From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 24/04 (17:00) COURT OFFICIALS TO PROBE MARTIN TRIAL CLAIMS By Brian Farmer, PA News Court officials will meet tomorrow to discuss suggestions that jurors in the Tony Martin murder trial might have been intimidated. The Lord's Chancellor's Department says officials will meet at Norwich Crown Court to discuss the fall-out from the Martin trial and decide whether any investigation is necessary. Martin's lawyers, who are set to launch an appeal against the conviction and who are conducting their own investigation into the allegations of intimidation, will not play any part in the meeting but say they will be in touch with court officials to air their feelings. "Basically, this will be an informal meeting to discuss what has happened and what has been reported since the end of the trial," said a spokesman for the Lord Chancellor's Department today. "The court manager at Norwich, the general manager and the circuit administrator will be involved. The first stage will be to look at whether there is any need for an investigation." Michael Ballinger, one of Martin's legal team, said it was important to "get to the bottom" of the allegations. "We shall be talking to the court," he said. "Our first aim is to get to the bottom of this. "We feel we have got plenty of other grounds for appeal but if there proves to be anything in these allegations of intimidation then that would no doubt play a part in any appeal." He said a draft notice of appeal had been prepared and a notice of appeal would be lodged with the Court of Appeal in London by Friday. Lawyers are due to discuss the appeal with Martin, who is being held in the hospital wing of Bullingdon Prison near Bicester, Oxon, this week. Concerns about intimidation were expressed by lawyers after a woman claiming to be a juror called a Norwich-based local radio phone-in the day after Martin was convicted. The radio station, Broadland 102 FM, insisted that the woman caller had not spoken of being "intimidated, pressured or nobbled". A spokeswoman said the caller had spoken of how the trial had "changed her life" and of how she now felt "frightened to leave her house" because of some of the things she heard during the trial. Martin has said in a letter to his mother, Hilary, 86, of Elm, Norfolk, that he is "extremely strong". "I am not aggrieved and extremely strong," he said. "I know people are appalled out there and in fact the people who work in (prison) are all very sad and surprised." He added: "I did become very hopeful during the trial but we'll never know why the jury came to the decision they did... "I have had many letters from good people over the last eight months and know I will get another avalanche, we shall see. Letters do give great fortitude." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 24/04 (16:27) LAW AND ORDER `ON BRINK OF BREAKDOWN IN COUNTRYSIDE' Brian Farmer and Padraic Flanagan, PA News A breakdown of law and order in the countryside is a "real possibility" because people have lost faith in the police's ability to protect them against criminals, a group of Conservative MPs warned today. Four MPs, all with Norfolk constituencies, spoke out as the debate over the jailing of farmer Tony Martin for the murder of a burglar intensified and news emerged that ministers plan to allocate extra cash for policing rural areas. The group, made up of former Cabinet ministers Gillian Shephard, Martin's MP, and John McGregor, David Prior and Keith Simpson, urged the Government to "look seriously" at the consequences of the Martin case and act fast. "People no longer have confidence in the ability of the police to defend them and their property," said a statement issued by the four MPs. "They are, as a consequence, likely to be tempted to take the law into their own hands, as the Martin case, and its aftermath, have demonstrated. "Many are saying that, like Tony Martin, they too would have defended themselves if the police were unable to help them." The MPs added: "Ministers must put right their neglect of rural policing, and fast. The possibility of a break down in law and order in our countryside is real. Action is needed now... "Police numbers have dropped dramatically across the country as a whole since the General Election. In Norfolk alone there are 50 fewer police officers than there were in 1997." Mrs Shephard, MP for South West Norfolk, is demanding a Commons' debate on the implications of the Martin case. "The whole country has been appalled by the revelations of policing in Norfolk which have emerged from the Martin case," she said. "Ministers must now recognise them too." Earlier, the chairman of the Norfolk Police Authority, called for greater clarity in the law on self defence. Jim Wilson said, in a letter to Norwich-based newspaper, the Eastern Daily Press: "The minds of householders across the country would be set at rest if our legislators could define with greater clarity the law which governs a citizen's right to defend his home and property." The MPs' demands followed reports that extra grants, probably running into tens of millions of pounds, are likely to be injected into rural policing following a law and order study commissioned by the Home Office. The research, carried out last year by ORH, concluded that the number of officers required for some incidents in rural areas was three times more than those needed by urban forces. A delegation from rural police services is understood to have held discussions with Police Minister Charles Clarke, a Norfolk MP, over the formula for funding forces in sparsely-populated areas. The report's findings are also thought to have wide support among ministers. Police forces likely to benefit from a spending increase for their "sparsity factor" include Devon and Cornwall and Norfolk. The extra cash would help police staff more visible rural policing policies. "Decisions on future funding for the various police forces will be included in the summer spending review in July, and final decisions have not yet been taken on that," said a Home Office spokesman. "The Budget gave us �91 million specifically for police recruitment, and we are deciding now how to carve that up. "The Government recognises that rural communities have very different needs from urban areas in terms of policing." Victims of Crime Trust director Norman Brennan welcomed the extra cash but said it was important to reform the criminal justice system. "Why is it that we have to have a tragedy before the Government puts its hands in its pockets to get this money?" he said. "What the Government should be doing is concentrating on the criminal justice system." Martin, 55, of Bleak House, Emneth Hungate, near Emneth, Norfolk, was found guilty of murdering Fred Barras, 16, of Newark, Notts, at Norwich Crown Court on Wednesday. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. Martin was also convicted of wounding a second burglar, Brendan Fearon, 30, also of Newark, with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. The farmer was cleared of attempting to murder Fearon and of possessing a pump-action shotgun with intent to endanger life. Jurors heard that the burglars had been shot after breaking into Martin's isolated home late at night in August. Barras had been shot in the back and Fearon in the groin. The farmer said he fired in self-defence. His lawyers are preparing to launch an appeal against his conviction this week. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ David Prior is my MP and a good friend of shooters, worthy of our support. Kenneth Pantling Whatever happens they have got The Maxim Gun, and we have not. -------[Cybershooters contacts]-------- Editor: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Website & subscription info: www.cybershooters.org
