I apologise for the font confusion here. Ive tried to correct but for some reason Im unable too so Ive taken the decision to publish as is, until I can sort this out,
Over the past year or so, I
have found myself in the rather strange position of supporting a woman, originally
a staunch Tory, who the defected to UKIP and has subsequently returned to the Tory party fold.
For me, a black, socialist
activist, usually to be found defending poor people, facing institutional
racism and gross injustice, this was very strange territory indeed.
In the course our
discussions it became apparent to me that the woman who sat before me, appeared to be the victim of a concerted,
organised smear campaign designed to completely discredited her, led by leading members of
UKIP.
What makes this case so
compelling is their appears to be strong prime facie evidence, of the
existence of a small cell of UKIP supporters, certainly based within the Metropolitan
Police Service, maybe within the Crown Prosecution Service .
I can’t say for certain
what’s going on, but my long experience and professional instinct, tells me
that there is something rotten at the core of this peculiar and often bizarre
story.
An uncommon friendship.
Jasna
Badzak is a former press officer
for UKIP. She started work for Nigel Farage and Gerard
Batten MEP in November
2010 and around a year ago; she was convicted of defrauding UKIP of some two
thousand five hundred pounds in October 2013.
Around a year ago Jasna rang me seeking support for what she claimed,
was a miscarriage of justice. I was intrigued and decided
to meet Jasna.
I must confess, on one
level I was definitely interested in anything that might expose UKIP, a party
infested with racists. On the other hand, I was simply curious as to what an ex
Ukipper and former, now returned to the fold true blue Tory, could possibly
want to see me, of all people, about?
We met on a lovely spring
day over coffee. Jasna, arrived, a tall
woman with definite sense of fashion. We chatted and she told me a little of
her background. She had fled former Yugoslavia as a refugee some 20 years ago.
Her family includes Nazi holocaust victims.
She had reached out to me
in desperation, hoping that I may be able to see the injustice she had suffered
and help her in some way. The stress she
was suffering was clearly etched in her face but what struck me was her
determination and obvious strength of character. She intrigued me.
Jasna began to tell me her
story and what I heard amazed me. As an
experienced campaigner, in my time I’ve heard some outlandish conspiracy
theories and what I heard that day, would shock me to the core.
A criminal conspiracy.
Jasna believed she was the
victim of a possible criminal conspiracy to set her up, orchestrated she
suspected by Gerard Batten MEP in an alliance with officers within the
Metropolitan Police Service, aided by the Crown Prosecution Service. But before she could tell me more I had to ask the really obvious question; how come you didn’t know that UKIP was a racist party?
|
Gerad Batten MEP |
She told me that when she
joined UKIP, she assumed the accusations of racism, were just the overblown
claims of a hostile press. However as the months passed she became increasingly
concerned. Once she had read the draft of Gerard Battens UKIPs Charter
for Muslim Understanding, Dismantling
Multiculturalism, a rancid and deeply disturbing document, that amongst
other things, required all Muslims to be required to sign a code of conduct. At that point she was left in no doubt about the core beliefs of UKIP and the awful truth dawned on her.
From then on, she knew precisely what Gerard Batten was all about and she was rightly, appalled and disgusted.
|
Confronted with claims of racism Farage did nothing |
Naively, she began to complain bitterly to Nigel Farage, whom she assumed would share her disgust about
Batten’s obvious racism. She told me that although Farage was both frustrated
and apparently sympathetic, in the end, Farage did nothing.
Jasna confided that Farage had eventually told
her, that nothing could be done as he and Batten shared ‘mutually destructive
information about each other’, that ultimately meant that Gerard Batten couldn’t
be touched.
That would certainly
explain why Farage, a politically savvy operator, has long tolerated Batten. Good
sense and political expediency suggests he should have been sacked,
representing as he does, a distinct and dangerous electoral liability. I
suspect that Farage failed to act because he fundamentally shares Battens
deeply offensive views.
As a social justice
campaigner, I’ve been around long enough to know, that sometimes such claims, can be claims the product of mental health conditions such as deep delusion or
depression, paranoia or conspiracy theory fanatics.
Nevertheless, I listened
intently to her story and though I was very skeptical of her claims and not
entirely sympathetic, given her politics, nevertheless she struck a chord with
me.
What I concluded was here was a deeply damaged, credible and sincere
woman, whose life has been utterly destroyed, the victim of what appeared to be
false and malicious accusation and a concerted smear campaign. Her character, her demeanor
and steely determination to prove her innocence and expose UKIP racism and
corruption impressed me. I knew what she was taking on in seeking to challenge
her perceived injustice.
