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Kenny Richey Free at Last
Kenny Richey.
Our thoughts go out to Kenny Richey. I was with Paddy Hill and Gerry Conlon when we first heard the news of Kenny's imminent release. We had a momentary sense of joy, which soon changed to a sense of anxiety for Kenny - for the thought of sudden release filled us with concern for Kenny's well-being.
To hear about Kenny being taken to hospital has come, sadly, as no surprise. The level of pressure that not only has Kenny been living under for the last twenty years, but the last few days, have sadly taken their toll on his health. Is it any wonder when you look at the negotiated plea of no contest to the ludicrous lesser charges? First, the attempted involuntary manslaughter is insulting - how can you attempt anything involuntary? It is an oxymoron. The second and third charges: child endangering and breaking and entering make no sense either: why was he meant to be looking after Cynthia, because Hope Collins, Cynthia's mother, told the police the next day that she had asked Kenny to babysit, as she jumped into a truck and drove off in the middle of the night, She was convicted and sentenced to 4 months in prison for child endangering. As for the breaking and entering, it turns out these charges were for breaking into a garden shed and was for stealing flowers, the only thing Kenny did admit to, which he had did earlier on in the night, these people are rotten, they couldn't spell justice never mind dispense it.
The bottom line is that Ohio knew that the retrial would show that Kenny was innocent. It is ludicrous and vindictive what the state of Ohio has concocted here. It has nothing to do with justice and everything to do with saving face and the malfeasance in the shameful fitting up of Kenny Richey. No wonder Kenny wanted to get out as soon as possible - would you trust them with your life?
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The Miscarriages of Justice Organisation is a human rights organisation set up by Paddy Hill and John McManus who are dedicated to assisting innocent people both in prison and after their release. Our main objectives is to help counsel innocent people after they are released from prison and gradually help them come to terms with the modern world. Our second objective is as an advocacy service helping innocent victims who are still inside prison claiming they are innocent. This is carried out by recommending 'good' defence lawyers, as well as forensic experts and contacts within the media to raise the profile of their cases and bring them to the publics attention.
We have been involved with high profile cases who have won their freedom after serving sentences ranging from four years to twenty-five years. These people were wrongly imprisoned because of a miscarriage of justice and since their release have had great difficulty fitting back into our modern society.
Here at M.O.J.O. we are committed to the establishment of a Retreat to help depressurise victims, and prepare them, back into a society they should never have been taken out of. The Retreat will be unique project, using shared counselling experiences to help victims gradually come to term with what has happened to them. All of them suffer from post traumatic stress disorders and are in desperate need of help.
It is for this reason we are launching a new campaign to raise £500,000 to set up a M.O.J.O. Retreat.
M.O.J.O. Scotland is being funded by the Scottish Executive
Funeral Arrangements For Stuart Gair.
If anyone would like to pay their respects to Stuart Gair, is cremation will take place on Wednesday 14th November 2007, at 1.30pm at Daldowie Crematorium.
We are not asking for flowers, it's not something Stuart would have wanted.
However MOJO have been left with the cost of Stuarts funeral, and any money will be gratefully received
It is with sad news that today, Tuesday 30th October at 12.40 in the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary Stuart Gair, one of Scotlands' most shameful miscarriages of justice victim, passed away after suffering a serious of heart attacks on Friday 26th October 2007.
On Friday 26th Oct, Stuart had ran into, purely by coincidence, the TV presenter Donal MacIntyre, who was filming in Leith for his new series. Stuart introduced himself and explained to Donal who he was, they went back to Stuarts flat and whilst Stuart was chatting he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his neck, then collapsed suffering from a massive heart attack. Donal went with Stuart to the hospital where twice the heart again stopped, unfortunately the initial attack had prevented oxygen to his brain. Since Stuart has no next of kin, to our knowledge, we only discovered this last night when Donal called me at home, and told me the shocking news.
Myself, Paddy Hill and Dr Iain Stevens went to the hospital today where Stuart's condition had deteriorated, leaving the hospital staff no options but to switch off the machines keeping him alive. Within 15 minutes of the machine being switched off Stuart passed away.
It is now just over six months since the death of Sally Clark, who also died of heart failure, this is once again a death that could have been avoided had those in authority carried out there duty of care towards innocent men and women when they are released after winning there freedom at the appeal court.
When are the authorities going to show the same compassion towards innocent men and women as the do towards the guilty, and give them the medical help they require on release, and afford them the necessary psychological counselling to help them come to terms with the great injustice that has been inflicted on to them by the state. There is little doubt on anyone working within this field that these deaths are stress related. A miscarriage of justice is a terrible mark on our society, to die of stressafter being released is a tragedy. A tragedy that we are all responsible for.
