From: Norman Scarth (born 1925): Lucky to survive when my shipmates died around me in World War 2,

fighting to keep Hitler's Gestapo from our shores.  They died in vain.

Now Political Prisoner GV5409, HM Prison Wolds Gulag, BROUGH, East Yorkshire HU15 2JZ                 

To Mr. Andrew Yiannides,

C/o 16A, Woodside Road,

LONDON N22 5HU                                                                                                                          Sunday 12^th October 2003                                                                                                           

Dear Andrew,

I am greatly indebted to you for many things, most recently that you took the great trouble to journey to Leeds for the hearing which was supposed to take place on 25^th June, & deeply regret that it was a wasted journey for you.  However, I am hurt beyond belief that you should blame it on me. 

Caged & defenceless, I am the mercy of those totally without mercy.  To give you the true picture, I enclose a copy of my document to Judge Grenfell asking for the Committal of those who deliberately kept me from the court.  Also asking for an Order for compensation for you, & for me. 

I have little hope of either, but at least it is on the record &, for all the wrong he has done me in the past, Grenfell might for once prove he has a conscience.  Pigs might fly!

As you will see, far from being responsible for your wasted journey, I was the greatest victim of the horrendous trickery of prison staff.  The case having already been deliberately delayed for two years by the court, the last thing I needed was more delay.  I cannot survive much longer under the unrelenting & escalating mental torture – along with physical brutality!

ALL we victims are under great pressure, & it is surprising that we retain any sanity at all.  The greatest present we can make to the villains is to fall out among ourselves.  With your talents & experience, you have much to give.  So have I, if I can only survive the fiendish tricks they play on me.  Apart from the evidence of corrupt judges, I now have great knowledge of the depravity of the Prison Service.  That is why the monsters are determined I will never get out alive.

Much overdue, but welcome nevertheless is Sir David Ramsbotham’s new book ‘Prisongate’, exposing some of the horror.  Extracts were in The Times (Sunday & Daily) for 4 days from Sunday 28^th Sept.  In the Sunday Times TV magazine section of 5^th Oct. there is an article by Sir Stephen Tumim (another sacked from being HM Chief Inspector Prisons for being too honest!).  The latter contains the words of Winston Churchill, saying that the measure of a civilization is the way it treats  prisoners.

Whatever wrong I may have done you in the past, I BEG of you that we forget our differences, & fight on together.  With our different talents, together we could be a great team.  Separate, we are easy to destroy.

There is something which you could do for me, if you would please?  You may recall that I used to make a point of asking permission to use a tape recorder in court, sometimes for myself, sometimes when acting as Mackenzie Friend.  Sometimes permission was refused, sometimes granted – notably by Lord Woolf, who even had my second machine on the bench in front of him – he pressing the buttons! 

I had found the authority in The White Book.  I believe it was in the Practice Directions Section, & seem to think it was PD 274 or something like that.  I did photo copy the page, giving copies to various people.  If you could find it, & send 2 or 3 copies, I would be most grateful.  Not likely to be much use to me in here, but there are others who could benefit from knowing of it. 

Hate to ask you, but I am seriously ‘disabled’ in here.  As you know, my brother Jack suffers from intermittent depression, but even when well (as he is now), he is not familiar with that sort of work.  If you are short of money - & you certainly must be, I may be able to get Jack to send you a few quid.      

I enclose copies of documents ‘ChCon-1Oct03’ (to Grenfell), my letter to the Home Secretary, (‘HoSec29Sept03A’) & ‘GB2003’.  I would again be grateful if you could send me 2 copies of them (not the last one).

Best wishes

THE LATEST:  Wolds Prison gave me a surprise treat for my 78^th birthday!   Because I complained about crime committed against me by staff, they dragged me (literally) to the Punishment Block!  (Only three of them this time – not six as before!  No handcuffs this time either - they must be getting kind hearted!)