studiolegaleinternazionale

Diary

IRAQ: TONIGHT (1): 8 March 2010:; Still looking..............
IRAQ: TONIGHT: 8 March 2010:; Chasing potential suicide bombers.....
IAN STRACHAN RELEASE NEWS (SUPPOSED ROYAL BLACKMAIL CASE): 6 March 2010:; Mr Strachan will, because of Statute, be released on 12 March 2010 from HMP The Verne and he will, as per Statute, be on license for a while under the care of the Probation Service.; Yesterday, my client faced an internal disciplinary charge which ALL can and should actually read by DOWNLOADING the (CLICK) File. It is a laughing stock case. I was not aware, and neither obviously were Parliament that a new Lord Chamberlain to oversee the morals of the nation was appointed? It appears however, that any prison officer ( I prefer to use the word prison guard because 'officer' implies an optimism I cannot quite accept).; Now Ian can be somewhat controversial and no the pot is not calling the kettle black!!!!! In his spare time in prison he has painted a few objects. They are paintings of course and yes some he has painted may well be controversial. But the legal question is this: by painting a picture is it legally published? If I paint a picture (Lord forbid I am useless can't even do an O with a glass) of Jesus on a cross hanging upside down and kissing his mother is that deemed 'offensive' (yes to some and also to me) and is it deemed 'published' which is the legal requirement for it to be 'legally offensive'? No! It is ONLY if it is SOLD or displayed maybe publicly BUT a prison cell is hardly Tate Gallery!!!; So yet again it is the State that are targeting Ian Strachan ONLY because he is due out and the State are afraid that he may face the media and cause damage to the so called 'Royal' in his case. Actually if one researches properly the geneology there was more 'royalty' in the lineage of Princess Diana Spencer than the House of Windsor but nevertheless Ian Strachan has become a target.; Now that is where I come in because you see I do agree that to me, Giovanni Di Stefano, some of the paintings he has painted may well be construed as not likeable to all at worst even offensive. But then who the hell am I? Opinions on morality and what is and what is not offensive I am about as much use as a chocholate teapot! Parliament never handed ME the right to judge. So if I ever did see some of his paintings I sure as hell would not buy them BUT there are approximately 7 BILLION people on this planet and I am so insignificant as not to count and so are prison guards.; Ian has NOT in the legal sense published sweet FA but it is obvious he is a target and his file is being created so that the moment he opens his mouth upon release wham bam thank you mam back inside you go! As Thatcher said NO!NO!NO!; The State must NEVER target anyone. Ian has no intention and never did of harming anyone let alone the Royal Family. I have, on his behalf, turned down THOUSANDS to publish the tapes and videos in his trial. Both he and I said: NO!NO!NO! and we will keep saying it till doomsday.; Further, it is our intention upon his release to review his conviction. I am NOT at all satisfied as to the dramatis persona of the jury and I say no more on that issue. There has also, with the passage of time, come to light new and fresh evidence in the matter. For all the journalists that covered the trial at the Old Bailey find me ONE that did not expect a NOT GUILTY verdict????; Yet he was convicted and he went to jail and now he has served his sentence and must NOT be bullied, coerced, scared, or simply discriminated against by the State. It is not right.; So upon his release we will pursue an appeal against conviction using the lawful channels and applying the law of the land.It will not be easy but I believe there may be something in it. More on that in due course.; Meanwhile at his adjudication for the offence below (CLICK TO DOWNLOAD) the Governor was very correct and took away his television for the next few days. With the rubbish and repeats that are broadcast it may well have been a favour not a punishment.; THE PHOTO OF IAN STRACHAN PUBLISHED WAS TAKEN OUTSIDE BUCKINGHAM PALACE IN 2009 WHEN HE WAS ON WEEKEND LICENSE IN OPEN PRISON.; File: click to download
Ex-MI6 agent charged with trying to sell top secret files 'for £2million': 4 March 2010:; A former MI6 spy is accused of trying to sell top-secret British intelligence files to a foreign power for £2million.; Daniel Houghton, 25, is alleged to have stolen classified files to pass on to a rival intelligence service. He was arrested at a central London hotel in an undercover sting operation by police and security services.; He is alleged to have handed over confidential electronic files, including memory sticks and a laptop computer’s hard drive detailing MI5’s intelligence-gathering techniques.; Westminster Magistrates Court heard the former spy allegedly copied top-secret files from the domestic security service to CD and DVDs while working for MI6 in London between September 2007 and May last year.; He arranged to meet potential buyers at a London hotel last month, demanding £2million for the secrets, it is claimed. But he was arrested by police shortly after the ‘buyers’ handed him a suitcase stuffed with £900,000 in cash in return for the files, the court was told.; The money had been handed over by British intelligence officials and Houghton was charged with theft and breaching the Official Secrets Act.; Prosecutor Piers Arnold told the court that the disclosure of the files could have damaged national security and would have compromised the ability of MI5 and MI6 to gather intelligence.; He said: ‘Some of these files had a security classification of top secret, others were classified as secret.’; In the brief hearing, Houghton, who lives in Islington, North London, shuffled into court wearing faded, low-slung baggy jeans and a loose-fitting T-shirt.; Flanked by three guards in the dock, he spoke only to confirm his name. He was not asked to offer a plea to the charges, which carry a maximum jail sentence of nine years.; --------------------------------------------; GIOVANNI DI STEFANO: As I have been involved in a number of security trials (Danny James/Mike Smith/Ian Strachan although Ian of course was not MI6 classified) it seems to me again that the question here, as it was with the others, is this: who is the enemy? Does the UK actually have formal enemies? It has PEOPLE of many nations that dislike the UK but what other nation has openely declared itself an enemy? Because if there is no enemy there can be no betrayal!!! And frankly, what I know myself personally there is NO secret that the UK has right now or probably in the past 30 years that (a) is not already known or shared and (b) worth £9 let alone £900,000!!!!!
IN SUPPORT OF CARLA BRUNI: 3 March 2010:; Now for those who know Carla Bruni and maybe even Nicholas Sarkozy one wonders what all the fuss is about that Carla wore a 'revealing' dress at a French Official State Dinner. Who cares? Why should the public even be informed? Carla can wear what she likes and only her husband and/or herself have any right to comment adversely. Nicholas is in love with his wife Carla. He is a lucky man and the only reason there is gossip is because people are jealous. There are 11 wars in the world currently and weather Carla Bruni wear a revealing dress or not is no cause for anyone to be concerned. Noone complained! There are more important issues in life than the dress that a wife wears!!!!
COURT CHALLENGE TO MINISTER OF JUSTICE FOR EXHUMATION OF DR CRIPPEN: 2 March 2010:; If there is one thing that I personally cannot stand and that is the arrogance of office when it comes to officialdom. Now what harm can there be in exhuming Dr Crippen and repatriating him to USA? It has been 100 years since his execution. For the purpose of this court challenge by Judicial Review it is actually irrelevant whether or not Dr Crippen was guilty or innocent. He is entitled to be exhumed and returned to the USA. But when the Government has made a mistake, especially the British Government, then its another matter. They refuse to say 'sorry' or 'I may have made a mistake' and instead dig their heels and become arrogant. In this case all stops were pulled out: Virgin Airlines would fly the remains to the US, there is a home cemetery that has a plot for the Crippen family with a place for Dr Crippen, even the Head of the Roman Catholic Church supported the exhumation. So its off to court and more time wasted and costs. But there is here a natural resolve to find out what actually happened in 1910. The evidence shows Crippen really was not guilty of murdering his wife but as I said its irrelevant for the purposes of exhumation, As a matter of human compassion it should have been allowed with dignity and not forced by Court Order. But ce la vie.....; File: click to download
GIOVANNI DI STEFANO INTERVIEW WITH TALK RADIO EUROPE: 24 February 2010:; Now I have received some criticism from the 'usual suspects' regarding my interview last week with Maurice Boland on Talk Radio Europe. I stated that it was Adolf Hitler's ideology a united Europe under Germany. That is what Hitler wanted. It was his objective.; Now please look at the two maps. The one on top is the EU TODAY 2010 and the one below is Europe under Nazi Germany in 1942/3!; Not much difference!; So I repeat again so it is crystal clear what I told Maurice Boland and on my BBC Film Notorious: Adolf Hitler wanted a united Europe under the Bundesbank. He got it 50 years later and without any bloodshed. It was the ONLY mistake made by Hitler:-using murder to attain his objective but the objective was not wrong because it is what we have today more or less.; Had Adolf Hitler proposed an EU on the lines of what we have and without forced military occupation and without murdering anyone today Adolf Hitler would have been the founding father of Europe instead of the murderer that he was.; I do not support any form of violence or war or military occupation as heaven I have lived through enough in the past 38 years of working life. But what can and must be said is that the idea of a united Europe must be credited to Hitler. Geography proves it!
