The Nexus of Corruption, Cover-Ups, and Miscarriages of Justice: Unravelling the Dark Threads

Introduction

Political corruption within government institutions, local authorities, police forces, and regulatory bodies has far-reaching consequences. When those entrusted with upholding the rule of law and Public Office Holder Ethics engage in misconduct, the very fabric of justice unravels. This article explores how corruption leads to cover-ups, lying, and miscarriages of justice, drawing from real-world examples and recent inquiries.

The Post Office Scandal: A Monumental Miscarriage of Justice

The Post Office scandal is one of the most significant miscarriages of justice in UK history. Here’s a glimpse into its disturbing course:

Horizon IT System: In 2000, the Post Office introduced the Horizon IT system, which flagged accounting shortfalls across its network of franchises and branches. System errors and bugs often caused these shortfalls, but reliance on Horizon led to punitive actions against sub-postmasters and employees.

Cover-Up and Denial: Rather than admitting problems with Horizon, the Post Office defended its IT system, doubling its supposed robustness. Over the years, aided by its lawyers, the Post Office repeatedly failed to disclose evidence about Horizon’s flaws in court cases.

Innocent Lives Shattered: Hundreds of innocent people lost their livelihoods, homes, and freedom. Some sub-postmasters faced imprisonment after being denied evidence crucial to their defence. Lawyers advised them to plead guilty to lesser charges to escape harsh sentences.

Sub-postmasters’ Suffering: At least 60 sub-postmasters died without seeing justice or compensation, and at least four took their own lives. The toll on their lives and families was immeasurable.

The CCRC and Andrew Malkinson Case

The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) investigates potential miscarriages of justice. The Andrew Malkinson case highlights systemic issues:

Course of Conduct: The CCRC inquiry revealed a pattern of obstruction. Evidence crucial to Malkinson’s defence was withheld and attempts to revisit the case were resisted.

?Cross-References: Stephen Lawrence, Daniel Morgan, and Sarah Everard Cases

Stephen Lawrence: The murder of Stephen Lawrence exposed police corruption, racism, and cover-ups. Officers failed to pursue leads, allowing the perpetrators to evade justice for years.

Daniel Morgan: The unsolved murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan implicated police corruption, media interference, and compromised investigations.

Sarah Everard: The tragic case of Sarah Everard highlighted systemic failures in policing, including inadequate responses to violence against women.

Public Bodies and Accountability

Baby P and Victoria Adjo Climbié Inquiries

Both cases involved horrific child abuse and failures by public bodies Police and Social Services. The Baby P inquiry revealed systemic shortcomings in child protection services.

Victoria Adjo Climbié was an eight-year-old Ivorian girl who suffered unimaginable abuse and was ultimately tortured and murdered by her great-aunt, Marie-Thérèse Kouao, and her great-aunt’s boyfriend, Carl Manning. This horrifying case occurred in London, England, in February 2000. Victoria’s death led to a public inquiry that revealed systemic failures in child protection policies in the United Kingdom. Despite multiple agencies having contact with her, proper investigation and action were lacking, resulting in a devastating outcome

Despite findings of incompetence and negligence, individual decision-makers and supervisors often escaped accountability.

Quality of Knowledge and Expertise

While some improvements have occurred, gaps continue to persist in the form of Political Corruption of the Rule of Law, and Public Office Conduct, with the creation of one rule for one, and one rule for another ideology.

Expertise, ethics and training are critical to preventing miscarriages of justice. Leadership must prioritise transparency, ethical conduct, and continuous learning, as well as ensuring that accountability is fair, swift and evidenced so that the individuals whose decision-making leads to miscarriages of justice are never in a position to do so again.

Tom Colling’s Alarming Allegations

Tom Colling, an ethical DC and Whistle-blower regarding corrupt practices within the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Child Abuse Investigation Team (CAIT), was a target of the MPS DPS (Department for Professional Standards) who themselves are synonymous to break the rule of law and either cover-up to protect the organisation depending on who the the allegation is made against, or conduct themselves in a discriminatory matter towards whom they are targeting.

Rotten Core and Cover-Up

Tom Colling, a former detective in the South London CAIT, asserts that the MPS has a “rotten core.” He claims that senior officers orchestrated a cover-up after he reported misconduct within the team.

?Toxic Culture of Bullying

Colling and another Police Officer described a toxic work environment characterised by bullying. They were allegedly pressured to arrest innocent people and force good parents to accept cautions to boost the unit’s “clear-up” rate.

Disturbing Incidents

A police sergeant was reportedly captured in a secretly filmed sex tape at the home of a prolific paedophile but was never questioned. Colling and a colleague were allegedly ordered to tamper with evidence at the scene of a baby’s death. A breach of law and ethics.

Bullying and Disillusionment

Colling’s treatment is described as “absolutely disgusting.” Despite being a thorough and top-rate officer, he faced relentless pressure.

