Monday, June 11, 2012

Former Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini demands court order to silence anti-abuse campaigner & journalist Robert Green over Hollie Greig case claims

Former Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini in new court bid to silence campaigning journalist Robert Green over abuse allegations. COURT PAPERS now released as public documents reveal the former Lord Advocate now Dame Elish Angiolini DBE QC (born McPhilomy) via the Edinburgh law firm of BALFOUR & MANSON, is seeking a ‘non-harassment order’ against anti abuse campaigner & journalist Robert Green, who has been campaigning for answers in the case of Hollie Greig, a downs syndrome victim who has alleged she was abused by several individuals in the Aberdeen area.

Dame Elish is said to be using anti-stalking laws she supported the introduction of, to silence claims in the case and block any attempts by Mr Green to contact her. The documents also name a number of websites which it is claimed are linked to the campaign to out alleged child abusers. The Court interlocutor, which is a public document, can be viewed and downloaded here : Interlocutor Elish Angiolini v Robert Green re Hollie Greig case

While the former Lord Advocate is being represented by Balfour & Manson, she has curiously given her home address in the documents as the Glasgow law firm of LEVY MCRAE who number among their other clients, shamed former Glasgow City Council Boss & Cocaine addict Steven Purcell. The law firm also works for clients in the tax dodging haven of the Cayman Islands.

Levy McRae also featured in a recent report where one of it’s other partners, Legal Defence Union boss Bill Macreath (60) of Troon, is facing accusations of professional misconduct & inadequate service as a result of a Law Society of Scotland investigation. Senior partner Peter Watson of Levy McRae has today given comment in a story appearing in the Herald newspaper on the latest court moves by Angiolini, which is reprinted below.

Approached for more details on the case earlier, a Scottish Court Service insider said he was under the impression Balfour & Manson are taking instructions from Levy & McRae on behalf of Elish Angiolini.

Scottish Law Reporter recently covered Mr Green’s release from jail after he was sentenced to ONE YEAR in Aberdeen’s Craiginches Prison for a breach of the peace, by Sheriff Principal Edward Bowen. Reports on developments in the hugely expensive case also claimed Sheriff Bowen failed to declare relationships with key figures central to the case which included the now former Lord Advocate Dame Elish Angiolini DBE QC (née McPhilomy).

It was also revealed the case against the anti abuse campaigner ranked as Scotland’s most expensive ever Breach of the Peace trial which saw a record HALF A MILLION POUNDS spent on the investigation & trial of Mr Green, a case which tunnelled through the Scottish Courts system for over two years at huge cost to taxpayers.

A reminder of previous events in the trial of anti abuse campaigner Robert Green can be viewed in earlier coverage by Scottish Law Reporter HERE and further coverage of the Hollie Greig. Scottish Law Reporter recently published an investigation into the knighthood of Angiolini, apparently recommended by the Scottish Government. Dame Elish Angiolini was also appointed Ministerial complaints adviser to Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond. More recently, Dame Elish Angiolini was also appointed to the post of Principal of St Hugh’s College, Oxford..

Legal insiders have today warned if Dame Elish is successful in court, it could mark the start of such orders being used to attack free speech, and also prevent or hamper journalists conducting investigations into scandals, in turn blocking their exposure in the media.

One journalist speaking to Scottish Law Reporter said : “Public figures who accept public roles and seek to influence public life, and who receive large sums of public money and accept honours & titles are not above accountability, the law or public criticism.”

The Herald reports :

Dame Elish in court bid to stop web 'harassment'

David Leask
Investigations Reporter

Former Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini is seeking a non-harassment order against a man who claims she covered up an "establishment paedophile ring".

Dame Elish sought court protection against Robert Green, a self-styled "investigator" jailed earlier this year for naming prominent Scots as child rapists. She is using laws she championed for the victims of harassment and aims to bar Green from approaching or contacting her in any way. Her action is the latest result of a series of unsubstantiated child sex abuse allegations made by Hollie Greig, a young Aberdeen women with Down's Syndrome, more than a decade ago.

Dame Elish is understood to hope a non-harassment order would prevent Green, who acts as Ms Greig's "lay legal adviser", using the internet to claim she covered up for a paedophile ring said to include a sheriff, a senior police officer and other prominent Aberdonians.

