WINSTON SILCOTT, rather than the self-pitying Augusto Pinochet, nas grounds Tor claiming he is a British politiClone nas Sard the 'tariff" for a murder of which he maintains his innocence.
Yet there continues to be a campaign to keep him inside for doing sometning eise although the British courts recoenised years apo that there was no evidence that he did it.
Sicolt was convicted tor tne 1985 killing of PC Blakelock auring te brosowater ratt uprising in north London. TOUS ACK BAS ORe sive policing. He was sub. jected to one of the most disgusting campaigns of racism ever seen in the British Blakelock's killing. media The conviction war quashed in 1991 when even an appeal judge could see that him had been fabricated. for wrongfui arrest and There was no other evidence. labelled a 'model prisoner" and praised for community work with young offenders. He has maintained his innoAnthony Smith in 1984.
He was attacked by Smith at a conviction. It has been tefending himself with rea on a technicality.
Newspapers have lent supallows. However his trial and port to blakeock s emort conviction came when he had cered widow, who finds it been put in the frame for difficult to accept that whoOver killed her husband migh not be behind bars. (50,000 damages payment from the Metropolitan Police the Blakelock case described Silcott, even after his convicimprisonment in the Blakelock case. However, as with the most evil man l've ever cases such as the birmingnalt Six and the Guildford Four. Winston wanted the police police officers involved and to admit publicly they were others find it hard to accept it wrong but the commissioner when the Appeal Court finds of the Metropolitan Police, Sir a lack of evidence to support gise or admit liability after the settle for admissions made by their lawryers in court. Glenn Smyth of the tion recently went out of his way to welcome a parole One of board decision not to move Silcott to open prison despite voune cons lawyers requested this as a precursor to release, now that he has served 14 years in the Smith case. Silcott sees the parole board's ruling as a "'political' decision linked to police presdid not apolo- Blakelock conviction. The next review of his case wil be Meanwhile the next generation of uniust convictions is in preparation. The Tory govemment shifted the balance ol advantaze in pre-tral dis closure in serious cases back Home Secretary Jack Straw is preparing to cut righes to opt for a jury trial. And the number of police officers disciplined, prosecuted or conSilcott suffered in the Blake. lock case remain pitifully small.