Lockdown, out next week. All funds will be going to our charity to help build a Retreat to counsel innocent men and women after they have won their freedom at the Appeal court. Unlike the guilty (and big brother contestants) there is no counselling or help, been made available to help innocent victims of our judicial system
Any help would be greatly appreciated
LOCKDOWN
Alabama 3 Lockdown out august 20th on one little indian
They have been called, amongst other things, "the best live band in Britain ." Their music has graced everything from The Sopranos to The Simpsons, and celebrity fans include Irvine Welsh and the world's biggest selling author, Stephen King. They are undoubtedly the greatest American act the UK ever did produce, and their heady combination of electro and C&W, alongside a proclivity for rock 'n' roll decadence and an acute social conscience means that they are effectively a unique entity in modern music. They are Alabama 3, nine rough and ever-ready souls from Brixton and beyond, and they are back to steal your children. Lockdown is the name of the first single from their new album, M.O.R., as eclectic and rich mix of musical styles as you could ever hope to hear - there is blues, country, reggae, rap and more - and for no other reason than a need for truth, let us call it their best album since their classic debut, 1997's Exile on Coldharbour Lane.
Lead single Lockdown is yet another statement of intent from a band that never run out of ideas, never run out of style, and is a undeniable and uncategorisible return to the winning form of their early material. The single will be released as a download on August 20th and all proceeds will be going to MOJO Scotland, a charity that the band are strongly behind.
A Grand Idea
If you've just watched the DVD you'll realise we need help. I don't think we're asking for much only justice to help innocent people come to terms with the world today. The Grand idea is asking for businesses, trade unions, solicitors, pubs and clubs, performers, fundraisers individuals, anybody to give, donate or raise £1000.
If you haven't watched the DVD, we ask you to give 15 minutes of your time to watch our DVD ‘What Happens to the Innocent', and if you believe that freedom, truth and justice are more than just concepts; then help us with our Grand idea.
The Grand idea is a campaign to raise £1,000,000 by getting 1000 donors from all walks of society to give MOJO a grand. We have already had a feasibility study drawn up, pro bono, by one of Scotlands' leading architects Gareth Hoskins. We have the support of imminent experts from the field of psychiatry from Dr Adrian Grounds and Dr Iain Stephens, as well as the support from such figures in the legal world as Gareth Peirce, Baroness Helena Kennedy, Michael Mansfield and Aamer Anwar. Unfortunately we also have a rising clientele, that at the present moment are still offered no specialised counselling after being released from a living hell. The only thing we just don't have is the money to realise this grand idea, please help us raise a grand for a just idea.
If you can help contact
John McManus
Project Co-ordinator
Miscarriages of Justice Organisation ( Scotland )
G MAC 3rd Floor, 34 Albion Street , Glasgow , G1 1LH 0141 552 7253,
Our hearts go out to the family of Sally Clark
The news of the tragic death of Sally Clark has saddened and angered all of us at the Miscarriages of Justice Organisation (M.O.J.O.). Since the release of our founder Paddy Hill, and the rest of the Birmingham Six in 1991, we have been pleading with the authorities to set up a specialised aftercare programme to help counsel innocent men and women after they are released at the Appeal Court. Since then there has been over 200 high profile victims of a miscarriage of justice and none of them have been offered specialised counselling. It is not as if the authorities are unaware of the need for such duty of care. As in the same year the Birmingham Six where released after 16 years, two men who had spent five years of wrongful imprisonment, along with their families and some campaigners where taken to R.A.F. Lyneham to receive four months of deep counselling by Professor Gordon Turnbull and his team. The only difference was that these men where held captive in a foreign land, their names, John MacCarthy and Terry Waites. It would seem, rather than face up to their responsibilities and help innocent victims of the state, the government continue to punish them. Only this week, the judgement from the House of Lords, allowing the Home Office to claim back living expenses (bed and board) from their compensation, was just another vindictive act. One of the Law Lords remarked, not to charge them saved living expenses would be to 'over compensate'; this man should hang his head in shame, as no amount of money can ever compensate for being wrongfully convicted. You lose everything of meaning and value, all of them will suffer from severe post traumatic stress disorders brought on by their wrongful conviction, and compounded by the sudden release from the appeal court. At the present moment M.O.J.O. are trying to raise funds to build such a retreat, using the specialised, and shared experience, counselling, to help innocent men and women come to terms with the world they find themselves in. Which is a world where their lives have been ripped apart, a world where they don’t fit in and feel nothing. We write this with a heavy heart, at the unnecessary tragic death of Sally Clark, and pray that at some point those in authority will face up to their responsibilities. By setting up a specialised counselling programme to help innocent men and women, who through no faults of their own have had their lives ripped apart, and at least try and help them put their lives back together. This was a tragedy waiting to happen that, possibly, could have been prevented and our hearts go out to the family of Sally, and hopefully now she can rest in peace.
Retreat for the Innocentis a campaign set up by M.OJ.O. (Scotland) to raise £500,000 to build a retreat to help reintegrate and prepare innocent people back into society.
Unlike the guilty who have a long and slow process before release. a day out, a weekend and then a whole week. Then when they are released they will have a network of support including a parole officer and a card with a list of helpline numbers. What happens to the innocent. The answer is heartache and misery, usually followed by a cycle of drugs or alcohol abuse, or both. There is no help available for innocent people after they are released, no preparation, no counselling pre or post release nothing. Then can be no doubt that wrongful incarceration is damaging. but what is worse is the way individuals are released back into society is compounding that damage. It would be a tragedy of immense proportions to think helping to get innocent people out of prison is ultimately damaging them irreparably. This has to stop, please help us build a M.O.J.O. Retreat. We are planning a number of high profile events that will be taking place over the next two years to raise £500,000, which we hope will be match funded by the Scottish Executive.