The former Lord Advocate's solicitor, Peter Watson of Levy & McRae, last night said: "We are seeking an order to prevent Mr Green doing anything which would amount to harassment." Dame Elish, the prinicipal of St Hughes College, Oxford, is taking the action amid heightened concern about the behaviour of "online trolls" and cyberbullies – those who use the internet to defame or intimidate others.

Her name has been widely linked on the internet to Green and Ms Greig's claims, despite two police investigations failing to find evidence of wrongdoing. Dame Elish and others are said to be deeply hurt by an online campaign, partly linked to Green, that have made the Hollie Greig conspiracy theory an international internet sensation. Campaigners who call themselves "Hollie's Army" have bombarded the Crown Office, the Scottish Government and MSPs with calls and emails complaining about Dame Elish.

Some websites have previously named those Green and others believe were victims of the supposed Aberdeen paedophile ring – as well as those they believe were abusers. Websites have also claimed that Ms Greig's uncle – who died in a car crash in 1997 – was murdered after he witnessed her abuse and that her mother was "forcibly" sectioned days after the first allegations were made.

Green was released last month after serving three months of a year-long sentence.

The former travel agent, who is 65 and from Warrington in Cheshire, was jailed after what he believes to be the most expensive breach of the peace trial in Scottish legal history. He was convicted of breaching the peace by naming members of the supposed paedophile ring and of breaching bail conditions barring him from travelling to the north-east of Scotland.

Last night Green, who is electronically tagged under the terms of his early release, said he would contest the non-harassment order. He said: "If I don't get legal aid I will represent myself if Dame Elish is prepared to do so too. I would love to go up against her in court even though she is much more qualified than I am." Green denies claims by Dame Elish's lawyers that he has taken pictures of the former Lord Advocate's home.

He also says he does not know who runs a website called "Free Robert Green" which repeats some of the unsubstantiated allegations against Dame Elish. Green is barred from approaching witnesses from his trial by a series of non-harassment orders granted by the sheriff overseeing the case.

However, Dame Elish did not give evidence and has now turned to the civil courts to obtain protection. Green faces criminal sanctions if he breaches any non-harassment order granted by the courts.

The "investigator", who always stresses Ms Greig received criminal injury compensation as a probable victim of sexual abuse, committed his breach of the peace while campaigning in the 2010 Westminster elections. He is thought to be the only candidate to ever run in a constituency – Aberdeen South – which he was legally barred from entering. Green stood for a party called Scotland Against Crooked Lawyers. The "Hollie" case split the party, which subsequently disbanded.

BIG NAMES, BIG SHAME, AND LEVY MCRAE

NMG0505123Former Lord Advocate now Dame Elish Angiolini employed Levy McRae to go after anti abuse campaigner. Levy McRae are well known for a ‘colourful’ list of clients, including shamed former Glasgow City Council Boss & Cocaine addict Steven Purcell and former Lord Advocate, now Dame Elish Angiolini who took on Levy McRae to sue anti abuse campaigner Robert Green. Levy McRae proceeded to threaten several media outlets & journalists over their reporting of the case, covered by Scottish Law Reporter HERE & HERE. The Purcell scandal caused some newspapers to ‘evaluate’ their relationship with Levy McRae, details of which were featured in a report here : HERE. Levy McRae are also known to work for clients in the well known tax dodging haven of the Cayman Islands.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskillJustice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has ties to Levy Mcrae. As details of the Hollie Greig case began to be reported in the wider press, it emerged the Scottish Justice Secretary, Kenny MacAskill has personal links to LEVY MCRAE, the law firm employed by the then Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini in legal action over the abuse case allegations. Mr MacAskill has made no comment on the fact he served his apprenticeship at Levy McRae and also worked at the firm for a considerable time during his years as a solicitor before he entered politics. The revelations of MacAskill’s links to Levy McRae, the same law firm who represented Steven Purcell, were reported by Scottish Law Reporter at the time, HERE

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

So it is now Balfour & Manson's turn to have their strings pulled by LM.Is this just to deflect questions over who exactly paid for LM's fees re Angiolini's earlier interdict?

Which judge/court is going to be bent enough to grant such an order?

Anonymous said...

Lockerbie case: The selective use of polygraphs by corrupt FBI officials must stop! No one is above the law, including FBI Director Robert Mueller, who conspired to cover up the Pan Am Flight 103 incident. Google "the selective use of polygraphs"

Anonymous said...

