Winchester
Teresa Skelton is the JAC Party candidate for Winchester. Here is her election leaflet :
Hampshire Police and the Perversion of Justice
Winchester Justice and Anti-corruption Party candidate in the current general election, Teresa Skelton, has quite a story to tell when it comes to corruption and injustice in the public administration, involving the police and those who are supposed to regulate them.
Thirteen years ago an unjustified prosecution was brought against Teresa over a minor verbal exchange. It only succeeded because the police falsified documents so as to malign her character in the eyes of the presiding magistrates. She has never been able to get the official police complaints bodies to act over this criminal behaviour by the officers involved in the case. Nor have any of those bodies or their officials been prepared to explain why.
Her efforts to get some sort of satisfaction have simply met a brick wall. The officials we are supposed to trust to keep our Police to the straight and narrow seem more interested in covering up for the misconduct of corrupt officers who take “short cuts” to get quick and easy convictions against naive members of the public who are not up with their chicanery.
In her efforts to get answers, Teresa has since learned a great deal.
There appears to be a whole culture of corrupt behaviour by police officers. This works both ways. Officers all too often act to cover up for the guilty, whilst framing the innocent. This has been happening across Hampshire in cases far more serious than hers.
Back in June, 2014, Teresa attended a so called Compass meeting in Winchester Guildhall. At the event, the Police and Crime Commissioner at that time, Simon Hayes, and the then Chief Constable Andy Marsh whom he was meant to supervise, fielded questions from the public.
Some of these involved the many years’ long cover-up of child abuse at the Stanbridge Earls School near Romsey, Hampshire, in which both Hampshire County Council and Hampshire Constabulary had apparently been implicated. Before Teresa attended the meeting she knew nothing at all about this matter.
Feelings ran high at the meeting since many parents of children who had suffered the abuse were present. One lady stormed out in disgust, calling the gathering “a farce”, when it emerged that Messrs Hayes and Marsh had “exonerated” each other. Both had been under investigation over several matters, apparently by each other!
This “band of brothers” was later to gain a “sister” in the person of Mrs Olivia Pinkney, Mr Marsh’s successor as Hampshire Chief Constable. Mrs Pinkney was a bad actor in what later became an anti-Teresa drama.
At the Compass meeting Teresa took no part in any heckling. She had her own issue over the falsified documents used underhandedly against her in her own case eleven years before. After the meeting she had a quite calm and courteous discussion with Simon Hayes, who promised to look into the matter she raised.
Mr Hayes was known to others for promising action and delivering nothing. He ran true to form in Teresa’s case, eventually claiming her issue “had already been dealt with”.
Meanwhile Teresa had offered support and sympathy to Haydn Burton, a well-known campaigner who had criticised Hampshire Police for their failure to investigate other allegations of child abuse. On one occasion Teresa was present when Haydn was arrested in Winchester, as was PCSO Laurence Day. Haydn was later released without charge. Sadly Haydn was held in Winchester Prison regarding another matter and was found hanged in his cell despite being on suicide watch. The result of the coroner’s inquiry was an open verdict and considerable criticism of the care provided by the prison service. Haydn’s grandmother is Teresa’s proposer in the General Election.
When Teresa complained about her treatment to the next level, the Hampshire Police & Crime Panel, which is supposed to regulate the Police and Crime Commissioner, the muck really hit the fan. First she was subjected to a so-called “ban” from attending the HP&CP’s public meetings, without any reason being given other than a vague and unsubstantiated claim that her presence would be “disruptive”. Then, when she did attend one at Ashburton Hall, Winchester, she was given “rough house” treatment.
This was on 22nd January, 2016. She had put in a question in advance, as per the rules of the meeting, about transparency in police and HP&CP proceedings. But these “watchdogs” on our police seemed not to want such things brought into the light of day.
A security operation had been arranged that morning, as emerged later in witness statements and court testimony, expressly to exclude Teresa from the Hampshire County Council building. In other word, anybody in Hampshire was free to attend this fully advertised public meeting, except Teresa Skelton!
