Request for the uncorrected sentencing remarks of R v Julian Assange (Bail Act offence) of HHJ Deborah Taylor Southwark Crown Court 1 May 2019
Dear Ministry of Justice,
I attended the sentencing of Julian Assange at Southwark Crown Court 1 May 2019 and listened to the sentencing remarks (Bail Act offence) of HHJ Deborah Taylor. The judge read out her sentencing remarks from a pre-prepared document on her screen. At some point she mis-characterised the sexual misconduct allegations he faced claiming he had been charged/indicted in Sweden. Julian Assange interrupted to correct her statement, she continued reading without interrupting but when she finished reading, she acknowledged it was correct that he had not been charged.
In her sentencing remarks published below, the mischaracterisation is missing altogether and there is no acknowledgement that the record was corrected.
https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uplo...
I would like to see her original sentencing remarks as I heard them at court on the 1st of May please. The Court clerks were very particular not to let the public write anything down during the sentencing hearing.
You will find a record of what happened here: https://www.apnews.com/488f83fb2255491d9... and here: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/julia...
This issue is very important. Although Julian Assange does not appeal the sentencing it is important to understand that Judge Taylor applied a harsh sentence of 50 weeks whilst she believed that Julian Assange had been charged with an offence by Sweden.
Since his arrest the BBC in its website and programmes mischaracterised the sexual misconduct allegations against him in Sweden as charges repeatedly on the 12th, 13th of April, and even on the day of his bail sentencing on 1st of May as other media and the press.
It is very hard to know what influence has the press on the judges. Judges would say they are above it, but obviously judges are human beings as well and they will be influenced by what they see and what they read.
I believe Judge's Taylor error, now corrected, was a result of the influence of what she had seen and read in the news and press. I would like the original copy of her sentencing remarks, uncorrected, to demonstrate this. I am escalating press complaints to IPSO and higher up the BBC complaints process. The document, if released, could lead to more responsible reporting in the Julian Assange case.
I am grateful for your time.
Yours faithfully,
Emmy Butlin
Dear Emmy Butlin
Please see attached the acknowledgement for your FOI request (our
reference – 190811001)
Kind Regards,
Knowledge and Information Liaison Officer
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Dear Ms Butlin
Please see the attached response to your enquiry.
Kind Regards,
Knowledge and Information Officer
London Regional Support Unit | 3^rd Floor | First Avenue House | 42-49
High Holborn | London | WC1V 6NP | DX160010 Kingsway 7 | www.gov.uk/hmcts
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Gwynne Davies left an annotation ()
The judge was probably reading a "bench memorandum". This would not have been the judges remarks or judgement but one prepared by another person or even presented to the judge by the CPS without the knowledge of the defence team or J Assange./JA.
The legal team should have asked for a copy.