LAST WEEK a jury constable Finch shoot an innocent wounded on the road.
Finch had Waldoron to Stephen car with a gun at the ready. He fired without giving a loud shout 'armed police' nor did he give his victim any chance to surrender. This was against the rules. Being a lousy marksman, fortunately his bullets hit the car's tyres Then he let fly with his four remaining bullets. Along came Jardine gun in hand and saW Waidort's wounded body sliding out of the driver's side of the car. Three more shots were then aimed at the helpless wounded man. Fortunateagain these would-be killers missed.
But if you can't finish a victim off one way when he is down there is always another, SO Waldorf was hit over the head at least three times Then the guardians of law order discovered they had agreed that detectivehis fehow defective-constable Jardine had been right to man and then for measure, pistol whip him as he lay bleeding and the wrong man!
Just for doing their job in the way they had been taught the two over-enthusiastic coppers were charged with attempted murder and attempting to cause bodily harm. But the good judge Croom-Johnson not having any of that and he explained to the jury that it was quite alright to shoot kill an innocent man and belt his skull with your revolver as long think it is someone else and of course as long as the thug who is doing it is a policeman.
The fact that there the car - even the detec.
tive constables could hard.
ly claim they thought they were also Martin • didn't seem to bother the judge. Jardine So doing, what the judge more or less told them to do the jury acquitted the two gunmen.
The acquittal caused some sharp reactions with the Daily Mirror editorial asking icence to kill? But for did they many in the establishment it had been a good trial. The public prosecutor's Finch decision to charge Finch and Jardine with attemp ted murder meant that the Issue or now tne ponce ust their guns could be tested legally.
Mr CroomJohnson summed up such a way that the jury were en to color trai the police had a right to shoot down the and the guilty, arme unarmed, as long as thought they were the right thing Jardine and Finch have squeezed the trig and dealt out the blows behaviour was some one-off depar from the norm of pr procedure. That bruta and determination to which they showed London street last Jan had •been nurtured developed by systen in the force They had simply a like coppers are traine act. If the Police Bill the statute thousands men women like Finch and dine will be given incre power harass. timidate, bully, fram and even murder if suspicions are aroused This latest act in a COI cases of brutality shows that e move to strengthen D powers must be resiste We can't afford to render our democ: rights into ie hand thugs and murderers
Or Death and the Marxist profess id Owen I WILL NOT come as a IN A LITTLE publicised, but extremely important, move Gavin Laird, the general secretary of the AUEW, agreed at the beginning of this month to become chairperson of the SDP backed 'Campaign for Fair Votes'. This is only people which is opposed to Thatcherism, must be found.' British politics.
Frank Chapple "progressive monopolies'. Indeed one of a series of new moves by the and allies. JOHN ROSS looks at the latest developments in the so called Eric Hobsbawm TH All boys together?