'THE WORST scene of public disorder in Britain this century' stated assistant chief constable Clement at the beginning of the trial in May.
country, this century,' concluded defence barrister Greg Taylor as the prosecution announced the collapse of its case in the Orgeave riot' trial. CLIVE TURNBULL reports on the demolition of the police case.
Fourteen miners walked free from Sheffield crown after 48 days on trial for riot. A 'frame-un' is exactwhat the prosecution case showed itselt to be.
The frame-up had already started be exposed weeks earlier when the charges against a fifteenth defendant, Brian MoreDurham had been dropped.
In this case the defence challenged the authenticity of the signature to the stalent of atresting officer PC Thomas When the court reconvened following the challenge original statement had 'mysteriously' disappeared from a locked court room A photocopy was sent to a handwriting expert, however, who testified that PC Brophy had forg another officer's signature.
The defence established that some officers witness statements started identical WILI first three paragraphs.
Some PCs denied any collusion, but PC Fred Browning testified that a plain clothes officer had dictated a *scene setter'. 'We just wrote down what we were told, Browning admitted, as he agreed that his statement was partly inaccurate.
The defence successfully established from the start of the case that if 'The worst example of a mass frame-up in this any 'riot' had taken place at Orgreave on 18 June it riot. The police confrontation with the pickets had been deliberately decided upon.
Under cross• examination chief constable Clement aamitea mal lncle were alternative courses of action that could have been taken that day closure of Orgreave, as has already happened once before, or the use of road blocks to divert pickets as Nottinghamshire police did with 12,900 miners on that day alone.
Left Instead it was decided to deploy riot police toI the first time in Britain to the Public Order Tactical Ontions manua drawn up the Association of Chief Police Officers 1981.
This manual includes Police Support vancing to: "disperse the crowd incapacital missile throwers ringleaders Dy suiking In a controlled manner with hatons about the arms and legs or torso so as not to These instructions contradict official guidelines on the use of - supposedly only to be used in selfin the view of defence barrister Paddy Arthur Scargill being arrested at Orgreave O'Connor, "They are quite incitement tc police officers to commit criminal offences, such as jured at Orgreave that day defendants in the trial. Arsenous ncad munes wack to explain how Critchlow supposedly Paul claimed that Critchlow had run backwards five yards as he was throwlig a stole kerb, and hit his head on a iddy O'Connor produced photographs of the scene, measurements of the pave. ment and the asked PC Norris he seriously expected the court to believe that anyone COlO run backwards, throwing clear six teet of pavement three feet high.
Unless with familiar Arthur Critchlow, a pointed out what had really happened after the trial "This was a political trial government and a last the all the media were against us Leon Brittan in his infamous speech to the House of Commons nac stated that miners involved in serious acts of violence and crowd disorder would face life imprisonment. obvious where it came fro mritchlow added, It's a definite victory for the NUM, without doubt. It's a political victory «Those leader: of the Party and trade unions who were attacking miners for violence, for violence at Orgreave should be coming out noy openly for us. It's beel proven now that we were not the type of people por. trayed by the media. All i was was a basic case of self-defence.
Orgreave was a police riot, although they" admit to it. No two ways about it. They were going to take us on and show us who were gaffers 'It proves what Scargil said all along that the violence lay with the police, and it's they who leaders should nave the carristers who "The barristers defended us in this case are asking for a public enquiry into the policing Orgreave. Kinnoc Willis should be saying, "now what really went on here.' 'If you look at the majority of miners in prison or those who are sacked, their cases were at the neign or une strike, willl e massive media campaign against us. It tney gone on trial like us, a year later, wouldn't happened Without doubt they are innocent men 'There another cirgre ta, thirty-re charges for Orgreave, for Coal House All those ped.
A review of the impending cases against the more than one hundred miners awaiting trial for riot at Orgreave or Coal HOUSE has been ordered by Attorney General, Sir Michael Havers.
However eight miners riot unlawful assembly arising from a picket of Ross ington colliery near Doncaster opens . on Monday 22 July at Sheffield crown court.
Stop press: Following the of the Orgreave and Coal House frame-up: the prosecution accepted the ending of the ROss ington trial on the same day it started. The defendants agreed to be bound over for a year for 2100 -with charges dropped The judge made agreement to be bound that agreement to over meant accepting guilt. The defence totally rejected this - if the prosecution could prove guill it should have gone • forward with the trial. reality the prosecution felt it could not win its case.
other 'riot' frame-ups is bonus schemes are being implemented the Yorkshire coalfield turn. ing miner against miner and giving huge coalstocksagain for the bosses to use AHOLISL UN FIGHT GOES ON!
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