Graham Richards wrote:
Whilst much of what you say is possibly true you are also over looking a few other vital facts. .
If much of what I say is possibly true then Mitchell should be presumed innocent until there is proof of guilt. Which is my whole point.
Now lets look at your "vital facts"
Graham Richards wrote:
The officers at the gate at the material time have NOT been charged with anything. They have acted it would appear honestly. The incident occured. They carried out their orders. That being that the gate in question was NOT to be opened for a cyclist. However high up he or she may have been. The incident occured and they reported to a superior immediately..
The officer (not plural) indeed has not been charged with anything. I understand that the year long police enquiry didn't even question him under caution which tells you something about policemen investigating policemen.
You do not know if the PC acted honestly or dishonestly.
Graham Richards wrote:
Mitchell at the very least was showing a complete lack of respect for the officers who are simply there to protect Downing Street. .
Only if you believe the PC at the gates version.
Graham Richards wrote:
The CCTV which it would appear does not show the entire story (the C4 footage that is) is not something that us as the general public can really rely on. The CPS claim to have seen it all we haven't. What we have seen really shows very little and without audio you can not state with any certainty what was or was not said. .
It may not show the entire story but it does show Mitchell at the gate (when the PC's report stated the Pleb etc allegations took place) with no "visibly shocked members of the public" which is sufficient to at least cast doubt on the police log.
Graham Richards wrote:
Also with regards the CPS report they stated that Mitchell's story has yet to be consistant. Yes Mitchell. Not the Officers on the gate at the time, but Mitchell. Why has his story not been consistant. (Not my thoughts but those closest to the investigation)..
No they did not say "Mitchell's story has yet to be consistant" you are embellishing what the CPS report stated. Remember the CPS can only work with the evidence (or lack of) that the police give them.
Graham Richards wrote:
Indeed the officers have been fully exonerated. Not charged and not disciplined. The officer (only one) who has been charged and now pleaded guilty clearly had an agenda for which he will be punished. What ever that punishment is I am sure many will not be happy. But thats for our justice system to sort. .
No the officers have not been fully exonerated. Because the police did not supply sufficient evidence for the CPS to have an odds on chance of winning a prosecution they are not going to prosecute.
The police enquiry found a PC (or WPC) leaked the police email report (log) to the media but because there was no evidence that a payment was asked for or received they decided not to prosecute. Quite how a serving police officer can leak a confidential report about a senior cabinet minister and not be charged shows just how out of control the police now are.
Because it was another officers partner who introduced the word "moron" to the press therefore they cannot be considered for misconduct in a public office.
So please don't make out they were all fully exonerated.
It should be noted that Mitchell's lawyers do not agree with the CPS conclusions including the evidence against the PC at the gate
Graham Richards wrote:
The other (non Met) officers who have become embroiled in this really need to shake their heads. Why they felt the need to be involved only they can answer. Mitchell as far as I know is not anti Police and has certainly not had a direct influence on the current policies of the Home Secretary. So why pick on him? .
I think most of us know why they conducted such a high profile campaign against Mitchell. The Police Federation have been actively against the cut backs to the police budget and so any government minister was a fair target in their eyes. Particularly since having campaigned that the budget cuts would lose front line officers and crime would rise they are now smarting as crime has continued to fall since the cuts and their arguments were shown to be wrong.
Graham Richards wrote:
But going back to St Mitchell. He has never once said what he actually said, or at least certainly not in an open forum..
Once again you are quite wrong. Mitchell made a full page account of the confronation covering what he said and what the PC said, in the Sunday Times in December 2012. He was also interviewed by the Police Fed reps for 45 minutes during which time he aswered every question they asked. Finally Mitchell has never been charged with anything.
Graham Richards wrote:
He has been told by the CPS that his story has changed repeatedly..
Wrong again the CPS report did not say "changed repeatedly"
Graham Richards wrote:
And which ever way you look at it he has sworn at Police officers who were simply doing their job. Job worths or not they act under strict orders. So why swear at them?
He has not admitted to swearing at the police, only using a 'swear' word to enhance a comment. You do not know that the police were only doing their jobs. Mitchell's account claims the PC was being deliberately difficult and obstructive.
Graham Richards wrote:
Equally if you were to make a word up I would bet that PLEB would not feature (at least prior to this case) in many officers vocabularys. Indeed if he has sworn as he admits I would bet my mortgage that the "made up word" would have been another swear word. .
Pure conjecture
Graham Richards wrote:
If he had told the entire truth from day one then I am sure he would still be in Government and this and all the expense that it has cost would have ended there and then..
You do not know he has not told the entire truth. It was not the allegations that caused him to resign but the high profile media frenzy which culminated in the Police Fed PC's misleading report to the TV news cameras.
Graham Richards wrote:
I guess when it comes to the lible case we might get a version of the truth. But I bet it won't be the officers at the gate who will be out of pocket or out of a job.
Don't hold your breath