Teresa walked in calmly with a cup of tea in her hand, entered the meeting hall and sat down quietly at the back waiting for the meeting to start. Simon Hayes, still then PCC, deliberately confronted her. Simon Hayes then summoned the security guards who became increasingly menacing in their demeanour, especially an aggressive former Winchester pub bouncer from their ranks.
Teresa realised that she would soon be thrown out and stood up to state her issues to the meeting room at large. The meeting had not been called to order and people were still milling around (interestingly Teresa turned out to be the only member of the public present. The rest were all officials, councillors, PCC. election candidates, or off-duty police officers, one in particular).
As she spoke, Teresa was suddenly seized from behind by PCSO Day who, without a word, manhandled her out of the meeting hall, into the foyer of the building. In doing so this heroic example of Hampshire’s Finest managed to inflict bruises and painfully wrench Teresa’s back. He is a 12-or 13-stone man, Teresa is a nine-stone woman. He is also a mere “plastic plod” without any legal right to lay a finger on anybody, except in the most extreme circumstances.
No police officer, least of all a PCSO, has any power to function as a chucker-out for politicians like Simon Hayes or the equally hostile Chairman of the HP&CP, Councillor David Stewart, against individual attendees at public meetings that those politicians don’t happen to like. A while back Councillor David Stewart was a Detective Inspector in the Isle of Wight police. We will be giving a bit more information about his career as a senior policeman in due course.
But most interesting of all was the involvement in these proceedings of none other than Mrs Olivia Pinkney. Then Deputy Chief Constable for Sussex, she is now Chief Constable for Hampshire. She succeeds her friend Andy Marsh, and has apparently assured him that she intends to “protect his legacy”.
And How!
Inside Ashburton Hall she joined PCSO Day as he assaulted Teresa, evicted her, and forced her into a seat in the foyer. She later testified that she had “put herself back on duty” for the occasion. Even so, and despite her vast seniority, she did nothing to inhibit his thuggery or call him to order.
Afterwards, in a mendacious witness statement, she praised his “professionalism”. The rest of this statement was largely made up of self-promoting spin, in which she claimed that both she and PCSO Day had tried to “reason” with Teresa before Day seized her. Her main concern, she claimed, was Teresa’s welfare.
This saintly care and compassion, along with any trace of legality, was sadly missing from Teresa’s subsequent treatment by the police. After collecting a drink of water Teresa sat quietly in the chair outside Ashburton Hall when two uniformed police officers came from somewhere. Without being officially cautioned she was bundled into a van and taken off to custody in Basingstoke. In Teresa’s own words, this was more like “a kidnapping”. There was definitely no lawful arrest.
Teresa was then held in a filthy cell, whose bedding had traces of vomit and faeces on it, for over twenty four hours. During this time an effort was made to get her sectioned under the Mental Health Act. This may well have originated with Olivia Pinkney, who suggested in her witness statement that Teresa might have “mental health issues” (despite the fact that psychiatric qualifications do not appear to figure among Mrs Pinkney’s academic honours).
The attempt only failed because, to carry off such a move, it would have to be approved by fully qualified psychiatrists. Teresa was fortunate enough to be interviewed, after spending the night in custody, by three honest doctors who gave her a clean bill of health.
But this did not stop the police from turning the truth on its head and charging her with assaulting PCSO Day by somehow breaking free of his grip and kicking him on the knee. Unlike Teresa he was unable to produce any medical evidence of injury. In reality he had had her under complete, and painful, restraint which would have made this impossible, as he well knows.
Mrs Pinkney knows exactly the same. This did not stop her from claiming to have seen Teresa “deliberately kick” PCSO Day.
Two other witnesses, the former pub bouncer security man and a female colleague, were also lined up to join this little conspiracy to pervert the course of justice with their own claims to have witnessed a kick.
None of the four witnesses have been able to keep their stories the same. Between them they managed to locate this assault on PCSO Day’s knee in three different locations a considerable distance apart within the area of Ashburton Hall and its foyer, and in different alleged circumstances.