JUDICIAL REVIEW AGAINST THE CCRC IN THE DR HAWLEY CRIPPEN 1910 MURDER CASE: 23 February 2010:; Late last year the CCRC ruled that James Crippen the nearest living relative of Dr Hawley Crippen WRONGLY executed for the murder of his wife in 1910 was not a person who could advance the appeal of Dr Crippen. Scientists proved without doubt using a gender testing technique that was not available in 1910 that Dr Crippen did not murder his wife as charged. Now the CCRC are supposed of course to be independent, but frankly I have seen more independence in a stuffed and plucked turkey sitting in a pot of boiling water listening to Christmas Carols but nonetheless the CCRC have to be dealt with accordingly. Most of the applications they receive are frankly futile and without the necessary merit. But some do have merit. Dr Crippen, if the CCRC and the British Government have their way, must remain a murderer although science has proved otherwise. This is because they have deemed that James Crippen, same bloodline same surname, is not close enough a relative to advance this what seems open and shut case based on science. What a load of rubbish. So what is required and what the CCRC do not bank upon is resolve. Many do not have the resolve to challenge in court government bodies and the CCRC is a government body. But the Crippen family and I do and it is for this reason we have issued Judicial Review proceedings against the CCRC and I am confident the Administrative Court will intervene.; File: click to download
SAN REMO 2010: 21 February 2010:; When Filiberto told me he was going to San Remo with Pupo i was sceptical but Filiberto is godfather to my son and of course I support him. The song is nice and it is HIS popularity that led to him being placed second. Frankly, re San Remo I care little but those who were bad mannered and criticised the Prince were truly out of order. I know one thing however, if the plebiscite of 1948 where to be held today Prince Emanuel Filiberto would be crowned King as is his rightful role. To that end I give my full support.
ROYAL BLACKMAIL CASE:THE TRUE STORY OF IAN STRACHAN: 18 February 2010:; I hope that this can be ready to coincide with his release but I am not certain. The book contains NO MATERIAL that may constitute a contempt of court even though I hold nothing but contempt for the way the court unfairly tried my client and even more so unfair the way upon which the Prison service have confiscated, as in Nazi Germany, paintings that my client has painted over the past few months. I will be posting the paintings for all to see and in order that people realise just what type of controls the UK State hold over its citizens. The book though will be so interesting with some great fotos.
RELEASE FROM CUSTODY OF 'ROYAL BLACKMAIL' CASE IAN STRACHAN: 16 February 2010:; I am very pleased to confirm that IAN STRACHAN will be released from prison on 12th March 2010 after having served half his prison sentence imposed upon him for his conviction in what was known as the 'Royal Blackmail' case. I for one, and many as me feel the same, am not convinced that Ian was guilty of anything other than being gullible and on the fateful days way back when Ian did try and contact me BEFORE the fateful events at the Hilton Hotel in London. I was in Iraq and not able to respond and of course I only learned of his arrest a day or so after my return. Had I been available for certain events would have taken a different course as I would have advised him to simply destroy any material he had but of course hindsight is a wonderful thing. If my grandmother had scrotum she would have been my grandfather....so in short Ian will be released and I would kindly ask that the media leave him alone as he has little to nothing to say. After his license period ends and after we consider if there is a possibility of an appeal against conviction, after that and all matters concluded of course it will be up to Ian himself to decide his own life and which road to take and whether he feels it appropriate to tell his story which to date we have not heard. In the meantime as he is targeted by the Security Services upon his release let us allow him to get on with his life in peace:-he has paid his price.; File: click to download
Binyam Mohamed: UK GOVERNMENT POSITION AND REALITY: 13 February 2010:; This is indeed the position. I have many other cases including TAHA YASSIN RAMADAN the Vice President of Iraq that in a sworn statement made allegations of torture. No wonder with the UK/US 'non interference' policy they altered his sentence of life imprisonment to one of death.; As for Master of the Rolls Lord Neuberger, an absolutely correct and fair judge. Once upon a time once a judgement had been delivered NOONE said a word about the judge. Today, many liberties are taken most surprising by the Government as more often than not they lose and can't stand it so they hit at the judge. I would make it a contempt of court any criticism of a judge's sentence or judgement.; All of this of course leads to ask the question that noone seems able to answer: IF WE ARE AWARE THAT THE US HAS NO RESPECT FOR LAW AND ORDER AND PRACTISES THESE TECHNIQUES TO OBTAIN INFORMATION, WHY ARE WE SUPPORTING THEIR MILITARY OPERATIONS?
