Another Constable

I’ve been accused of “going on” quite a bit recently. This justice lark is all a game so I’m told. We play our part, try our very best to get them to court. Initially the CPS are our opponents. It’s almost impossible to get something past them to court these days. They’ll only take on the “bankers” - i.e. almost guaranteed a conviction (signed confessions, caught in the act, you get the picture). But once in court (especially Crown Court), the game begins properly. Defence and Prosecution barristers pit their wits across the courtroom - not through any sense of wanting to see justice done, but in order to score points against their opponent (and usually friend). It’s all about one-upmanship. I get the feeling that the defence barrister cares not if his client is guilty. His job is to get them off, and if in doing so he scores a point against his friend the Prosecution, then it was so much better a game.

I had a case in Crown Court recently and actually gave evidence too for the first time in years at a Crown Court case (usually it’s all decided behind closed doors with lots of ducking and diving, and plea bargaining, which makes for a short working day and a long lunch for the Judges and Barristers (and admittedly lowered court costs due to less wasted court time), but doesn’t exactly serve the interests of the public. Such things as Section 18 woundings knocked down to Section 47 assaults, or possession of controlled drugs with intent to supply knocked down to simple possession are common. Of course, this also means custodial sentences are far less likely, fitting in with the Goverments plan to send less people to jail, and saving “us” the taxpayers some more money. You all know how I stand on that. I’d gladly pay more tax of more of the shower of shite that walks our streets causing misery to countless people are actually stuck away inside a bit more.

I was made out to be a liar in the witness box. Not ususual, especially when the defence have nothing substantial. Apparently the police fitted him up with the evidence and battered him for good measure, in order to claim a detection. The prosecution evidence was overwhelming, and a dangerous individual should have been put away for at least a handful of years. Too many jurors watch “The Bill” though it seems. They still think that police fit-ups are commonplace, and that we go around making up crimes so that we can get detections. I’m sorry, but we are too busy dealing with all the actual crimes (and being snowed under) than to go around making up extra ones. I don’t spend all day waxing lyrical in front of an audience like these barristers do. Maybe it’s easier for them to take my evidence and twist it for the own ends. Maybe they can tie me in verbal knots a little, and seed some doubt in the jury about my reliability. That I suppose is something that I will get better at with some practice - but giving evidence in Crown Court these days is a rare occasion and hence practice is difficult.

Nonetheless, how the hell the defendant got off I will never know. I’m sure the two barristers had a good laugh about that particular game over some port. I also sincerely hope that one of the 12 jurors that couldn’t see what a nasty piece of work this guy was, isn’t the next one to meet his knife. I don’t like losing, and certainly not one where we caught the defendant “red handed” for such a serious crime. Yeah I think everyone is right… I’m still “going on”.