There was not the slightest mark on PCSO Day’s knee. By contrast these are pictures taken of the cut and bruises to her arms, taken as soon as Teresa was eventually allowed to go home. The injuries were confirmed by Teresa’s own GP at the first opportunity.
Winchester Justice and Anti-corruption Party candidate in the current general election, Teresa Skelton, has quite a story to tell when it comes to corruption and injustice in the public administration, involving the police and those who are supposed to regulate them.
Thirteen years ago an unjustified prosecution was brought against Teresa over a minor verbal exchange. It only succeeded because the police falsified documents so as to malign her character in the eyes of the presiding magistrates. She has never been able to get the official police complaints bodies to act over this criminal behaviour by the officers involved in the case. Nor have any of those bodies or their officials been prepared to explain why.
Her efforts to get some sort of satisfaction have simply met a brick wall. The officials we are supposed to trust to keep our Police to the straight and narrow seem more interested in covering up for the misconduct of corrupt officers who take “short cuts” to get quick and easy convictions against naive members of the public who are not up with their chicanery.
In her efforts to get answers, Teresa has since learned a great deal.
There appears to be a whole culture of corrupt behaviour by police officers. This works both ways. Officers all too often act to cover up for the guilty, whilst framing the innocent. This has been happening across Hampshire in cases far more serious than hers.
Back in June, 2014, Teresa attended a so called Compass meeting in Winchester Guildhall. At the event, the Police and Crime Commissioner at that time, Simon Hayes, and the then Chief Constable Andy Marsh whom he was meant to supervise, fielded questions from the public.
Some of these involved the many years’ long cover-up of child abuse at the Stanbridge Earls School near Romsey, Hampshire, in which both Hampshire County Council and Hampshire Constabulary had apparently been implicated. Before Teresa attended the meeting she knew nothing at all about this matter.
Feelings ran high at the meeting since many parents of children who had suffered the abuse were present. One lady stormed out in disgust, calling the gathering “a farce”, when it emerged that Messrs Hayes and Marsh had “exonerated” each other. Both had been under investigation over several matters, apparently by each other!
This “band of brothers” was later to gain a “sister” in the person of Mrs Olivia Pinkney, Mr Marsh’s successor as Hampshire Chief Constable. Mrs Pinkney was a bad actor in what later became an anti-Teresa drama.
At the Compass meeting Teresa took no part in any heckling. She had her own issue over the falsified documents used underhandedly against her in her own case eleven years before. After the meeting she had a quite calm and courteous discussion with Simon Hayes, who promised to look into the matter she raised.
Mr Hayes was known to others for promising action and delivering nothing. He ran true to form in Teresa’s case, eventually claiming her issue “had already been dealt with”.
Meanwhile Teresa had offered support and sympathy to Haydn Burton, a well-known campaigner who had criticised Hampshire Police for their failure to investigate other allegations of child abuse. On one occasion Teresa was present when Haydn was arrested in Winchester, as was PCSO Laurence Day. Haydn was later released without charge. Sadly Haydn was held in Winchester Prison regarding another matter and was found hanged in his cell despite being on suicide watch. The result of the coroner’s inquiry was an open verdict and considerable criticism of the care provided by the prison service. Haydn’s grandmother is Teresa’s proposer in the General Election.
When Teresa complained about her treatment to the next level, the Hampshire Police & Crime Panel, which is supposed to regulate the Police and Crime Commissioner, the muck really hit the fan. First she was subjected to a so-called “ban” from attending the HP&CP’s public meetings, without any reason being given other than a vague and unsubstantiated claim that her presence would be “disruptive”. Then, when she did attend one at Ashburton Hall, Winchester, she was given “rough house” treatment.
This was on 22nd January, 2016. She had put in a question in advance, as per the rules of the meeting, about transparency in police and HP&CP proceedings. But these “watchdogs” on our police seemed not to want such things brought into the light of day.
A security operation had been arranged that morning, as emerged later in witness statements and court testimony, expressly to exclude Teresa from the Hampshire County Council building. In other word, anybody in Hampshire was free to attend this fully advertised public meeting, except Teresa Skelton!
