Live Radio Interview on Tasers

From 2:00:00 you will be able to hear me talking to Lisa McCormick about Tasers on BBC Radio Leeds today just after 5:00pm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/p00m4398

Interview on Channel 4 News -Special Report

Interview on Police Tasers for Channel 4 News
Sophie Khan, a Solicitor Advocate at GT Stewart, represents clients who claim they've been unfairly Tasered by the police:

"It is very much the officer thinking this is something new they can use and without any kind of risk of consequences calculation by that officer just deploying it because he can and that's the only thing he can do."

http://www.channel4.com/news/huge-rise-in-police-taser-firings

And ACPO's response following the report.
http://www.acpo.presscentre.com/Press-Releases/ACPO-comment-on-police-use-of-Taser-129.aspx

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-24016739-police-taser-use-soars-by-130-perce
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/feedarticle/9975407/print

http://www.gazetteseries.co.uk/uk_national_news/9397890.Police_Taser_use_soars_by_130_/

Quoted in Guardian Magazine-26 November 2011

England Riots: Personal Cost.

His lawyer, Sophie Khan, is about to lodge a claim for compensation against the police and the CPS. "In the police's minds, this is over," Khan says. "Their attitude was, 'This was a mistake – get on with your life.' It's not like that. He has gone through hell for a mistake they made. There has to be some recognition of what happened."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/nov/25/england-riots-personal-cost-youngsters-sentenced?CMP=twt_gu

Live Interview: Tasers ITV London News 22 Nov 2011

After days of tweeting on this with serving and retired police officers. I find myself on live TV discussing what I had just been tweeting about with them. Here's the link.
http://www.itv.com/london/howe-supports-tasers46686/

Message is traditional policing over Tasers. No 'Tasers are Us' please.

Solicitor Sophie Khan, who has represented people Tasered by police, said: "They are not safe. The risks of using them on someone are not calculated. This is an overreaction to what happened in Harrow, which is a very rare incident."

http://www.u.tv/News/Amnesty-criticises-Met-polices-Taser-expansion-plans/33bf5b07-73b4-4077-bdc2-b6be99db986c

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/nov/22/amnesty-met-police-taser-increase?INTCMP=SRCH

ACPO to change Taser policy

I am so glad that my client's case has been able to start a change in the ACPO Taser policy.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/13/tasers-police-epilepsy

The truth about Tasers

A very well written article by Patrick Barkham on the growing rise of Tasers.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/09/how-safe-are-tasers

I Defend ,the Right to Strike.

At the Labour Conference on Wednesday, 28 September 2011 I got a chance to ask Ed Miliband a direct questions during the Q&A session.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/sep/29/ed-miliband-unions-avoid-conflict

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/blog/2011/sep/28/labour-conference-2011-live-coverage

Tasers...once again!

It seems that the police will not learn.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/three-deaths-in-eight-days-spark-concern-over-arrest-methods-2343389.html

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/195739.html

Free Frank Fernie

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/9181950.Protest_march_for_jailed_student_Frank_Fernie/?ref=fbrec

http://www.freefrankfernie.info/

http://freefrankfernie.blogspot.com/

Tony Benn @ Defend the Right to Protest

Defend the Right to Protest........solidarity!

Check out the photos of the public meeting on 8 June 2011 and the demons outside court on 9 and 10 June 2011.

http://www.demotix.com/news/719733/alfie-meadows-court-case-adjourned-till-19th-july

http://www.demotix.com/news/719367/protest-support-alfie-meadows-and-student-protesters

http://www.demotix.com/news/719153/defend-right-protest-public-meeting-london

http://www.demotix.com/news/720091/protests-bryan-simpson-attends-court

Update: Police Taser case

The IPCC independent investigation was completed on 4 May 2011.
http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/news/Pages/pr_040511_gmpswarray.aspx?auto=True&l1link=pages%2Fnews.aspx&l1title=News%20and%20press&l2link=news%2FPages%2Fdefault.aspx&l2title=Press%20Releases

Please note that we did not agree with some of the words that were used in the press release as they did not refelct the true nature of what happened during the incident.

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1419851_dad-disgusted-as-cops-cleared-of-wrongdoing-after-they-used-taser-on-him-during-epileptic-fit

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-13277935

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-13277930

Red February

That seasonal depression syndrome, well i definitely think it exists as although i don't think i'm depressed there was something in the air in January where i was. A week after becoming a solicitor-advocate, (that means i can choose whether i need to instruct a barrister ever again) I was informed that all is not rosy at work, which is great cause as it's exactly what you want to hear at the start of the year.

Anyways hard decisions have to be made and goodbyes are always hard when it's bitter sweet.

If January was blue i'm hoping that February will be red, especially as i start my new position on Valentines Day and hope the blues are now behind me.