New prisoner, Dave Edwards needs your support

Alert from West Midlands Animal Action:  http://www.geocities.com/wmids_animalaction/

During our recent demos outside RMC offices in Rugby (RMC are helping to build the new Oxford Uni Monkey torture lab) we have come across a man on hunger strike on the steps of the Town Hall. Despite being homeless, Dave Edwards has for several years been campaigning in Rugby, against the council re issues of health and safety, corruption etc. which has brought him into conflict with the police/courts on many occasions.

An Interim Anti-Social Behaviour Order was placed on Dave, re his complaints(for which he got no response or lies) to councillors/council employees in the town. This order prevents him intimidating/threatening them etc pending his appearence in court for a full ASBO hearing(scheduled for later this year).

Due to the councils reluctance to tackle RMC about their efforts to burn tyres, hazardous waste and animal carcasses for fuel(and pump out toxic chemicals) at their huge plant in Rugby, Dave has himself taken out a Judicial Review against RMC. An attempt to stop them proffitting whilst the whole town suffers from the inevitable health problems.

17 days ago, Dave started a hunger strike outside the Town Hall in order to highlight the violation of his human rights and get some media coverage for the cause. Dave was arrested after a few days into the strike under The Vagrancy Act 1824 but magistrates decided it was not in the public interest for the case to continue so Dave resumed his position on the council steps. Last Thursday(24 June), Dave was again arrested and charged with breaching his interim ASBO by causing alarm and distress to an ex-councillor. Since then, he has been held on remand at Blakenhurst Prison in Redditch, where he remains on hunger strike.

Dave would really appreciate letters of support to keep his spirits up. Please write to Dave at:

David Edwards LJ8405
HMP Blakenhurst
Hewell Lane
Redditch
Worcs.
B97 6QS

If you would like to read more about Dave and his campaigns please see Daves own forum on Rugbys alternative website  http://www.drugby.co.uk/ and go into `community`.
Dave also has a website here  http://www.thevoiceofthepeople.org.uk/

Dave has taken the judicial review against the Environment Agency not RMC, because they gave RMC the licence. In the last week RMC have had their licence to burn tyres suspended due to a breach of the pollution levels i.e. they did not stop burning tyres when pollutionlevels went over the legal limit.

Dave was remanded falsely as the charge read in court was that he caused harassment alarm and distress to a councillor. In fact the person who made the statement against Dave is not a councillor and hasn't been for some time.

In court last Monday two local councillors were in the public gallery (with myself and other sympathisers). when the false charge was read out one councillor risked contempt of court by standing up and saying the charge was false. However it made no difference to the magistrate who was of the opinion that the issue was not whether or not Mr Edwards was guilty but whether or not he should remain in prison. Mr Edwards was denied the rights granted to him by the Human Rights Act 1998, in that he was unable to have independant representation of his choosing, was unable to cross examine the witness (who was not even in court), and was not allowed to have five minutes in privacy with his legal assistant.

Dave remians on hunger strike, and will appear before Rugby Court again on Monday 5th July at 2.00pm. It would be great if we could fill the public gallery since there is far too much secrecy surrounding Dave's whole case, including a total media blackout in
the Rugby area. Recently a candidate in the local elections was reported to the Police by the Chief Executive of Rugby council, merely for demanding an investigation into certain council departments. Later the same person had him removed from the counting hall by the police and when he asked under what regulation/legislation he was being ejected, the police officer informed him that he was just doing as the Chief Executive had asked. Whatever happened to the Seperation of Powers?

Currently another person in Rugby who complained of corruption and other issues has been asked to sign an Acceptable Behaviour contract, part of which prevents them from making complaints about such matters. in fact the council made a desicion that if a complaint is made against one of their officers, they can decide whether or not to investigate it. The police Chief Inspector who counter signed the ABC was fully aware that the victim was guilty of no crime whatsoever, and it looks like he merely wished to please the council. Like Dave this person has been asking the police to investigate the hard evidence against the council but has been refused. ASBO's and ABC's are used as gagging tools in Rugby.

Dave appeared in Rugby Magistrates court today (5th July). To those of us that know him well he looks seriously emaciated and emotionally drained. He asked to change some of his guilty pleas, made while he was under duress and unrepresented in court some months ago. After a few minutes of deliberation the Judge decided that she would not allow him to change his pleas. Dave then made a statement about how he had seen so many terrible things in prison, that he was not violent merely standing up for his Human Rights and that he desperately needed to be "on the outside" so that he could prepare his case which is going to Crown court. The Judge in her wisdom decided that the best thing for someone obviously ill and on hunger strike was to be remanded in HMP BLakenhurst for another three weeks. This means he has no access to any paperwork he needs to prepare for court, he desperately wanted a Human Rights solicitor, and has been unable to secure one. Liberty and Amnesty refuse to help, or even publicise his cause and suffering. His own GP had secured a pyschiatric assessment for him, the court have disallowed this and said he can only be assessed by a Pyschiatric unit of the courts choosing. Obviously they will do what the court have asked, not what the truth is.

If anyone has access to the wider media please contact me on the address below, as I have many documents which will show that Dave is not only innocent, but also the victim of a conspiracy. A local councillor has supported Dave for many months and is disgusted by what she has seen.

Please help Dave