A Word Of THANKS From Nigel

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Sir,

I hope you will allow me to take advantage of your ‘Letters’ page to express my deep gratitude to all the readers, regular and occasional, who have sent me messages of support as well as cash contributions to help pay for my legal representation in the civil case brought against me by nine ‘civilians’, funded by the public purse, under the auspices of the North Yorkshire Police (NYP), authorised by the Police & Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire.

NYP, of course, is the same Force that has admitted, on 18th December 2014 – a month before the present action was filed against me – that “mistakes were made” in their SAVILE/JACONELLI investigations and, quite properly, the NYP apologised for its lamentable performance.

But that was a year-and-a-half ago, and still there has been no accountability; not one North Yorkshire Police Officer serving in Scarborough during the decades of abuse by SAVILE and JACONELLI has been disciplined, let alone prosecuted. Today, the Daily Star has covered the facts. The Daily Star has not called for accountability. The Daily Star has not reported that I am the subject of a civil claim seeking an injunction to prevent further publication and to remove much of my work from the internet. The NYP would like me to toddle off home now.

It is a curious thing that when last I met our incumbent Police & Crime Commissioner Julia MULLIGAN [Con.], two years ago on 7th May 2014, her Chief of Staff concluded his notes of the meeting thus:

• “JM asked that NW and the Real Whitby website deal in fact. NW confirmed he did, and should anything be untrue he would withdraw, correct or apologise.” 

BBC/C4 investigative-journalist Mark GREGORY, who accompanied me to the meeting, concluded his notes thus:

• “Julia said they should be on the same side. Both were trying to influence and change the system but it was a slow process.”

Clearly, Julia could have been unaware that in August 2012, back in the days of the North Yorkshire Police Authority, the North Yorkshire Police reportedly sent a file to the CPS seeking my prosecution under criminal law. The CPS threw it out. The NYP, again reportedly, tried again in November 2013, just before the NYPA was abolished (and Julia was elected to the position of PCC).  Again, the CPS threw it out – no case to take to Court.

As I say, Julia could have been unaware of all that. But I doubt it.

Julia will not be getting my vote on Thursday 5th May 2016. I will be entrusting that prize possession to Steve HOWLEY [Lab.];the fireman, the union man, the man who serves the people – day in, day out.

Now the NYP are trying to silence me through a civil action, having roped in a bunch of people who I cannot possibly have harassed – because I have never met them, or written to them, or written about them.

In my view, this is abuse of process.

And yet only two weeks ago, I met with (T) Detective Inspector Phil COWARD of Operation Hibiscus, to pass along more information about SAVILE and JACONELLI. Why would I do that, when his Force are at law with me? Because I believe that there are people out there who have yet to be called to account. There are victims/survivors who have yet to savour the sweet taste of justice.

Now in my seventh year of scrutinising our paid and/or elected public servants, I have often felt that I was working in a vacuum. The Appeal for help with my defence has shown me that I am very far from being alone. I have always tried to express my gratitude to readers who have ‘liked’ and ‘shared’ my work on social-media in ‘comments’ and ‘personal messages’ by thanking them personally. Following the publication of the Appeal, I have simply been unable to keep up.

There have been literally thousands of messages of support. If there had been not one penny in donations, I would nevertheless have found myself vigorously empowered by the knowledge that so many people stand behind what I have been trying to achieve. But that is not to deny the generosity of all those who have thrown their hard-earned cash into the pot. Solicitors seldom work for nothing. For the most part, they are indifferent to the rights and wrongs of a case; they are in it for the money.

My agenda is the exact opposite; I have had no interest in material accumulation for many years now. I am concerned with principles, ethics, trustworthiness and accountability.

It would be quite wrong of me to publish the names of all those who have chipped in – or to single out those whose contributions have been beyond my belief in terms of the sheer size of the amounts. You all know who you are. I hope you also have some conception of how immeasurably I value your help. Words fail me – which is not a common occurrence at all. I can only offer you my most sincere thanks, my appreciation and my respect. Thank you all.

But I will single out a quote from one supporter because it so accurately reflects what it is that I am campaigning about:

“The law doth punish man or woman

      that steals the goose from off the common.

But lets the greater felon loose

     that steals the common from the goose.”

For me, ‘the common’ is our country, our shared habitat, our lives and homes.

‘The goose’ is a our shared wealth and the fruit of our individual and collective labours.

Corrupt public officials who – in their hunger for material wealth, power and influence, social status and kudos – steal the ‘goose’ when they usurp our trust – they are the ‘greater felon’.

They usurp our trust when they use information that they have acquired only through the privilege of their positions to further their own selfish ends.

They usurp our trust when they make decisions that affect our daily lives not on merit, but to nurture ‘useful’ alliances for their future machinations.

They usurp our trust when they cover up the shortcomings of their own colleagues.

They usurp our trust when they abuse legal process to attempt to silence criticism, dissent or allegations of wrongdoing.

In so doing, they abandon their duty as public servants. They betray their masters – the people.

The work that I do is predicated on two founding principles:

1. The right to freedom of expression – so that the results of my investigations may be made known to the wider public without let or hindrance from those who appear in a poor light – not as a consequence of my exposés, but as a direct result of their own improper conduct.
2. The right to hold public servants to account – without which, democracy is an empty promise.

I believe in these principles. I pursue them relentlessly. It has been said that I should “Get a life” – find something useful to do with my time in what remains to me of life on earth. The response to the Enquirer Appeal for support to secure my legal representation speaks to me with another voice. Many voices, speaking as one. They say, “Keep up the good work, Nigel”.

My friends will tell you that I am an emotional man. I cannot deny it. But I am also a rational man. And my reason tells me that, though I am deeply moved by the stupendous level of support, I am also duty bound by it to keep delivering what I have been delivering throughout the past seven years – well-researched, accurate and fully-documented reports on abuses of power.

As they say, “It’s dirty work – but someone’s got to do it”.

Now its is clear that we can do it together. Thanks to you all.

Yours, with love and appreciation,

Nigel

Nigel WARD, Whitby. 2nd May, 2016.

Donations

https://www.gofundme.com/nigel_legal_fund