?The team set him up to fail, picking apart his work and leaving him broken. This is indicative of Bad cops and "Yes" men/women who are lazy and lack any ethics, seeking to divert attention from themselves and leadership looking after them, as they will carry out unlawful orders without challenging upwards, across and downwards. These individuals will actively cover up wrongdoing and frustrate investigations and complaints into the wrongdoing of the unit and their leadership.

Criminalising Good Parents

To improve their “clear-up” statistics, the team allegedly pressured officers to criminalise loving parents. Minor incidents, like a child reporting a light smack from a well-cared-for parent, resulted in criminal cautions. This is extremely important should there be Social Services and family court involvement. What is noted is the willingness of family courts not to challenge social services and police where parents raise genuine issues. There are also several Part 7 social services reports read, where a consistent dislike and hubris from social workers that parents have no right to challenge them, with that challenge being presented to the court as evidence that the parent cannot follow rules. Therefore, their challenge of the social worker as a “Professional” is somehow a risk factor the court must rule against the parent for. Everyone under common law has the right to challenge their accuser, no matter who they may be. If they have the grounds and evidence to do so, the court should treat them equally.

Broken Complaints Process and Accountability

Complaints Process Failures:

Colling’s experience highlights a broken complaints process for officers. Whistle-blowers face challenges when exposing misconduct within the force.

?Seeking Justice and Reform

Colling’s courage illuminates systemic issues. Public accountability and reform are essential to prevent further miscarriages of justice.

In summary, Tom Colling's revelations expose deeply troubling practices within the MPS CAIT. His bravery underscores the need for transparency, accountability, and cultural change within law enforcement. However, these behaviours are being played out across all public bodies. We are directly seeing this with the conduct of the chair of the West Midlands Fire Authority Chair, their Monitoring Officer,? West Midlands Joint Authority and Council, The West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service and members of their Senior Managers, and most importantly the unhealthy Political Corruption of the West Midlands Police (Chief Constables office), their legal services department, PCC, CPS (and as things are playing out the possibility of corruption of the coroner's office). Only time will tell if West Midlands Police stop breaching the Home Office Crime Recording Standards and investigate credible cross allegation of Perverting the Course of Justice and Conspiracy to do so.?

West Midlands is just one of the areas affected by noble causes of corruption and political corruption issues.? Greater Manchester Police, where Maggie Oliver and others have been fighting a long fight to seek justice from the public bodies over decades of cover-ups, incompetence, and out-and-out neglect of duty. Still, this is the tip of the iceberg, and more issues are to come for the MPS, London Fire Brigade, and two other UK Fire Services over cover-ups.? The recent conduct of the Manchester Police Chief Constable to withhold information from the Enquiry team highlights the contempt for accountability - Police officer's actions are life-changing for both the victims and the suspect(s), and this is why the rule of law matters, as well as just accountability and scrutiny of the evidence.

?Media Scrutiny and Whistleblowing

Investigative journalism exposes abuses. Media coverage informs the public and holds decision-makers accountable. However, what has been identified is there may be corruption of this, through loyalty to political parties, frustrating efforts to get the story out, and this is being explored. The Daniel Morgan enquiry highlighted this aspect of the issue. Whistle-blowers play a crucial role in revealing hidden wrongdoing. Every effort must be taken to protect them. It was also uncovered/evidenced that West Midlands Police head of coms, with the head of coms from West Midlands Fire Service and with West Midlands Police Chief Constables office conducted a fraudulent and misleading press release against the man accused of the harassment of Wayne Brown the ex-chief fire officer that took his life. A number of issues they failed to highlight that should be made clear if the matter gets to trial. However the media to whom the matters were given to, at all occasions failed to challenge the narrative or seek out the accused for their right to reply.

?Legal Challenges and Judicial Review

Citizens seek legal remedies through Judicial review, which allows courts to assess the legality of decisions. Legal blowback puts pressure on public bodies to rectify their actions. However, the route to these has been made unnecessarily complicated, especially if a person cannot afford legal representation or has an incompetent defence team/lawyer. In speaking to those who were looking to challenge miscarriages of justice, this is one of the recurring common factors of Defence Solicitors: agreeing to facts without the client's knowledge or input and also failing to prove prosecution evidence effectively.

?There are also issues with Court administration staff and links to chambers that create problems for transparency and accountability. Another aspect that crops up is the links of Judges to Chambers, barristers who attend court linked to chambers they are linked to, and backchannel communications that take place.

Another aspect is that there is a significant disadvantage for litigants in persons, and the use of procedure rules to gaslight them into loosing cases, even though there is sufficient or significant evidence to show that they should have won. This and the threats for cost by public bodies, is used to frustrate, creating a prejudicial and discriminatory environment frightening most from seeking justice.

