Judge, Jury and Executioner

In the last few minutes, George Galloway has more or less declared his candidacy at Leicester East, and one does of course have to wish him well against whatever Keir Starmer intended to put up.

But the only call the recording of which was presented in evidence at Claudia Webbe's trial was made by her accuser. It contained no mention of acid. The strange phrase "You should be acid" has no evidence beyond that accuser's testimony. The same is true of "slut" and "slag". There is no evidence of the existence of any naked photographs of that accuser.

Webbe is an undisputed victim of domestic abuse. Yet on this flimsy basis, she has been convicted. But by whom? By Paul Goldspring, who released a 17-year-old neo-Nazi because he had been predicted good grades at A-level.

And what is this Goldspring? He is a District Judge, which is what used to be called a Stipendiary Magistrate. As a salaried employee of the State that brings the prosecution, he alone decides guilt or innocence, and then he alone passes sentence. Some trial by one's peers, that.

In fact, Goldpsring is the Senior District Judge (Chief Magistrate) for England and Wales. Such a person was deemed necessary to hear this single charge of harassment, brought by the Crown Prosecution Service that Starmer used to head. What a stitch-up. Take whatever depth of breath that you need, and let's get George in at the by-election.