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The Killing of Mark Saunders by The Metropolitan Police

The Independent today reports on the killing, the family seem to be arguing assassination, of Mark Saunders. Saunders was a successful and well to do Barrister. He lived in Chelsea, a two million pound flat. Of course anyone who watches films or television drama about the Police will realise that they don’t like lawyers. Lawyers are scum, worse than the criminals that they represent. The only reason criminals escape justice is because of tricky lawyers, or crap juries who are dim-witted and lazy. Nothing to do with the “criminal” being innocent or the prosecution evidence (gathered by the police) being useless. The idea that Police “fit up” villains is a good one, human rights are for nerds and courts are a damned nuisance. These are the usual themes of anti-lawyer police dramas. Rarely do we see the routine corruption that permeates the police, nor the racism, bigotry and routine violence. Of course not all police officers are like that. But many are. There has not been a prosecution of a police officer for murder in the cells ever. There will not be either. The Krays were given tariffs of thirty years. The survivor, I forget if it was Ronnie or Reggie became a political prisoner once his tariff had passed. Harry Roberts, the friend of every football hooligan from the seventies, is a political prisoner. Both because the police opposed their release.

The latest case to collapse and embarrass the prosecuting authorities was the prosecution of those terrorists. In the Telegraph a view was expressed to the effect that the jury were stupid and biased for acquitting the “liquid bombers”. Conveniently forgetting that they convicted some of murder in the same trial. The only folk who heard every word of the evidence were the jury, the lawyers and the judge. They clearly gave the matter much thought.

It is this dangerous “Dirty Harry” point of view that undermines respect for the law across the whole of society. People are not stupid. The police hate lawyers, nine of them shot one called Mark Saunders, who also happened to be rich. He posed no threat, other than as a lawyer. The officers who killed him are allowed to compare notes and get their stories straight. The family, who are challenging this process, are in a position to take them on. There are many dead men who have died violently in the custody of the police who did not have such relatives.

Predictably the Police spin against the grieving family. The only reason, they say, there will not be any prosecutions is because the family are “prejudicing” the case by challenging them. What? Not likely. The chances of the killers being brought to book is zero.

In Lancaster, here in Lancashire, a man who reversed over a four year old child at high speed, and then went over him again going forwards, got out of his car to have a look. He saw what he’d done and ran away with an accomplice. In that case the villain was charged with careless driving. The child was from a background that could be described as economically challenged, working class in other words. Saunders is upper class.

Who said the class war is over?

I personally wish Saunders’ family luck. But they need to watch their backs carefully. The police in the Uk have no respect for the law and get away with it every time.

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