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Home | Friday 14th March 2008 | Issue 624

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NO TIME FOR LOSERS

KARAOKE FOUR ACQUITTED

Another mighty cock up this week for Sussex Police - as yet again the crown prosecution (CPS) has been forced to drop a Smash EDO court case. This time it’s the ‘Karaoke Four’ – who famously were arrested after a window-rattling rendition of ‘We Are The Champions’ during the Smash EDO ‘Bad Karaoke’ demo in October 2007 (See SchNEWS 606 or view the SchMOVIE at http://enr.clearerchannel.org/media/schnews/juke-box-jury.mpg). Three were charged under Section 14 of the Public Order Act and the other with section 235 of the Local Government Act (a noise bye-law intended for street drinkers,buskers and squeegee merchants).

The trial – supposed to go seven days - never got off the ground and was over within three days after the magistrate ruled that the CPS had to disclose the content of ‘incompetent’ Chief Inspector Mills’ notebook - or drop the prosecution. In his statement, Incompetent Mills (his new nickname in court), said that it held information about police meetings regarding their plans to control the demo - which is hardly national security. And this was after the prosecution and the defence requested that Mills’ statement be typed up as no one could read his handwriting - proving that no matter how ‘literate’ you are you’re always welcome to join Sussex police.

The protesters are left wondering what was so interesting in the notebook that the CPS dropped the case. Andrew Beckett (campaign press spokesman) told SchNEWS “Our resident conspiracy theorists are bouncing off the walls, but the general consensus is that Sussex Police and EDO MBM are at it again – and that Mills, PC Sean MacDonald and EDO-MBM managing director Paul Hills are engaging in a seedy affair to invent their own little injunction against protesters. A big thank you to Chief Inspector Mills who has a pint waiting for him, courtesy of the Smash EDO coffers, for being so wonderfully incompetent as ever.”

After five months on police bail, and banned from entering Home Farm Road - where EDO are based - the defendants had the pleasure returning to the weekly noise demo at EDO this Wednesday - where another version of ‘We Are The Champions’ was smugly chanted to Mr Paul Hills to his obvious displeasure.

* For more see www.smashedo.org.uk

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