Teresa walked in calmly with a cup of tea in her hand, entered the meeting hall and sat down quietly at the back waiting for the meeting to start. Simon Hayes, still then PCC, deliberately confronted her. Simon Hayes then summoned the security guards who became increasingly menacing in their demeanour, especially an aggressive former Winchester pub bouncer from their ranks.
Teresa realised that she would soon be thrown out and stood up to state her issues to the meeting room at large. The meeting had not been called to order and people were still milling around (interestingly Teresa turned out to be the only member of the public present. The rest were all officials, councillors, PCC. election candidates, or off-duty police officers, one in particular).
As she spoke, Teresa was suddenly seized from behind by PCSO Day who, without a word, manhandled her out of the meeting hall, into the foyer of the building. In doing so this heroic example of Hampshire’s Finest managed to inflict bruises and painfully wrench Teresa’s back. He is a 12-or 13-stone man, Teresa is a nine-stone woman. He is also a mere “plastic plod” without any legal right to lay a finger on anybody, except in the most extreme circumstances.
No police officer, least of all a PCSO, has any power to function as a chucker-out for politicians like Simon Hayes or the equally hostile Chairman of the HP&CP, Councillor David Stewart, against individual attendees at public meetings that those politicians don’t happen to like. A while back Councillor David Stewart was a Detective Inspector in the Isle of Wight police. We will be giving a bit more information about his career as a senior policeman in due course.
But most interesting of all was the involvement in these proceedings of none other than Mrs Olivia Pinkney. Then Deputy Chief Constable for Sussex, she is now Chief Constable for Hampshire. She succeeds her friend Andy Marsh, and has apparently assured him that she intends to “protect his legacy”.
And How!
Inside Ashburton Hall she joined PCSO Day as he assaulted Teresa, evicted her, and forced her into a seat in the foyer. She later testified that she had “put herself back on duty” for the occasion. Even so, and despite her vast seniority, she did nothing to inhibit his thuggery or call him to order.
Afterwards, in a mendacious witness statement, she praised his “professionalism”. The rest of this statement was largely made up of self-promoting spin, in which she claimed that both she and PCSO Day had tried to “reason” with Teresa before Day seized her. Her main concern, she claimed, was Teresa’s welfare.
This saintly care and compassion, along with any trace of legality, was sadly missing from Teresa’s subsequent treatment by the police. After collecting a drink of water Teresa sat quietly in the chair outside Ashburton Hall when two uniformed police officers came from somewhere. Without being officially cautioned she was bundled into a van and taken off to custody in Basingstoke. In Teresa’s own words, this was more like “a kidnapping”. There was definitely no lawful arrest.
Teresa was then held in a filthy cell, whose bedding had traces of vomit and faeces on it, for over twenty four hours. During this time an effort was made to get her sectioned under the Mental Health Act. This may well have originated with Olivia Pinkney, who suggested in her witness statement that Teresa might have “mental health issues” (despite the fact that psychiatric qualifications do not appear to figure among Mrs Pinkney’s academic honours).
The attempt only failed because, to carry off such a move, it would have to be approved by fully qualified psychiatrists. Teresa was fortunate enough to be interviewed, after spending the night in custody, by three honest doctors who gave her a clean bill of health.
But this did not stop the police from turning the truth on its head and charging her with assaulting PCSO Day by somehow breaking free of his grip and kicking him on the knee. Unlike Teresa he was unable to produce any medical evidence of injury. In reality he had had her under complete, and painful, restraint which would have made this impossible, as he well knows.
Mrs Pinkney knows exactly the same. This did not stop her from claiming to have seen Teresa “deliberately kick” PCSO Day.
Two other witnesses, the former pub bouncer security man and a female colleague, were also lined up to join this little conspiracy to pervert the course of justice with their own claims to have witnessed a kick.
None of the four witnesses have been able to keep their stories the same. Between them they managed to locate this assault on PCSO Day’s knee in three different locations a considerable distance apart within the area of Ashburton Hall and its foyer, and in different alleged circumstances.