Going up against UKIP, Farage, Batten and the police, was very brave thing to do. Putting aside my own political prejudice, I decided
I should explore her claims further.
What she told me that day
blew me away. Transcending party politics, we connected on a human level, as
two people who shared a commitment to challenging injustice. Jasna experience
in Yugoslavia cemented her hatred of racism and fascism. She knew first hand
the dangers of allowing racism and fascism to take root. I did however had to
let a wry smile slip, when she told me of her previous role on Boris Johnsons
2008 Mayoral campaign.
Despite my obvious
reservations, what was absolutely crystal clear to me was there were several unexplained facts,
which gave some credibility to her claims. Whilst at that stage I did not agree with some
of her conclusions, I had to agree that something’s just didn’t add up.
Here I must apologies in
advance of the length of this article. It’s a complex story and necessarily
needs some detailed explaining, but bear with me dear reader, it’ll be worth
it.
First, it’s important to
understand the sequence of events that preceded and then led up to Jasna’s eventual
arrest.
Background.
Jasna started work for UKIP
in November 2010 after defecting from the Tories. By the spring of 2011 Jasna
discovered, what she describes as the ‘racist and fascist underbelly’ of UKIP.
She says that UKIP was producing material she believed, constituted a criminal
offense i.e. incitement to racial hatred. She was aware that Gerard Batten was
meeting with European extreme right wing racists. She was also concerned at
what she described as ‘ monumental EU expenses fraud’ taking place within UKIP.
Here in the UK, she became
increasingly aware of Battens association with the now, all but defunct,
English Defence League and British National Party.
With the evidence mounting
Jasna, was so concerned that she made a number of official complaints to the
Met, citing what she believed were a range of potentially serious criminal
offences.
In March 2011 she formally
complained to the Met, that the Charter of Muslim
Understanding and Dismantling Multiculturalism taken in concert with
Battens association with extreme racist and fascist’s organisation, constituted
a clear incitement to racial hatred.
As UKIP press officer,
Jasna claims that, over time, her day-to-day work experience proved beyond any
doubt that UKIP was both a ‘racist and proto fascist party’. In May that year
she provided the police solid evidence that backed up her UKIP EU expenses
fraud allegations.
That same month she reported another leading member of UKIP
for possession of child pornographic images.
All of her complaints were being handled by a Metropolitan Police Officer, one Detective Sargent Shaun Reardon. Despite repeated requests for updates on what was happening to her complaints she had no response from Reardon.
|
Annabelle Fuller |
Finally in July 2011 she
then provides a devastating witness statement that alleges that UKIP Annabelle
Fuller, Nigel Farage’s personal press
officer, knowingly made false allegations of sexual attack in relation to Tory
MP Andrew Bridgen.
Violent intimidation.
It was then that Jasna and
her family then begin to suffer direct violent intimidation. From October 2011
to November 2012 she intermittently endures a series of visits to her home, by
random groups of strangers, who threatened her and her son.
She believes that this was organised harassment
by EDL supporters with whom Batten was meeting seeking an EDL/UKIP alliance.
She reported this intimidation
to the Met and was surprised to find out that yet again these complaints were
being refereed to a Detective Sargent Shaun Reardon, the very same officer who
had failed to investigate her initial complaints of UKIP racism and EU fraud.
Worried about escalating violent
intimidation and seeking to cope with her own failing health, Jasna then seeks
a restraining order court injunction against Batten in Feb 2012.
Met officer supports UKIP.
Here’s where the begins to
get interesting, MPS Detective James Galvin turns up at court, embraces Gerard
Batten proceeds to tell the court that the MPS has no record of any allegations
against Batten nor were there any current, active police investigation into
him.
That was a lie and, as the MPS has now admitted Galvin, had no authority
to represent the Met or attend court. Her case was eventually dismissed as a
result.
Gerard Batten, then
formally wrote to the MPS on October 5th 2012 reporting his fraud allegations
against Jasna. He actually wrote his allegation on UKIP letterhead, which must
constitute and attempt to politically influence the investigation.
The Met having failed to investigate any of
Jasna serious previous allegations, then acted immediately upon receipt of
Battens complaints.
Jasna was subsequently
arrested on 29th November 2011, when surprise, surprise, Detectives Constable
James Galvin and Detective Sargent Shaun Reardon both, attended her home. They
wanted to arrest her there and then, but she Jasna was so ill, it was decided to
take her to hospital instead.
The Met formally denies the existence of two serving police
officers misleading the Prime Minister David Cameron.
