Iain’s Blog

Chief Constable Sean Price demanded removal of Kyle website

8:30am Saturday 15th May 2010

• By Joe Willis »

A POLICE chief has been criticised after demanding the BBC removed stories from its website about his force’s handling of the death of a toddler.

Cleveland Police Chief Constable Sean Price wrote to the BBC asking that it took down reports into the death of two-year-old Kyle Fisher, from Hartlepool.

Mr Price claimed the stories should be removed because complaints made against his force had been rejected by investigators from the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

The IPCC investigation was launched after complaints were received by a member of the public, Lee Spencer.

Mr Spencer is the partner of Suzanne Holdsworth, who was convicted of murdering two-year-old Kyle Fisher, from Hartlepool, in 2004 while babysitting the toddler.

Following a four-year campaign by Mr Spencer, the conviction was overturned by the Court of Appeal after doubts were raised about medical evidence presented in the first trial.

A second trial last year resulted in Ms Holdsworth being acquitted.

Last night, Mr Spencer said he was “shocked and dismayed”

that Mr Price had asked the BBC to remove the reports by journalist John Sweeney.

Branding the letter as an “abuse of public office”, he added: “I think it’s underhand.

“We had an agreement not to talk to the press until the investigation had finished.”

The IPCC said commissioner Nicholas Long had spoken to Mr Price to “clarify the situation”.

An IPCC spokesman said: “The investigation is still ongoing and the findings will be published in due course.

“It wasn’t quite right to write to the BBC, especially as the IPCC investigation had not finished.”

A Cleveland Police spokesman said: “The visit by Mr Long has been scheduled for some time as part of a wider visit to the force and the opportunity was taken to discuss the complaint made by Lee Spencer.

“Further information around the investigation has been provided to the IPCC this week and we anticipate future meetings with Mr Spencer and Ms Holdsworth in the coming weeks.”

Ms Holdsworth was accused of repeatedly banging Kyle’s head against a wooden banister in her home after she lost her temper with him.

But at the retrial, the jury was told there was a reasonable possibility that Kyle suffered a prolonged epileptic seizure, which led to a fatal swelling in his brain.

Hi,

Don’t know if anyone saw the story of the little boy who fell from a window, 30 feet up, and thankfully survived it has to be said.

Without a scratch, a mark, a bruise, a cut, any internal signs, nothing…

Now I seem to recall that certain experts would say that would never happen and SBS is the same as falling from a height etc.

Something isn’t adding up…or is it me?

One plus one, add another one equals a triad, when we want it to, but we can add to that or take away and change our minds again and again (at different trials of course so no body picks up on it)….

Reading the story reminded me of the practise in India where they throw babies off the top of the local temple…no reported cases mentioned of SBS type injuries… 

Also in the same paper it mentioned the state of child protection… what a world we live in at times.

Dave and Nick I can tell you how to safe cash, quite a few ways actually, but here’s a freebie, stop the CPS using dozens of experts to make up the fact they have no real evidence, that would safe a packet….

Evening all,

Interesting development before there’s been a development. I see a certain Chief Constable has asked the BBC to take down the negative stories on the investigation of the Suzanne Holdsworth case…quite right too.

 I mean to say thats what we should do any negatives about our case should be stricken from the files right away, removed from the web, all old newspapers destroyed and oh, hang on, whats that, best get hold of that…yeap I have a grip on reality.

We seem to have people thinking we live in a former Eastern European Communist country…I know it feels like that at times, all the cameras, id cards (hopefully gone - terrorists wouldn’t use them…come on). But before the IPCC come to reach their judgement the Chief Con, asks the beeb to remove items….before

Hmmm you have to ask why?

Why - is he asking, its like he knows the answer already?!

Why - is it not a free country?

Why - does he want it stricken from the public record…unless something stinks.

Why - can’t people learn, Police Officers get it wrong, Doctors get it wrong, the CPS get it wrong, the Vatican gets it wrong, I get it wrong (I trusted the system - won’t do that again in a hurry).

Why - do fools fall in love…you knew I was going to…

Why - haven’t we had a how?

How - come he seemed to have an idea of what was coming out when the IPCC haven’t made up their minds yet?

Why am I now repeating myself - cos something…stinks…thats why…

What to do?? It does make me wonder are the IPCC truly independent, or do some wear old force ties? We will see, I hope to be speaking to them soon.

All depends on how long it takes people to apologise, publicly, loud and clear…

Never have so few, made so much, out of so little, for so long.

I H

The last couple of days have seen the return of a sound I have not heard for many years - the sound of the cuckoo…otherwise known as a prosecution expert…no I’m kidding that’s unfair on cuckoo’s.

Seriously the bird that drops into another’s nest and drops its little time bomb into your life…sorry thinking experts again…

Anyway very evocative the sound of  the old cuckoo. The fields are alive with bird-life at the moment, the deer are to be seen regularly, although they are the masters of camouflage.

Which brings me to camouflage and bagpipes. We finally went to see the Tattoo at Windsor the other day in the company of his Royal Horticultralness Alan Titchmarsh and the Queen was there too.

Keran couldn’t make the first two years of the show…it escapes my mind why not…anyway, sure it will come back to me.

It wasn’t bad, shame they don’t do the Royal Tournament though. We love to see the Gun Run, but it looked quite sad, no swinging over ravines, through walls, over walls. I do hope Health and Safety didn’t get in the way. If they did, it makes me wonder if there is a H&S office in Kabul, Helmand, Kandahar etc. Anyway, all round it was great to see the three Services and the Marines (your not Navy) in action, from the RAF Regiment, to the Gun Crews of the Royal Navy and the massed pipes and bands with the Scots, the Kiwis and the Gurkha’s.

Don’t argue with the Norwegian Kings Body Guard lot, they will throw their rifles at you, get it back then shoot you! Incredible skills from a bunch of National Servicemen, only in for 12 months service. Some of the best drill I have seen - obviously I used to be pretty good myself…well…my Sergeant did call my name out a lot, so I reckon that was a good sign.

Thanks to those that helped the Finland trip along by organising Jumble Sales and Car-boots. If anyone out there needs to help some young people get away to Scandinavia (Ash Cloud permitting) by sponsoring - or if we have any pilots out there with a 40 seater plane…let me know! Its cuckoo I know…

Still no news is…er…no news…

I am off to count my litions…or is that coalition. Well done to the Politicians for getting together without too much back room dealings (hmmm) anyway, behave, you have all said it till I am sick of it, its in the National Interest etc. Makes a change from Global Recession. But behave and sort this mess out, I would lend you a tenner to help, but I am a bit short this week, I bought a litre of fuel…