs Gavin,
was manning and using for information purposes. Mrs. Gavin had held regular
stalls in Victoria Street, Blackpool, for about eight years. Detective
Sergeant Nasser and Detective Constable Simon Davison of Lancashire
Constabulary Special Investigations Unit, spent two hours watching Mrs Gavin
and Brian Gregory handing out leaflets, and collecting signatures on
petitions, whilst occasionally a member of the public would give them a
donation.
In what appears to be a conspiracy by both the Police and the Crown
Prosecution Service (CPS), the CPS refused to drop the case against Mrs.
Gavin even though she was admitted to hospital with a serious illness. The
court was told by Mrs. Gavin's defence that in 2000, she had been advised by
street wardens that to avoid breaking the law and allow her to receive money
from members of the public she should obtain a Pedlar's Licence, which she
duly did.
It was not until 2004 that Mrs. Gavin was then told by council officers to
get a table that she could easily move every 20 minutes, this being one of
the stipulations of her Pedlar's licence. Mrs. Gavin did get a moveable
table, but the court heard that on 14 August 2004 DS Nasser and DC Davidson
had kept a watch for two hours and that Mrs. Gavin had not moved the stall.
It was then that the officers moved into "action" seizing the material on
the stall.
The two officers then approached the stall and seized the contents of the
stall as well as a collecting tin that had ten pounds and thirteen pence.
Mrs Gavin was later arrested by DS Nasser for charges including fraud, money
laundering and going equipped for theft, and was held for questioning at
Fleetwood police station on two occasions. She was eventually charged with
two minor breaches of local byelaws and an offence under the Vagrancy Act
1824.
On 12 September this year, two years and one month after the arrests,
Frances Gavin and Brian Gregory were convicted of collecting money without a
licence. Mrs Gavin was also found guilty of trading in a prohibited area,
but cleared of a third charge of purporting to collect money for a
charitable cause but using it for her own purposes, namely to feed her dogs.
The latter charge was dismissed after magistrates rejected the evidence of
investigating Officer Detective Sergeant Marc Nasser. Both activists,
however, were given an absolute discharge by Blackpool magistrates. The
absolute discharges were received on the grounds that the two defendants
were acting in good faith and that they had not intended to break the law.
The case has been criticised by those who claim that the case could have
been resolved by council officers and not the police, and the countless
government payroll hours and the thousands of pounds spent on pursuing the
pensioner could have been better spent fighting more serious crime.
Local residents have commented that they are angry that CID officers have
wasted their time on this case when serious crime is going "unsolved". The
magistrate on sentencing the two commented on the good character of the
defendants and their commitment to their cause, but found them guilty of
breaching the conditions of the Pedlar's Licence.

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