Subsequent to her eventual
arrest and charging, Jasna wrote to the Met Commissioner Bernard Hogan Howe asking,
why her many complaints to the MPS had not been investigated? This she pointed out, was in total contrast to the Mets swift and immediate response to Battens
complaint.
This lead to another key
question, why had DC Galvin had turned up at the injunction hearing, defending
Batten?
The answer, when it came, was
as shocking as it was unexpected. The Mets Department of Professional Standards
informed her that the Metropolitan Police Service employed no such named police
officers. Shocked and alarmed she persisted and again she was told again that
no such officers were employed by the Met.
She then wrote to the Independent
Police Compliant Commission who after some time, wrote back, confirming, that after
discussions with the Met, they too confirmed that no such officers existed.
Jasna at this stage was completely
frustrated and wrote to Mayor of London, Boris Johnson and Prime Minister David
Cameron. Both men wrote to the Met and both were told, in writing, that no
such officers worked for the Met.
|
Prime Minister was mislead. |
The fact is the Prime
Minister, the Mayor of London and the IPCC, were mislead and possibly willfully
mislead, by the Met DPS about the existence of these two officers.
This begs
they very important questions as to precise circumstances that led to two of the
most senior Tory politicians in the land were provided with inaccurate and
misleading information?
I then looked at the
evidence against Jasna and came to conclusion that the prosecution evidence
seemed incredibly flimsy. The only evidence offered was a bank statement, which
Jasna is alleged to tampered with, she denied this allegation and points to the
timing noted on her on line bank statement that indicated that both statements
offered in evidence were printed off within one second of each other.
Evidence produced in court proved
that Jasna logged on to her bank account at
exactly 8:11:02 and her bank statement was printed 8:11:03 as recorded on her
computer and accepted by the police. Did she really amend her own bank
statement in one second? Unlikely to say
the least.
Jasna has consistently contended
that she was the victim of malicious counter complaint by Batten as a result of
whistle blowing about UKIP’s racism and EU expenses abuse. Further she told me
that the EU always paid late and they never knew from one month to the next,
when they would get paid. Batten and
UKIP at that time were in the eye of a media storm focusing on the racism of
their candidates. As a result UKIP were in utter disarray and an administrative
shambles.
She points to this culture
of incompetence and confusion by way of explanation. In short, this was an administrative
error and as soon she realised she offered to pay the full amount back. This
was rejected in favour of prosecution. In addition and hampering her ability to
defend herself, in the months prior and after her arrest, Jasna was recovering
from major heart surgery.
Then at the trail, the very same officers who she had previously been told, did not work for the
Met, DC James Galvin and DS Shaun Reardon appeared in the Court and testified
against the Jasna.
Under cross examination the officers said they
had no idea why Jasna, the PM, the Mayor and the IPCC had received written
confirmation that they were not serving police officers.
They produced their
warrant cards and the Judge simply dismissed the matter.
0n the 7th October 2013 she
was given a 1-year suspended jail sentence for 2 years and 4 months, plus an unsupervised
curfew order. For a woman with no previous convictions this sentence seems
excessively harsh.
That same day as the
verdict was announced, Gawain Towler, UKIP Chief Press Officers feeds inaccurate
stories to Daily Telegraph and Daily Mail to further destroy Jasna now battered
credibility.
In January 2014 Jasna
Badzak then receives a written witness statement from UKIP insider, stating
that Batten had been openly boasting, of stitching up Jasna Badzak for fraud in
order to destroy her credibility, as well as reporting that Gawain was heard boasting
about the coverage the story received.
He is reported to have said he was
pleased at the reception the article received, particularly as he had actually written said article in September 2012,
almost a year prior to Jasna’s conviction.
The Met finally takes action against suspected officers
with links to UKIP.
During the spring of 2014 I
start raising questions and highlighting the details of this case. I conducted
a long radio interview with Jasna and started tweeting my concerns and my
general support for her. Then in March 2014 Jasna is suddenly contacted by
Superintendent David R Manning from Charing Cross police station who indicates
that they are intending to now act on Jasna earlier complaints, that pre dated
Battens fraud allegation and were now reopening a total of five separate UKIP investigations.
The following month both Jasna and
I attend Charing Cross Police Station where we are told that the Met now plans
to open a formal police investigation in conspiracy to pervert the course of
Justice against DC James Galvin, DS Shaun Reardon.
Subsequently we have found out that
DC James Galvin appears to be a member of UKIP and has attended a UKIP rally.
His name, along with his wife, also appears a leaked BNP list.