Eight Iraqis arrested UK soldiers killings in 2003: 12 February 2010:; Eight Iraqis have been arrested over the deaths of six Royal Military Police officers in 2003. The soldiers were killed by a mob in the town of Majar al-Kabir in southern Iraq while they were on a routine operation to train local police. It is correct to say a judge had indicated there was enough evidence for the suspects to face trial. I am not so convinced that the right men have been apprehended and it is of course a very timely arrest just during the elections. In Iraq there is no real or proper or fair trials. Much to my own shame I shall not even contemplate defending the Iraqi's for reasons that make me wholly ashamed. They will be defended by Iraqi lawyers and will be convicted and ultimately executed. It will be a PR exercise worthy of the mendacity that is practised by the UK Government and Iraqi Government. My own feelings are really for the family of the soldiers. They will feel justice has been done and in many a way it will because all of the events occurred in Iraq so who cares if it is the right people? That is the real tragedy. No one really cares and I doubt if any of the Human Rights Organizations will take any interest. The people that should be on trial for murder may never face a judge:- Tony Blair and George Bush. One I am prosecuting (Blair) and I hope that Patricia Scotland sees fit to grant me leave that is required sooner rather than later.
Guantanamo Bay detainee Binyam Mohamed case: 11 February 2010:; Finally! The picture says it all!!! I have MANY Iraqi detainees in similar position.
'Teflon Don gangster' faces third murder quiz after stabbing at his £2m home in Millionaire's Row: 11 February 2010:; --------------------------------------------; http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1250115/Teflon-Don-gangster-faces-murder-quiz-stabbing-2m-home-Millionaires-Row.html; --------------------------------------------; A wealthy businessman dubbed the Teflon Don after being cleared of two gangland murders was under arrest last night over a third killing at his luxury home.; Arran Coghlan, 39, was guarded by armed police in hospital while being treated for knife wounds.; His business associate Stephen ‘Aki’ Akinyemi, 36, was found stabbed to death in his bathroom following an alleged row.; Yesterday, officers were searching Coghlan's £2million converted chapel in Alderley Edge, Cheshire – known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’ where Premiership footballers rub shoulders with soap stars.; Members of his family have been taken into protective custody.; Police said yesterday: ‘A 39-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is receiving hospital treatment.’; Akinyemi, from Cheetham Hill, Manchester, suffered fatal knife wounds despite wearing a stab proof vest.; Coghlan, dialled 999 as Akinyemi lay dying, suffered serious knife injuries to his upper body.; The call, made at 2pm on Tuesday, occurred after father of one Coghlan - who survived an attempt on his life in a bar on New Years Day 2009 - was suspected by police of building a multi-million pound crime empire.; In 1996 he was acquitted of the gangland murder of drug baron Chris Little dubbed the Devil Dog Mobster because he set rottweilers on rivals.; Little, 32, was shot dead at the wheel of his Mercedes.; Coghland was cleared after claiming he was playing computer games at the time of the killing.; In 2002 Coghlan stood trial accused of murder again after claims he kidnapped and burnt to death petty drug dealer David Barnshaw, 32, in the boot of a car in September 1999.; Jurors were told that Coghlan – who has a bed shaped like a pirate ship – had ‘built an empire through ruthless violence, demanding respect and loyalty from all those who worked for him.’; The case against him and others collapsed when it was revealed police had failed to pass on important information about another possible suspect.; Coghlan, nicknamed ‘Az’ on the registration plate of his Bentley Turbo, has always denied any involvement in wrongdoing and claimed detectives were involved in a ‘campaign to get him at all costs’.; He is now suing the Greater Manchester force after it emerged a disgraced senior detective had withheld vital evidence from a file which linked the second of the murders to another suspect.; Despite his alleged underhand connections, many neighbours thought he was an accountant.; Residents of Alderley Edge include Manchester City star Carlos Tevez, cricketer Freddie Flintoff and Coronation Street actress Samia Ghadie.; On New Year’s Day 2009, Coghlan was stabbed in the head face and back as he partied with friends at Cobdens bar in his native Stockport, Greater Manchester.; The knifeman was never traced but police suspect the attack was linked to mobsters from the Cheetham Hill gang.; -------------------------------------------; GIOVANNI DI STEFANO: " How the Daily Mail (still my favourite newspaper) likes to build up a story. Aaron is indeed a businessman and in 2002 was clearly innocent as charged and I have known him for some time. He is indeed targeted more so because of his brother David who I acted for in 2003. No doubt we shall see what happens and since matters are yet again sub judice in the event there are charges at that stage can further comments be made. The fact however, that a person is acquitted once, twice or even a hundred times makes him per se more so innocent than lucky."