Justice for Siôn Jenkins

A lingering injustice. Because he is innocent Siôn Jenkins has always denied murdering Billie-Jo, his foster daughter.

Because he continues to assert his innocence after being sentenced to life imprisonment he is refused privileges which could make his existence easier.

The work of the CCRC indicates the law's acknowledgement that innocent people can be wrongly imprisoned. That acknowledgement is reinforced by the House of Lords ruling in July 1999 which allowed journalists to visit prisoners, recognising that a number of miscarriages of justice have only been identified and corrected through painstaking investigation by journalists.'[Lord Steyn]

Yet there are incentives available only to those who agree to confront their offending behaviour.

Because he is innocent Siôn Jenkins refuses to do so. He continues to deny guilt and a serious injustice is perpetuated.

Siôn Jenkins is now serving the fifth year of a life sentence for a murder he did not commit. He has always stated unequivocally that he is innocent of the charge against him. He remains in Wakefield prison, and pays the price for denying guilt. The passing of time has only made the injustice more glaringly apparent. Now that the media-led frenzy of 1998 has faded from memory, the facts speak for themselves; analysis exposes the serious deficiencies of the case against him.

Today this campaign still demands justice for Siôn Jenkins. The voice of reason must be heard.

Messages of Solidarity

Siôn Jenkins

HMP Wakefield

5 Love Lane

Wakefield

WF2 9AG

===========================

Killer who will not confess is banned from theology course

Sion Jenkins, the former deputy headteacher convicted of murdering his foster daughter, has been refused permission to take a prison theology course because he continues to plead his innocence. Jenkins was found guilty in July 1998 of the murder of 13-year-old Billie-Jo at their home in Hastings, East Sussex, on the basis of controversial forensic evidence. His appeal was turned down in 1999 and his case is being considered by the Criminal Cases Review Commission. His innocence has been argued in several newspaper articles, a Channel 4 documentary and on a website devoted to the case.

While serving his life sentence at Wakefield prison, Jenkins, who has been a practising Christian for more than 20 years, had wished to take a diploma in theology at St John's College, Nottingham, an evangelical college that trains people for the Anglican ministry.

His ambition echoed that of Jonathan Aitken, the former Conservative Cabinet minister who was jailed for 18 months in 1999 after admitting perjury.

On his release, Mr Aitken studied theology at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. Jenkins, whose application was supported by Canon Stuart Bell, the rector of Aberystwyth, was told, however, that he would not be allowed to take the course unless he confessed to having killed Billie-Jo.

"I recently applied to do the course, but the governor told me that I wouldn't be allowed to do it until I admitted guilt," he said in a letter to friends. "In effect, I'm being blackmailed."

Jenkins said that the Prison Service could not accept that some inmates would continue to appeal against their convictions."The attitude of the prison authorities towards those of us who are serious appellants is to try to break our spirits. Everything is designed to apply pressure so that eventually men are broken and say exactly what the prison wants. This can achieve nothing more than the perpetuation of injustice."

Billie-Jo was battered to death in February 1997. Jenkins claimed that, returning with two of his daughters from a trip to a DIY store, he found her body on the patio.

At his trial, his bloodstained clothing was held to be incriminating evidence and the prosecution asserted that he had murdered her before leaving home. Jenkins has always insisted that his foster daughter was murdered by an unknown intruder while he was out.

Canon Dr Christina Baxter, the principal of St John's, confirmed that Jenkins would have been likely to be able to take an extension studies course had his application gone ahead.

"We've never had any problems with prisoners doing our courses," she said, "and we would have no policy of discrimination against them - rather the reverse. We would think that our courses would help them to engage better with the world when they came out, whether they were guilty or innocent." The funding of Jenkins' course had already been arranged by Canon Bell, who attended his trial and has supported him throughout. "There's no insight, no flexibility," Canon Bell said. "The Prison Service is saying, not only are you not going to get these years back, you're not going to do anything useful with them at all until we have squeezed an admission out of you. If, as we trust, Sion is going to be proved innocent one day, then it just increases the sense of disaster."The Prison Service has always denied that inmates are discriminated against for refusing to confront their offending behaviour.

