Dear DS Xxxxxx,
I can well understand that you will be disappointed by the turn of events.
Insofar as any Metropolitan Police officer can be trusted I did have every
confidence that it was your intention to do a good and honest job, however the
history of the case was always likely to place you in a vulnerable position.
Sooner or later you would find yourself defending the poor practices of those
officers who have gone before.
Your denial that you mentioned Mr. Craske's name on 12th January is immaterial,
you had told Elwyn and me he was your suspect earlier and I placed that on the
record with my MP the moment it happened. Two of the emails we exchanged contained
his name and in any case, Chief Inspector Tony Gowen had said the same thing.
I find your third paragraph confusing. “and although there was evidence that the
website had been accessed on the relevant dates and times from the suspects'
address, there was absolutely no evidence that anything of an obscene nature had
been posted on there” does not make a lot of sense to me.
'the website' must refer to Bexley is Bonkers and you say it had been accessed
on the relevant dates and times, but that nothing obscene was posted to it. As I
have said before, that is not surprising, there is no facility for posting to
it. I hope you meant something rather different but it may demonstrate once
again the confusion that has been evident right up to Deputy Commander level and
maybe higher.
In your fourth paragraph you refer to the possibility, a very real one in my
view, of your suspect having disposed of his computer. This comment, however
true it may be, does not sit comfortably with your statement that you had
checked the computer at the relevant dates. A new computer would not show any
activity on the relevant dates. Once again the complexity of the case appears to
have defeated Bexleyheath police, or perhaps I am being misled again.
I do accept that you found yourself in an impossible position and did your very
best to be open and honest with me and your telephoned explanation of what
happened was exemplary. I also accept that the mistakes and political
interference - which you appear to have glossed over in your latest email - of
the past 21 months have succeeded in defeating justice. The alternative was
never likely given what we know went on behind the scenes. However I think you
may have misunderstood my reason for emailing you yesterday. No complaint
against yourself was intended but it was I believe necessary to make my present
position clear.
If you believe I was suggesting case 3906909/11 has been one of corruption it is
because I expressed myself badly (substitute investigation for case in the first
email) for like yourself I know it was not. What it was labelled is no longer of
great importance, my email was to formally confirm what I told you during the
phone call of 12th January. I'm sure you would agree that it would be
disrespectful not to have also informed the Chief Superintendent sooner rather
than later that I will shortly name several individuals and submit an allegation
of crime to Scotland Yard. As I understand it none of those individuals are
presently based at Bexleyheath and I harbour the hope that the current Borough
Commander may have had something to do with that.
At the present time I do not see the need to include any currently serving
Bexleyheath officer in my list unless I detect further attempts to conceal the
truth. I very much hope that your email and the subsequent short follow up is
not the first bad sign.
I cannot quite see how you came to the conclusion that it was a good strategy to
cut off all further communications. The Metropolitan Police constantly tells us
they are “Working together” and locally at least you claim that its “commitment”
is, among other things, to “support victims”. If you are happy for your comment
to fall on the Commissioner's desk in the near future that is of course your
decision, but it will certainly help when providing an appropriate framework for
my allegations.
I am disappointed to note, as maybe she will be herself, that Ms. Pearce's role
has been downgraded to that of councillor but whether or not we make
representations, as did her counterpart David Evennett and his constituent, will
be entirely for discussion between the two of us.
Your final paragraph is noted. In view of the high profile of this case and the
promises made by senior officers in the past I had, with the greatest of
respect, expected to get something official from other than the most junior
officer involved. However the fact that you have been used in such a way is
perhaps unsurprising given all that we hear about the present day Metropolitan
Police force.
I trust that one day there will be a place for an officer with good intentions
in Bexleyheath.
With best wishes,
This email was copied to Teresa Pearce MP and the current Borough Commander, Victor Olisa.