GREEN 'MURDER' ACQUITTAL

Although this happened a couple of weeks ago, it does need some comment.


See the BBC link giving a brief description:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/7144379.stm

You can also find other related links to this story in 'The Western Telegraph' & 'The Western Mail'.


I have something of a personal interest in the proceedings as, if you're familiar with the theory of Stanley Milgram entitled 'Six Degrees of Separation', I am acquainted with the youth who struck the allegedly fatal blow and I was also acquainted with the deceased.


The deceased man, Paul Roberts, nicknamed smurf, was known to me personally, he had been a customer of mine in the past and we would pass the 'time of day' if encountering one another in the street etc.


As for the youth who was accused of striking Mr Roberts, he comes from decent enough parents who contribute to society by going out to work each day. Now this youth left school at 16 with little or no qualifications and consequently no prospects. He is the type that will either be lucky and find regular employment, or he will fall by the wayside and end up criminalised like so many of today's youngsters, he may even be 'known' to Police.


When I initially learned of this incident, it was being touted as the callous and cold blooded murder of an innocent man who was walking home after a night out, being set upon by two yobbos and beaten insensible, resulting in death some days later.*1

This 'version' didn't tally with the press reposts that emerged in the week that followed, which alleged that some altercation had taken place and that the victim had been felled by just one or two blows.

My wife, by accident, encountered the parents of the youth known to me in early November and they gave a slightly different version of events, which it appears was the truth. The parents of the youth charged with murder suggested to my spouse that the two youths encountered something of a domestic incident at the spot in question, with Mr Roberts acting in rather an enraged manner, it also appears that he was heavily intoxicated. The youths intervened*2 and Mr Roberts apparently turned his wrath upon them, this was when the single blow was placed upon the person of Mr Roberts who fell and struck his head resulting in his tragic death. The youth maintained that his action was self defence throughout.

There are very few Criminal Solicitors in West Wales, but the youth was represented by Paul Layton who is widely regarded as an excellent defence solicitor, although I do not know what Barrister was contracted to represent the youth at Swansea Crown Court, both Barrister and Solicitor were in agreement that there was no case to answer and that the prosecution was weak.

As events transpired, both youths have been acquitted by the jury, who took less than an hour to reach their unanimous verdict.

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Both of the accused were held in custody from Early September until early December, will they
now be entitled to compensation?

I have experience of the Police attempting to discredit those that they are seeking to charge with an offence, it certainly appears that they again attempted to do so in this case.

What a complete waste of Public Money! Yet again!!

*1 The source of this 'version' of events came directly from the Police.

*2 Never get involved, call the Police if you feel strongly and let them sort it out, but when you do get involved personally in any incident your motives will be unimportant to the Police, they are only interested in getting 'detections' for their Performance Indicator's, they couldn't care less about how they achieve those detections!