Freedom Of Speech T-Shirts available from mojoscotland.com. Minimum donation £10. There are 10 different quotes
Green t-shirt/White font
The greatest gift in life you've got is your freedom, treasure it because you never know when it can be taken away -Paddy Hill 17 years
(on the back) Hill 1
White t-shirt/Green Font
I hear much of people's calling out to punish the guilty, but few are concerned to clear the innocent - Daniel Defoe, writer 1661-1731
(on the back) Defoe 3
Pink t-shirt/Pink font lycra tops
It is a tragic fact our system of justice still guarantee wrongful convictions. In the process it can destroy, not just the individuals but their families for generations. I see the creation of M.O.J.O. as an inspired and brave step in the fight for justice for all those who unjustly suffer Gareth Pierce Human rights lawyer
(on the back) Pierce 4
Dark Blue t-shirt/White font
No truth, No Justice No Justice, No Peace - Tommy Campbell 20 years
(on the back) Campbell 5
Orange t-shirt/Brown font lycra tops
Miscarriages of Justice go back and back, they're still happening. It was the Bridgewater Four and the Birmingham Six yesterday, today it's Eddie Gilfoyle, Susie May, Barry George, etc. etc. But if you don't do something to change the system it's going to be one of you tomorrow Anne Whelan, mother of Michael Hickey Bridgewater 4
(on the back) Whelan 6
Red t-shirt/White Font
I spent the last twenty-five years behind bars for a crime I knew nothing about, the system literally buried me alive - Robert Brown 25years
(on the back) Brown 7
Black t-shirt/White font
Let freedom reign. The sun never set on so glorious a human achievement - Nelson Mandela 25 years
(on the back) Mandela 9
Yellow t-shirt/Red font
The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed - Steve Biko killed in custody
(on the back) Biko 8
White t-shirt/Red font
The continued imprisonment of thousands of innocent men and women is due to corruption often in extremely powerful places. The legal systems inability to admit wrong doing and provide support for those who suffer miscarriages of justice means that Britain has thousands of political prisoners - Mark Thomas, Comedian/journalist (on the back) Thomas 11
Black t-shirt/White font
Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last. - Martin Luther King (on the back) King 10
Charity No. SCO33820
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Kimle tanışmak isterim: Anybody that believes in fighting for truth and justice
The government propose to scrap Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance. I have set up a petition on The Number 10 web site I would ask that everyone on here signs it. Just follow the link bellow. This petition is for Scotland however there is a petition on the site for England if you stay there and are willing to sign.
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to recognise the vital support that Attendance Allowance (AA) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) provide to disabled people, and to ensure that these benefits are secured and are not removed as part of any future reform of the social care system in Scotland.
Join us to celebrate 3 years of [SHIFT] this september 12th.
We have a very special live audio visual show from Phil Kieran (Skint, Soma), where the man will be showcasing his new album "SHH" on Sven Vaths 'Cocoon' in a totally unique live show.
check this out for a sneak peak as to what to expect from the SHH album tour:
Judging by previous nights when Phil played for us, this is gonna be a messy one, see ya DOON THE FROONT!!!
After you've finished here, you may like to hear this poem sung on myspace...
Poem 2 of 230, WalkaboutsVerse (please see my blog): WALKABOUT WITH MY PEN
Once drove an old sedan, up north, From a place in Sydney to Cairns; Then to Kuranda I went forth, By train, to look without set plans.
I browsed through the trendy market, With fresh fruits of tropical kind; Walked to the creek through lush thicket - Nature’s hand giving peace of mind.
I dined in a scenic cafe; Then, outside, as I wrote for yen, Some passing Kooris called-out: “Hey, You go walkabout with your pen.”
Request or question, I don’t know - Assured voices, elderly men. That’s now several years ago, And I’ve seen the world - with my pen.
We are playing at Lauries on King Street Glasgow as part of Glasgow Americana 2009 www.myspace.com/glasgowamericana along with StephenMaguire www.myspace.com/stephenmag Thursday 21 May. Entry is free so all you've got to do is get your drink in. The Show starts at 8:30 pm hope to see you there.
After you've finished here, you may like to hear this poem sung on myspace...
Poem 2 of 230, WalkaboutsVerse (please see my blog): WALKABOUT WITH MY PEN
Once drove an old sedan, up north, From a place in Sydney to Cairns; Then to Kuranda I went forth, By train, to look without set plans.
I browsed through the trendy market, With fresh fruits of tropical kind; Walked to the creek through lush thicket - Nature’s hand giving peace of mind.
I dined in a scenic cafe; Then, outside, as I wrote for yen, Some passing Kooris called-out: “Hey, You go walkabout with your pen. ”
Request or question, I don’t know - Assured voices, elderly men.
That’s now several years ago, And I’ve seen the world - with my pen.