At this meeting we gave the
MPS additional evidence in relation to a Detective Inspector Fleming and another
officer, DC Tony Holden. We had strong witness evidence that both contacted
prominent journalists threatening them with arrest if they published any negative
stories about UKIP. This group of officers is now being investigated on suspicion
of the harassment of journalists and possibly perverting the Course of Justice.
Met police harassment continues despite their
assurances.
Then in June 2014, Jasna while
at the cardiologist and attached to an ECG, Jasna receives series of emails DS
Christopher Page sent to Badzak’s lawyer Atkins ordering her to surrender
herself by 10 July 2014 to Charring Cross Police station to answer ‘very
serious allegations’. This date also happened to be Jasna’s son’s 16th birthday adding to the family’s harassment and
distress.
Later she receives a telephone
call from the DS Christopher Page again demanding she come in for interview
under caution for the ‘twitter harassment of Gerard Batten’.
Jasna is then called to a
meeting with the Mets, Department of Professional Standards with Inspector Fran
Polllard and DS Helen Thomas. Superintendent Manning was relived and replaced
by these two officers. We are told later that Manning had been moved after
Bernard Hogan-Howe received direct orders from MOPAC and Boris Johnson to get
to the bottom of this case.
Jasna and Atkins attend
police interview under caution with DS Christopher Page.
DS Page full of
himself reads MIRANDA to Badzak and then hands over to Graham Atkins A4 page note
containing following statement:
“Jasna Badzak has been harassing Gerard Batten with false newspaper
stories, tweets that he stole £51k with help of Police in January, 09 May 2014
article in Sunday Times saying perverting the course of Justice, tweets about
Islamophobia, lies about Batten attending 1st Counter Jihad Conference in Brussels in 2007 and
talking to Lee Jasper.”
Jasna solicitor Graham
Atkins stunned at the nature of the accusation asks for disclosure. Page
refuses saying that is only disclosure he will get. Page asks Jasna about
background to Batten’s complaint. Refusing to be intimidated Jasna states
for the record
‘UKIP is criminal fascist organization. I stand
100 % behind that and under Article 10 of European Convention of Human Rights
incorporated in British law as Human Rights Act 1998 I have a right to freedom
of speech and there is nothing you can do about that. You can also not
order me to keep quiet or not to tweet. I know you would like to silence
me completely, to muzzle me but you can’t despite your telephone threat not to
tweet’.
Page then lies, saying that
he never ordered Jasna not to tweet about Batten. Fortunately Jasna
recorded his telephone call and tells a stunned Page that she has irrefutable evidence
that he did order her not to tweet about Batten or talk to me. Page is
immediately subject to an investigation
Conclusion.
In summary, I suspect that there
may have been an active conspiracy involving members of UKIP, Metropolitan
Police Service, possibly the judiciary to falsely criminalise and character
assassinate Jasna Badzak. If true this would represent the most serious threat
to the very basis of our democracy.
Should it be that UKIP members or
sympathisers, in statutory agencies are conspiring together to criminalise,
harass and intimidate people UKIP disagree with, then this would require the most
urgent intervention from the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister.
Along with the Plebgate revelations
of deep systemic corruption within the MPS, this case raises the most profound
concerns about the nature and accountability of the Metropolitan Police
Service. If Police Officer’s are engaged in targeting moderate political
activists from both the left and right, then that has to be an issue of acute
concern for us all.
With evidence of the Met spying on
families campaigning for justice such as the Stephen Lawrence, Sukedv Reel or
Rolan Adams families to name just a few, the Plebgate incident, undercover officers
having sexual relations, fathering children in the line of duty alongside rampant
institutional racism and the routine abuse of stop and search powers, such
allegations if proven, would be so serious as to require the resignation of the
Commissioner and Deputy Mayor Stephen Greenhalgh.
We will await the outcome of the
Mets internal disciplinary investigations. Such investigations have no real
credibility with police investigating themselves and we believe there is strong
and compelling case for IPCC to conduct an independent investigation into these
matters.
The Met and the Mayor and the really need to answer the serious questions raised by this
incredible tale. Whatever our personal politics, I think we can all agree, this
case raises fundamental questions and there is a strong and compelling case to
answer.
NB.
Nikki Sinclaire, a former UKIP MEP who left the EFD fascist
group in the EU Parliament because she disagreed with sitting with fascists and
has been very vocal critic of UKIP was arrested in January 2012 and charged 23
July 2014, as soon as she changed lawyer to Graham Atkins.
We believe that arresting officer in this case Officer DC Paul
Griffiths may be a member of UKIP.
Support facing political persecution attend court on 26th Nov 9.30am West London Magistrates Tollgarth Road, Hammersmith