Roof demo verdict 'beyond belief'

[taff]

Roof demo verdict 'beyond belief'


A council has said it is "astonished" a pensioner was cleared by a jury of causing £30,000 worth of damage at its offices in a rooftop protest.
Iorwerth Jones, 74, of Llandovery, did not deny breaking tiles with a hammer but was found not guilty at Swansea Crown Court of criminal damage.

He argued he had been driven to extreme action by a 26-year planning dispute.

Carmarthenshire Council said the verdict was "beyond belief" and "not a good day for the justice system."

The judge said he hoped Carmarthenshire Council would "grasp the nettle" and come to an agreement with Mr Jones.

By his own admission, Mr Jones' long-running campaign for a public inquiry had caused more than £1m worth of damage but he vowed after the verdict to continue his fight.

It started when an industrial park sprang up around the bungalow he was building by hand just outside Llandovery.

Since then he has been convicted of attacking council buildings 13 times, usually by climbing onto the roof and smashing tiles.

He had been given prison sentences totalling 57 months.


My life has been made a misery and it all goes back to an illegal decision to allow that lorry park next to my home

Iorwerth Jones

But the jury found him not guilty of causing criminal damage, and also cleared him of threatening to carry out a further attack.

They had heard him represent himself at the trial and argue that he was justified in protecting his home.

He did not deny that early on 17 April last year he climbed onto the roof of the former headquarters of Dynefor Borough Council in Llandeilo and that he hacked away at tiles with a hammer.

Most of the attack was filmed by police officers.

But, he told the jury, he felt he had no option but to take extreme action after being denied a public inquiry.

He admitted he had pleaded not guilty only because that would cause a trial before a jury that would allow him to air his grievances.

He claimed the trouble began when the former Llandovery Borough Council allowed a lorry park to be established into the centre of the town in 1982.

Nearby residents protested and the council suddenly moved the lorry park near the home he was building.


Police and a fire crews cordoned off the scene last April

Mr Jones played his own video of lorries arriving and departing at all hours of the day and night.

"My life has been made a misery and it all goes back to an illegal decision to allow that lorry park next to my home," he said.

After the verdicts, Judge Michael Burr said the sight of a 74-year-old man skipping along the roof of the building made him fear that there would be a tragedy one day.

He said one way out might be for Mr Jones to take up an offer of talks about selling his bungalow to the council.

But Mr Jones said he was only interested in having a public inquiry and gaining compensation.

After the case, the council said in a statement: "The message from the jury seems to be that it is OK to cause damage to public property costing taxpayers tens of thousands of pounds - they are basically condoning his actions."

The councl said numerous witnesses testified that Mr Jones caused the damage and video evidence was also shown.

"And having heard him admit that he caused the damage, this outcome is beyond belief. "He also openly stated in court that he may well do it again - which would be no surprise as he has done exactly the same thing several times previously."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/7232500.stm

Iv posted this as its been going on years and if you seen what the council have got away with all around his house youd do the same as he has done he had a good jury this time.

[Over Carl]

Personally that's why I think all cases should be heard in front of a jury so they can excerise their right to jury nullification.

Hats off to the bloke.