There was not the slightest mark on PCSO Day’s knee. By contrast these are pictures taken of the cut and bruises to her arms, taken as soon as Teresa was eventually allowed to go home. The injuries were confirmed by Teresa’s own GP at the first opportunity.
None of this helped Teresa when the case came to court. Our judges are clearly reluctant to rule against the police, and Teresa was denied a jury trial when the CPS reduced the charge against her from assault on a police officer to common assault.
Meanwhile, Mrs Olivia Pinkney was suddenly announced as Hampshire’s new Chief Constable. The Hampshire Chronicle described her as Mr Simon Hayes’s “preferred candidate” for the job. Some have expressed the view that her promotion was already a done deal at the time of the Ashburton Hall HP&CP meeting, which Mr Hayes regarded as a showcase for his re-election campaign for PCC. Hence his anxiety that the likes of Teresa should not attend to “rain on his parade”.
Teresa appeared first in Aldershot Magistrates Court before a Judge sitting alone. Her defence counsel failed to cross-examine any witness in depth, or Mrs Pinkney at all. The lady, fully doled up in her brand new Chief Constable’s uniform, was thus allowed to speak as she pleased unchallenged for 45 minutes. On leaving the witness stand observers in the public gallery saw her give Teresa the “evil eye”.
In convicting Teresa, the Judge conspicuously praised to the skies Mrs Pinkney’s quality as a witness, despite her testimony never having been tested under cross-examination.
Mrs Pinkney’s testimony was very much less impressive when it was eventually subjected to real questioning by capable counsel at appeal in Winchester Crown Court. Her demeanour was very much more subdued when she left the witness box after probing cross-examination.
When probed she notably had repeated recourse to the formula much used by Mr Tony Blair’s ministers when they were challenged on facts by courts and parliamentary enquiries. The phrase “I can’t remember” was repeated over and over, along with many “ums” and “ahs”. Strangely she did say that she had not applied for the job of Hampshire Chief Constable when she went to the P&CP meeting at Ashburton Hall, which she had never been to before.
Similarly unimpressive was PCSO Day, whose testimony was full of alterations and embellishments not present in his original statement. He repeatedly lapsed into embarrassed silences and held the court up to re-read his statement, to the Judge’s evident impatience. It was clear that the Judge can have been under no illusions about the reliability of such a witness. Nor can he possibly have shared Mrs Pinkney’s estimate of PCSO Day’s “professionalism”, let alone his truthfulness. Yet he upheld both conviction and sentence.
The sentence imposed at Aldershot Magistrates Court was that there should be no penalty but that Teresa should pay “compensation” to PCSO Day (£150) for the harm done to his unmarked knee plus prosecution costs, of course. The Judge in that court had commented, “the Police need to be protected in the conduct of their duty”. PCSO Day was deemed by the CPS to be acting as a civilian and not a police officer during his interaction with Teresa (they have subsequently told her that, from the moment he laid hands on her, he was acting outside his duty). This would seem to invalidate the Aldershot Judge’s professed reasons for such a compensation order.
One might add that taking people’s money off them after physically assaulting them is sometimes called “mugging”. The only assault in Ashburton Hall on the morning of 22nd January, 2016 was by PCSO Day upon Teresa. Everyone may make up their own minds as to what this makes PCSO Day if he decides to demand the money. Teresa, of course, had to pay her own legal costs, twice.
But much heavier judgements may fall on Mrs Olivia Pinkney. With her vast seniority she had the authority to stop PCSO Day’s actions. Instead, she gave sworn testimony that Teresa had herself walked to the chair in the foyer and deliberately kicked PCSO Day on the knee when doing so. PCSO Day, a security guard and Teresa herself all gave evidence saying that PCSO Day was holding Teresa until he pushed her down into the chair. They can’t all be right.
Still spinning away, Mrs Pinkney remarked on becoming Chief Constable, that she was committed to opposing “the arrogant policing of the past”. If the treatment of Teresa that she supervised personally is anything to go by, perhaps it is more the arrogant policing of the future on her watch that the residents of Hampshire should be worried about.
