Dear Mr. Tuckley,
This email constitutes a formal complaint against Mrs. Lynn Tyler for making
untruthful statements which imply wrong doing by myself on the evening of 19th
June 2013.
I have seen
a copy of the letter
Mrs. Tyler sent to Mr. M. Barnbrook of Blackfen on 11th September 2013 about
the events of 19th June when I was unlawfully excluded from a Public Meeting. Mrs. Tyler
is guilty of distributing untruthful statements to support that illegal exclusion and this
must cease forthwith.
In particular she said that a "group of people causing disruption, would not
desist and refused to leave. These persons, including you [Mr. Barnbrook] only
left when asked to do so by the police".
This is untrue at every level. There was no group causing disruption and even
if there was I was not part of it as the council has acknowledged in later
correspondence. I sat apart from ‘the group’ and neither called out, as alleged,
nor waved copies of the DCLG guidance; I had no papers to wave. In fact I said
not a single word throughout the proceedings. I urge you to speak to Councillor
June Slaughter who sat alongside me throughout and must know exactly what
transpired. Mrs. Tyler is quite clearly specially selecting so called witnesses
who are willing to lie.
Mrs. Tyler’s allegation that I was asked to leave by the police I regard as
serious and grossly offensive. Mrs. Tyler must know that what she said is wrong.
No Councillor, Officer or Hallkeeper was present while the police spoke to me
and others. On private property the police would have no power to evict me only
to oversee one of your people asking me to leave, but none were there. The
police asked what our plans were and it was me who replied that "we are going home".
Only your dishonest council has suggested otherwise. The police have
confirmed that no offence was committed. No civil offence, ie. Refusing to leave
at the council’s request and no criminal offence either. Put simply, Mrs. Tyler
is lying. What she said did not take place nor could it have done. Because no
Councillor or Officer was present Mr. Hackett, the Labour candidate for Lesnes,
was able to take photographs in the Chamber unimpeded because he too was
excluded from the reconvened meeting.
Presumably no one at the Civic Centre has been prepared to speak the truth on
the record but I know, and have evidence, that others are fully aware of what
the council is doing and suitably ashamed of it. If this situation is not to
escalate further may I suggest you call a meeting with Councillor Slaughter who
was nearest to me and should know exactly what I did at that meeting and with
the Hallkeeper so that he can confirm that he did not accompany the police to
the Council Chamber, and myself, all present.
Why can’t you be sensible and say that Councillor Cheryl Bacon made a
procedural error and Mr. Moore has issued guidance to ensure no repetition; and
allow the issue to die? Or have too many lies been piled one upon the other in a
vain effort to protect one Councillor from short-term embarrassment to prevent
the long-term embarrassment which is otherwise sure to follow?
Yours sincerely,
Malcolm Knight
23 September 2013