It now appears to be out in hte open. Money is worth more than a soul

The deepest, darkest recesses in hell if such a place exists would surely be reserved for the people responsible or should have been responsible for the short and thoroughly tragic life of Peter Connelly. On the next level, space will be reserved for the people who are now working the system and are trying to profit from the death of this innocent soul.

Tracey Connelly (5 years), and Steven Barker (12 years) were responsible for the death of 17-month-old and Barker's brother, Jason Baker was also jailed (3 years). The sum of the jail time that these sub-humans are expected to serve between them is not even the equivalent of a life sentence which somehow seems wrong in my view given the horrific injuries inflicted over a sustained period of time and the ultimate result.

The criminal justice system has failed Peter. He was tortured in unimaginable ways and was murdered but somehow his death was not enough to justify a charge of murder and a life in prison for those who killed him. Why was this case plea bargained? Either the CPS has no teeth left and is no longer fit for purpose or it is the whole system that is no longer functioning. Either way, nothing short of a complete overhaul of the criminal justice system including the rules of evidence is required to prevent this from happening again.

We are already aware of the problems this case has highlighted in the child welfare system, police, social services and NHS. Again however the legal system needs to be held accountable too. The self-obsessed management (Sharon Shoesmith) and social workers who were directly responsible for Peter's welfare and protection in Harringay are suing the government for compensation because they are convinced that they were unfairly dismissed. This disgusting behaviour is encouraged by UK employment laws which have developed in this way over the last 20 years or so. Again we have a situation in which it is likely that the tribunals will allow these spurious claims to succeed where common sense would dictate otherwise.

Finally it has also emerged that Peter's father is claiming personal injury for distress as a result of what has happened and is signed off from work as a result. I am not 100% clear about who the claim is against but it was reported on hate BBC last night. Now pardon me for being cynical but in my opinion this person is blatantly manipulating a terrible set of circumstances that he was loosely involved with in order to profit financially and stop working and contributing to society. What a sick person. The problem is that the legal system has developed recently in such a way that I would expect his claim to be successful too.

What a sad thing. The trouble is that nothing will be learned from this because if the truth is told, the death of this child has brought with it the prospect of huge financial compensation claims. These in turn will result in sizeable legal fees, exclusive newspaper rights and all kinds of other lucrative economic consequences. Even the killers will be given new identities and lives at a cost to the British taxpayer.

The only person involved in this tragedy who has not benefited in any way or received any justice is Peter himself. This is truly the defining point in time where it becomes obvious that money is more important than life in this country.

I thought that would make me mad...but it really just makes me sad.

CPS failing victims with mental health problems

A report issued today (Thursday 6 August) by the House of Commons Justice Committee highlights deep concerns about the treatment of people with mental health problems in the criminal justice system. According to the report, the Crown Prosecution Service is failing victims and witnesses with any history of mental distress by dropping cases before they even get to court (1), and where their mental health is in question, failing to support them to give good evidence even though the support systems are in place.

Mind's Chief Executive Paul Farmer said:

"Everyone has a right to seek justice for the crimes committed against them, but people with mental distress are being locked out of the system and denied the same rights to justice as anyone else. The CPS and the criminal justice system as a whole is working on the assumption that any experience of mental distress, from post-natal depression to anxiety attacks 20 years previously, means that your evidence cannot be considered 'reliable'. The blanket assumption that people who have had a mental health problem cannot be trusted in court is ludicrous, and reflects a view of mental health that is out of date and out of touch. Dropping cases on these grounds shouldn't even be an option.

"Where mental health is a consideration in a case, it's vital that prosecutors find out whether mental health is actually going to affect someone's testimony or not, and support them to give their best evidence rather than simply giving up on victims. The measures to support people with mental distress are already in place, but what we are witnessing here is institutional reluctance to treat mental health fairly and appropriately, which is standing in the way of justice.

"The CPS has committed to training prosecutors around mental health, but justice professionals have to be willing to change their long-held stereotypes around mental health, so we can change how people with mental distress are treated by the justice system.

Green condemns "authoritarian, failing" government over his arrest

Damian Green, the Shadow Immigration Minister, said he was “very pleased” with the Crown Prosecution’s decision not to charge him over Home Office leaks.

But he stressed that his arrest was a sign that Labour have “been in power too long”.

"One of my jobs as Conservative immigration spokesman is to expose the many failings of government immigration policy. That's precisely what I was doing in this case and that’s why ministers were so embarrassed."

Damian condemned "the first arrest of an opposition politician for doing his job since Britain became a democracy" - and said:

"I cannot think of a better symbol of an out-of-touch, authoritarian failing government that's been in power too long."

(SOCA) UK's first extradition from Colombia

The first Colombian national to be extradited from his home country to face trial in the UK arrived at Heathrow yesterday afternoon.

The unnamed man was escorted by officers from the Serious Organised Crime Agency who had flown to Colombia to take him into custody. He was charged at Heathrow Police Station with eleven offences of money laundering linked to drug supply in the UK and will appear at a central London court today. The case will be prosecuted by the Organised Crime Division of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

This is believed to be the first time the UK's extradition treaty with Colombia, which was signed in 1888, has been used. The development follows close working between SOCA, the Colombian authorities, and the CPS, which submitted and prepared the extradition documentation.

Director General of SOCA Bill Hughes said the move marks a noteworthy development in the fight against the illegal cocaine trade.

"This extradition has been possible thanks to a new level of joint working with the authorities in Colombia, for which we thank them," he said.

"The cocaine trade devastates communities here and in Colombia, and supports other criminal activity. SOCA is working on many levels to undermine that trade and put the UK drugs market under stress. Together with partners we are intercepting more drugs before they can reach the UK. We are targeting the producers of cutting agents - the chemical cocktails that adulterate street level drugs and increase profits but also risks to the health of users. We are supporting the authorities in producer countries to help frustrate drug production, and our forensic analysis is helping identify and break up distribution networks in the UK.

"This first extradition marks a significant step forward for the UK and Colombia. Together we are squeezing the traffickers from both ends of the chain. The message to criminals is that targeting the UK is a high risk business and will not be tolerated."