I had a totally exasperating experience with an own client at Charing Cross police station yesterday.

My client was arrested on suspicion of theft of a pedal cycle (which was recovered, undamaged, and who they did not even know it belonged to), going equipped (WITH A TORCH, which even the OIC admitted could not have been used to cut the locks on the lock-up and bike), criminal damage (of the locks) and possession of Class A.

Just before I made representations to the Custody Sergeant to follow the Protocol and release my client (who did have a bail address) to be interviewed later, the Custody Sergeant had told me irritably that Charing Cross Custody was full. In spite of this, my representations fell on deaf ears; in fact, the phone was thrown down in my ear.

I subsequently made the same representations to the OIC, clearly a very inexperienced PC, who told me it was "business as usual", and whose Supervisor told him to tell me, "He's here now. Why would we want to interview him later?" They insisted on interviewing my client, who in any event was in no fit state, as he was feeling very ill from withdrawal.

All of this, only for my client in the end to be released under investigation!

How many more people have to die before the ranked officers at Charing Cross realise that unnecessarily placing and keeping people in Custody just because they can, is a deadly game?

I have made a formal complaint about this to the Law Society via https://www.caseratio.co.uk/security/complaintform

iLSE Gifford
Solicitor-Advocate | Russell-Cooke

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