"It is not the case that prisoners who plead their innocence are denied rights and privileges," said a spokesman. " There is no rule or policy that automatically prevents prisoners from progressing through the system and being released." He added that if Jenkins had a grievance, he should make a complaint.

By Bob Woffinden, The Telegraph, (Filed: 29/09/2002)

===============================

Mariame Keita - HMP Foston Hall

Mariame Keita , is on hunger strike after being moved from HMP Drake Hall, to HMP Foston Hall. She is refusing food in protest against the move form Drake Hall, after she complained about being served contaminated food.

Mariame is Muslim by religion and should not be served be served pork under any circumstances. She had been served a beef dish, in which she found pork. Making a completely justified complaint only landed her in hot water and for her trouble got shipped out.

She has asked MOJUK to put her in touch with the Commission for Racial Equality, as she feels there was racism involved. MOJUK will do this if necessary but are reluctant after their recent decision to lay of the Crown Prosecution Service. So if anyone can send me the name, address of an organisation/solicitor, who could take up the complaint on behalf of Mariame, drop her a line..

Messages of Solidarity to:

Mariame Keita 

TW2317

HMP Foston Hall,Foston,Derbyshire,DE65 5DN

Barry George - HMP Whitemoor

The 3 Appeal Court Judges for the purposes of an Appeal to the House of Lords certified a question on a point of law of general importance.

The question was as follows:-

"Subject to the application of section 78 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and the test of relevance, may the prosecution call evidence to explain or investigate a qualified, partial, mistaken or non-identification?"

–We-have lodged our Petition with the House of Lords for Leave to Appeal. We are awaiting their determination. Solicitor for Barry George, Marilyn Etienne

Prison - Psychology

In ther claws of steel

Thoughts are repressed

The mind is pressed

To the shape that pleases them

Never mind how you feel

Never mind what you want

Your body is yours

Your mind is theirs

Until you can get out

But by then your mind, as you knew it has gone

Charles Hanson, HMP Kingston

==========================

Susan May - Case update:

CCRC are again looking at Susan May's case

and are giving it some degree of urgency.

Susan May

RE 0252

HMP Foston Hall

Foston

DE6 5DN

On the move

Robert Brown, to HMP Kirkham:

Robert Brown

895839

HMP Kirkham

Freckleton Road

Kirkham

Preston

PR4 2RN

Tony Daniels to HMP Durham Keith Pringle to HMP Wakefield

Tony Daniels Keith Pringle

KW3622 CD0078

HMP Durham HMP Wakefield

Old Elvet 5 Love Lane

Durham Wakefield

DH1 3HU WF2 9AG

Kevin Jacobs: Jury find neglect contributed to death of 16 year old in HMP Feltham Young Offender Institution

On Thursday 26th September the jury returned a verdict of "suicide to which neglect contributed" at the inquest into the death of sixteen-year-old Kevin Jacobs who was found hanging from the bars in his single cell in HM Young Offenders' Institute Feltham in the early hours of 29th September 2001.

Deborah Coles, co-director of INQUEST said: "The evidence heard at this inquest is a damning indictment of the statutory agencies responsible for Kevin's care. Kevin had been recognised by everyone involved as a deeply disturbed young boy at risk of suicide and yet he was placed in a cell at Feltham that everyone knew was unsafe. At no stage were any attempts made to transfer him out of the prison system to more appropriate accommodation.

United Against Injustice (UAI)

UAI a National Federation of Miscarriage of Justice Campaigns, Support Groups and Organisations, whose members at this time are FASO, Innocent, Kent Against Injustice, Merseyside Against Injustice and South Wales Liberty.

Are organising a National Miscarriage of Justice Day - to highlight the incidences of Miscarriages of Justice

Saturday 12 October 2002, 1:30pm, Blackburne House, Hope Street. Liverpool