FOOTNOTE:
Teresa has now got leave from the Administrative Division of the High Court for a judicial review of the Decision made against her. She hopes soon to publish compelling evidence that:
Meanwhile, Mrs Olivia Pinkney was suddenly announced as Hampshire’s new Chief Constable. The Hampshire Chronicle described her as Mr Simon Hayes’s “preferred candidate” for the job. Some have expressed the view that her promotion was already a done deal at the time of the Ashburton Hall HP&CP meeting, which Mr Hayes regarded as a showcase for his re-election campaign for PCC. Hence his anxiety that the likes of Teresa should not attend to “rain on his parade”.
Teresa appeared first in Aldershot Magistrates Court before a Judge sitting alone. Her defence counsel failed to cross-examine any witness in depth, or Mrs Pinkney at all. The lady, fully doled up in her brand new Chief Constable’s uniform, was thus allowed to speak as she pleased unchallenged for 45 minutes. On leaving the witness stand observers in the public gallery saw her give Teresa the “evil eye”.
In convicting Teresa, the Judge conspicuously praised to the skies Mrs Pinkney’s quality as a witness, despite her testimony never having been tested under cross-examination.
Mrs Pinkney’s testimony was very much less impressive when it was eventually subjected to real questioning by capable counsel at appeal in Winchester Crown Court. Her demeanour was very much more subdued when she left the witness box after probing cross-examination.
When probed she notably had repeated recourse to the formula much used by Mr Tony Blair’s ministers when they were challenged on facts by courts and parliamentary enquiries. The phrase “I can’t remember” was repeated over and over, along with many “ums” and “ahs”. Strangely she did say that she had not applied for the job of Hampshire Chief Constable when she went to the P&CP meeting at Ashburton Hall, which she had never been to before.
Similarly unimpressive was PCSO Day, whose testimony was full of alterations and embellishments not present in his original statement. He repeatedly lapsed into embarrassed silences and held the court up to re-read his statement, to the Judge’s evident impatience. It was clear that the Judge can have been under no illusions about the reliability of such a witness. Nor can he possibly have shared Mrs Pinkney’s estimate of PCSO Day’s “professionalism”, let alone his truthfulness. Yet he upheld both conviction and sentence.
The sentence imposed at Aldershot Magistrates Court was that there should be no penalty but that Teresa should pay “compensation” to PCSO Day (£150) for the harm done to his unmarked knee plus prosecution costs, of course. The Judge in that court had commented, “the Police need to be protected in the conduct of their duty”. PCSO Day was deemed by the CPS to be acting as a civilian and not a police officer during his interaction with Teresa (they have subsequently told her that, from the moment he laid hands on her, he was acting outside his duty). This would seem to invalidate the Aldershot Judge’s professed reasons for such a compensation order.
One might add that taking people’s money off them after physically assaulting them is sometimes called “mugging”. The only assault in Ashburton Hall on the morning of 22nd January, 2016 was by PCSO Day upon Teresa. Everyone may make up their own minds as to what this makes PCSO Day if he decides to demand the money. Teresa, of course, had to pay her own legal costs, twice.
But much heavier judgements may fall on Mrs Olivia Pinkney. With her vast seniority she had the authority to stop PCSO Day’s actions. Instead, she gave sworn testimony that Teresa had herself walked to the chair in the foyer and deliberately kicked PCSO Day on the knee when doing so. PCSO Day, a security guard and Teresa herself all gave evidence saying that PCSO Day was holding Teresa until he pushed her down into the chair. They can’t all be right.
Still spinning away, Mrs Pinkney remarked on becoming Chief Constable, that she was committed to opposing “the arrogant policing of the past”. If the treatment of Teresa that she supervised personally is anything to go by, perhaps it is more the arrogant policing of the future on her watch that the residents of Hampshire should be worried about.
FOOTNOTE:
Teresa has now got leave from the Administrative Division of the High Court for a judicial review of the Decision made against her. She hopes soon to publish compelling evidence that:
- She did not assault PCSO Day
- Neither Olivia Pinkney nor Laurence Day spoke to her at all before Day seized her.
- She was never at any time cautioned before reaching Basingstoke custody suite.