Same as before then - Purcell was advised to try the same line albeit without the harassment orders against the media coverage and look where it got him.If Angiolini is trying to silence the claims in the Hollie Greig case all this will do is open it up to a much larger audience.

Anonymous said...

Quite incredible the money & effort being spent by the Scots legal mafia to attack a downs syndrome girl because she was abused by people she reported to the Police who just happen to instruct the Police who to charge and who not to charge.

I'm looking forward to hearing the court case!

Anonymous said...

Time perhaps for some to ponder the late President Truman's word namely; "If you find yourself in a hole....first, stop digging'.

Anonymous said...

In most or every case of abuse particularly cases of allegations of historical abuse there have been cover ups.Just look at how the Catholic Church in Scotland and Ireland covered up allegations of historical abuse.This has gone on for decades and the authorities have done nothing about it.Victims had to take legal action themselves and were often hampered by the state and lawyers employed by the church to make sure the cases got nowhere near a court.
This case about the downs syndrome girl is no different and exudes the same air of cover up that covers up most cases of abuse/historical abuse.The bottom line is no one wants to admit it happens and most certainly no one wants to admit anyone in the legal fraternity is an abuser but they are and its as simple as that.Actually the interlocutor itself is in itself a fairly typical example of exactly the same ploys undertaken by the church to prevent boys who were raped by priests having their say in court or reporting what happened to them to the Police so there you are its all happened before and it will happen again no matter who tries to shut someone up.

Just out of curiosity how many judges,Police and others in the legal fraternity have actually been charged or faced a court because they abused someone?It must be a small number possibly even zero and even if someone did go to jail it was probably for a very short time and they will be back at their job straight away and abusing of course.

Anonymous said...

The comment about historical abuse and how the church covered it up is spot on and remarkably similar to the way the legal establishment in Scotland have protected their own against claims of abuse.Dont believe me?Google Hollie Greig and see for yourselves.

Anonymous said...

That is the problem with the state, churches etc, their actors are more important to them than justice for ruined clients, raped children or Scotland's Lee Harvey Oswald, Mr Al-Megrahi. Investigations that can damage priests, lawyers, the church or state always go the same way.

It is a stay out of jail card, and the networks are very difficult to break. But the tipping point will always be reached where victims voices let the truth out. The tradgedy is the suffering caused to get to this point. I trust no one in authority now.

Anonymous said...

Balfour & Manson, Simpson & Marwick, Brodies LLP, Bishops LLP, Shepherd & Wedderburn, McGrigors, ... etc. etc. the list of agents instructed by the Master Policy and the Legal Defence Union is long with most of the "eminent" establishment law firms infected.
So the big firms have been bought - and any client who approaches a wee firm, beware - the wee firms are easily bullied by the Law Soc/MasterPolicy hatchet men. Toe-the-line or we'll contrive to uphold a complaint against you and restrict your business / threaten you with prosecution for stealing client funds / failing which we'll jack up your compulsory indemnity premiums.
Which way do you think a wee firm will jump - in favour of his livelihood or risk it all in favour of a client who'll struggle to pay his huge bill that's in the offing due to the war of attrition that is litigation against the deep pockets of the Master Policy?
The client will be, as suggested by the Law Soc to the wee lawyer, lulled along for a while (billed heavily to reduce his "liquid funds" as much as possible) before the lawyer withdraws from acting.
That's how the cabal works in practice.

Anonymous said...

Dame Elish Angiolini, as plain Miss Elish McPhilomy, wrote a report, during her time at the Crown Office, trying to find, and suggesting, ways around the protections offered under common law to those who are victims,in the case to which this report relates, of a group homosexual assault (sodomy) over a period of 10 days, of a 16 - year - old boy. She also attempted to try to find a way in which statute law could also be similarly over-ruled.
In the case in question, there were 10 defendants. In the "plea-bargaining" between the Crown and the defence, only 1 of the 10 defendants was jailed, for 4 years, 4 of the other defendants received an admonishment from the sheriff(a "slap on the wrist"?), and the remaining 5, including 1, a solicitor, walked free. It would be interesting, if anybody has access to that information, to find out who that solicitor was, and if he had any links to any of the firms currently being used to instigate "anti-harassment" orders against Robert Green, and anybody else allegedly acting on his behalf.