Thursday 9 November 2017

Arrested, charged and bailed (again). Got some money though.

Sheena Mair

After being detained by uniformed police from my home and later arrested at Kittybrewster Police Custody Centre, the day before, I made bail from Aberdeen Sheriff Court, 24 hours ago, on the afternoon of Wednesday, 8th of November 2017, thanks to being defended by the court's duty solicitor - a brilliant solicitor by the name of Sheena Mair - and thanks to the independence of Sheriff Andrew Miller from the Crown, represented by a woman prosecutor (whom I don't know the name of) who opposed my bail and was seeking my cruel imprisonment on remand, as the Crown has previously sought to do, despite the fact that I have never been a threat to anyone.

The duty solicitor entered a plea of "NOT GUILTY" on my behalf and there is scheduled to be an intermediate diet set for 22nd January 2018 and a trial diet set for 19th February 2018 when the details and the truth will be revealed I hope. I haven't secured legal representation for the case as yet though I would dearly love it if Sheena Mair could and would take my case on but she suggested that there was a conflict of interest (I know not what) which prevented her taking my case on.

For now, all I will say publicly is that the case concerns an email which I had sent in reply to a letter I had received from my local MSP, Kevin Stewart, which email reply I also copied to two women whom I am not naming at this stage, saying only that I do respect and honour those two women and if I was given an opportunity to do so, I would wish to apologise to them both most sincerely for anything in my email which I copied to them which was not to their liking or which has caused them any embarrassment or offence. My email has massively back-fired and I regret that deeply.

The typically over-the-top response to my harmless email by the police and the prosecutors is not Kevin Stewart MSP's fault nor indeed entirely the fault of the SNP, even though Police Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service are governed by the leader of the SNP, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

The police and courts in Scotland are part of the UK state and when they wrongfully arrest and prosecute anyone, it is ultimately the fault of the head of state, Queen Elizabeth.

Fortunately, there was some good news waiting for me when I was freed yesterday afternoon. My telephone answering machine had recorded a message from a very nice lady at the Employment and Support Allowance office at Aberdeen informing me that I am to be paid social security benefits, at the lesser appeal rate of Employment and Support Allowance, until the date of my appeal tribunal later this month.

This desperately needed money will allow me to repay some of my mounting debts and pay my bills. I wish to thank most sincerely all those who helped me out with this.

Being on bail again means I am well-advised to tone down the rhetoric of my political commentary and lower the profile of my activities generally until such time as this case is concluded. Hopefully, my normal "rampant" political service to the people will be resumed when it is safe for me to do so.

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