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Mob handed

15th April 1999, Page 51
15th April 1999
Page 51
Page 51, 15th April 1999 — Mob handed
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Keywords : Tachograph, Lawton

Cases like Steve Wanton's are few and far between—transport solicitor Jonathan Lawton (below) says it carries the classic hallmarks of over-zealous policing: "It has happened before. The police get an anonymous tip-off alleging a wholesale breach of the law...they get their warrant and go in there mobhanded."

Lawton knows what he's talking about; he defended Kenny and Jean Williamson, whose small haulage firm in the Scottish borders was raided in dramatic style a couple of years ago. "Here was a young couple, with no previous record, raided by

police in moonsuits with a spotter plane circling overhead," he says.

Williamson was found to have falsified documents: the couple were fined and lost their Operator's Licence.

But Lawton insists that their goat or innocence is not the point the Williarnsons no more deserved the trauma and humiliation of the raid than did Manton, who won his case.

"The police had the Williamsons under surveillance for some time and were pretty sure of the tachograph offences," he explains. "So why not just go in and ask for the documents? There was no previous form to suggest that the Williamsons would make trouble. What worries me is that the authorities don't learn from cases like Manton. In most cases like this they usually get a resat, so the end seems to justify the means."

Ironically, Lawton firmly believes that for dayto-day enforcement the police are probably the most reasonable of all statutory enforcers: "They tend to be very pragmatic and straightforward when dealing with minor offences...but when they think there's a major offence being committed they often seem to go over the top."


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