To all Litigants In Person.

YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO LISTEN TO THE OFFICIAL TAPE RECORDING OF A HEARING.

I have a copy of  a letter from Lord Chancellor Irvine (signed‘Derry’) to Austin Mitchell MP, 8 August 1997, (re. Mrs. E.M.Gaskell Syms). It  includes the words:

“I should explain that it can be possible to arrange to listen to the court’s tape of a hearing, if a person is unsure of the accuracy of the transcript”.

I 1998 I was in the process of appealing against a judgment against me in a civil action, went to Leeds Combined Court Centre & asked to listen to the tape.  Counter woman expressed shock –“You’re not allowed to that” said she.  I told her she was wrong, so she brought her superior, who also said it was not allowed.  I told her I had a letter from the Lord Chancellor saying I could, so she told me I must bring it.  I did so – but it took eight months before I was allowed to do so, HH Judge Robert Taylor having giving permission.  By which time the appeal hearing had been & gone. 

However, I still wanted to hear it, so on 3 Feb 99 (I think) went to the courthouse.  A young man (who had been an hotel worker till six months before) took me into a room to run the tape.  I intended to record it on that while listening.  He would not allow me to do so, & called called his superior, Scott Smith, a giant of a man., who confirmed the refusal. 

On other occasions I had been able to show staff that I knew more of the law than they did, & security staff were always hovering threateningly whenever I was in the building, so I always tried to have a companion with me.  On this occasion it was another old age pensioner. 

Scott Smith said “You’ve got permission to listen to the tape, but you haven’t got permission to have someone with you”!  At which time another man, three security guards & three police officers arrived!  My inoffensive companion had said not a word, but it was obvious they intended to use force to remove him, so he left quietly. 

That left me in the room with nine hostile people, making me fear that I might ‘fall down the steps’ or something like that.  That was the atmosphere while I was listening.  Already a marked man, this made it obvious. 

My written complaints about the oppressive treatment were answered with weasel words.  Earlier I had made official written complaint about Scott Smith falsifying a court document – a serious criminal offence.  That too, had been answered with weasel words.