GUEST BLOG: Arthur Taylor – Jailhouse narks
Spent a very interesting Thursday in the High Court before Justice Fogarty trying to get the name suppression of Secret Witness C who was a pivotal witness in the Tamihere trial lifted.
Judge Gibson has authorised my prosecution of C on 8 charges of perjury and 1 of perverting the course of justice to proceed.
Perjury is one of the few charges on the law books that still requires corroboration, so I had to jump a few hurdles before getting it this far.
I’m going to have C’s charges transferred to the High Court and in due course he will face a jury.
I did this after the police who are supposed to enforce the law with no fear or favour failed to (act) in the face of very strong evidence. C lied when he said David Tamihere admitted murdering Heidi Pakkonen and Sven Urban Hoglin.
It turns out C has received more confessions than your average priest (according to him anyway).
His personality is such that when someone who has steadfastly proclaimed their evidence to the police, and eveyone who enters his presence feel an ‘overwhelming’ urge to confess to crimes that will have them jailed for life.
I wanted secret witness C’s name suppression lifted so that the public know who is charged with these serious crimes. and can make up their own mind whether a jury could rely on anything he said.
There were certainly major gaps in what the Tamihere jury knew about C. The Crown Solicitor whose job is to prosecute criminals amazingly enough supported C in keeping name suppression.
One wonders why!?
Mediaworks lawyer, Kristin Wilson supported me and did a damn good job. At the outset of the case it was obvious Justice Fogarty was inclined to continue name suppression. But after a day long battle, our arguments appeared to have persuaded him otherwise. He’s reserved his decision on the matter and indicated it should be out within a couple of weeks.
Why witness C’, a double murderer, should enjoy name suppression, many others apparently more deserving of it, including victims, who are required as witnesses,be denied it, is beyond me and no doubt many of you…
Arthur Taylor is TDBs Prisoner rights blogger currently inside prison.
I challenge you to do something constructive with your obvious copious amounts of spare time
Any great ideas Dave? Mr Taylor has spent tens of thousands of hours on assisting inmates to read and write,challenge their defence strategys, making ground breaking work by the way of fairer treatment for prisoners..the list goes on. Would you rather he be organising fight clubs such as those at Serco`~ Wiri right now. Mr Taylor also does a lot of intervention and mediation at times it has been detrimental to his own rehabilitation if thats what you would call the none exsistent game plan for pre – release inmates.
Like defending nationals pollution and degradation of our rivers and fresh waters dave ?????????????
you seem to already have that job …..
If you are going to allege the water is polluted make it an election issue, just provide a bit of proof, that is all I am saying.Then I can vote for yoyu.
Dave, are you on fucking drugs or something?? Have you not heard how polluted many of our waterways are??
Seriously??
You want “proof” that our waterways are polluted?!
Are you that fucking ignorant? Have you not been paying any attention to what is happening around you?!
Such as just what,Dave,any fantastic suggestions? Eeerr, perhaps undertake precedent – setting legal challenges that require thousands of hours of Mr. Taylors’ time? Would you rather he organise fight clubs like those at Serco – Wiri? Mr Taylor makes sure inmates are treated better and has taught many to write, and done many many hours in assisting inmates with unfair greedy legal aid shysters advising said inmates to suggest their representation take a different lead? i suspect you are a bitter ex Corrections employee.
agree with Julie Mr Taylor is doing some good social work in our prisons
For every prisoner there are many victims, a fact often overlooked by those who like to cuddle criminals.
That’s highly simplistic of you Dave. Are you capable of any deeper, more complex thinking?
It is not simplistic for the victims, it is fact, victims are overlooked.
Rubbish. Only in your naive mind. It’s what you want to believe, not actual reality.
So you’d brutalise criminals even more, Dave? So tell us, you bright wee thing, what do you think they’ll be like when they eventually come out of prison? Go on, you pillock, tell us what the results of brutalising people are?
Ignorant twat.
Just spare a thought for the victims if you would. I am not asking you to do their lawns…