?Civil Society Advocacy and Transparency Initiatives

?NGOs, advocacy groups, and concerned citizens advocate for transparency and accountability. Public pressure encourages reforms and ensures that cover-ups are exposed. However most NGO's in these fields turn away volumes of claimants for miscarriages of justice due to volume, and in some case based on prejudicial or discriminatory factors based on the narrative of the allegations/conviction without properly assessing.

Taking the Law into Their Own Hands

Public Responses

Protests and Demonstrations

Citizens take to the streets to voice discontent. Protests highlight grievances and demand accountability. Mass mobilization can force public bodies to address issues and reveal the truth.

Blowback of Rule of Law Abuse

Erosion of Trust

When public bodies manipulate or ignore the rule of law, citizens lose faith in the system. trust in institutions declines, affecting cooperation, compliance, and social cohesion.

?Injustice and Disillusionment

Abusing the rule of law leads to unjust outcomes. Innocent individuals may suffer due to biased decisions, lack of accountability, and favouritism.

?Frustration and Helplessness

When public bodies frustrate efforts to seek justice or gain answers, citizens feel powerless. Bureaucratic obstacles, delays, and lack of transparency exacerbate frustration.

?Risk of Chaos: When trust in regulatory institutions erodes significantly, some individuals may resort to vigilantism or extra-legal or Natural Justice actions. This has been seen in many places, and if there are no options available and there is no alternative, losing everything means you have nothing to lose! While understandable, this approach risks chaos, uneven justice, and potential harm.

Balancing Act: Society must balance demanding accountability and maintaining the rule of law. If the Regulatory bodies operate within a Political Corruption approach, without adherence to the rule of law, being fair, just and reasonable to all parties on its application, and do not cover up the actions of those in public office, it will see a more stable and support for the regulatory bodies.? Leave behind this balance or bring in harsher laws to restrict freedoms and liberty will see an uprising against those who enforce and consider themselves elites above society.

When government and public bodies abuse the rule of law, blowback occurs—trust erodes, injustice prevails, and frustrated citizens respond through protests, legal challenges, media scrutiny, and civil society activism. Vigilance and collective action are essential to safeguarding justice and maintaining a just society. Jordan B. Peterson, the renowned psychologist and author, emphasises the significance of the rule of law in maintaining order, stability, and individual freedom. why these principal matters:

Order and Cooperation

Rules bring order to society. They facilitate cooperation, stable relationships, and predictability. Without rules, chaos and uncertainty would prevail, hindering progress and well-being.

Individual Sovereignty

Peterson believes that embracing rules allows individuals to exercise personal responsibility and sovereignty. We create a framework for a free and fulfilling life by adhering to rules.

Navigating Complexity

Our perception of the world is simplified to allow us to function effectively. Being precise in our speech and actions helps us navigate life’s complexity. When chaos disrupts our illusions, we recognise the limitations of our understanding.

The rule of law should provide structure, protect individual rights, and ensure a functional society if applied relatively, fairly, just and reasonably. Peterson encourages us to embrace rules that promote goodness and contribute positively to our lives and communities. When public bodies step away from this, or it is perceived it has through conduct and cover-up, the blowback for politicians and the wider community's safety is self-evident as things are beginning to hit a tipping point.

However, should this tipping point be reached, the focus shouldn't be the public venting on their communities but on seeking out the individual decision-makers allowing the cover-ups to take place and those willing to empower them to do so. Making these individuals accountable and removing them from their positions will always be the way forward.

?Conclusion

Political corruption corrodes justice systems, perpetuating lies, cover-ups, and miscarriages of justice. We need robust oversight, accountability, and a commitment to truth to restore public trust. Only then can we weave back the torn threads of justice and protect innocent lives. Sitting back and being spoon-fed smoke and mirrors that our justice system is fair, just, and reasonable by those in Public Office are regularly breaching, creating avenues for those who are a severe threat to the public and community safety in Public Office posts to continue to be an issue. As matters unfold with the conduct of West Midlands Police and the unfolding evidence that their Chief Constables office, with the PCC, appear to be perverting the course of justice in their conduct in pursuance of a case that they are actively refusing to investigate, will erode trust in the system so significantly that the UK will resemble a banana republic very soon.

References:

1. The Post Office scandal is possibly the largest miscarriage of justice in UK history
2. Decision Making by public bodies: How to avoid legal challenge
3. The public are the police: What happens when citizens take the law into their own hands
4. BBC News - Stephen Lawrence: A timeline of how the story unfolded
5. The Guardian - Daniel Morgan murder: a 34-year quest for justice
6. The Guardian - Sarah Everard: a timeline of events
7. The Guardian - Baby P:
8. Met Police has ‘rotten core’ says ex-detective Tom Colling
9. Met Police: South London officer ‘tampered with evidence’
10. Met Police ordered child abuse detectives to caution innocent people
11. Sun/Upsetter Article - Wayne Brown
12. Sun/Upsetter Article - Joanne Bowcock