75ZT Community

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17614935

The alleged offences have taken place within the UK yet the UK authorities send the evidence to the US who then apply for the person to be extradited to the US to stand trial.

Surely, if the alleged offence took place within the UK then the place for investigation and trial is the UK - or am I missing something?

Difficult, for me at least, not to get into a rant with things like this!

If there is sufficient evidence to arrest and detain, then a charge should follow with the accused either released pending further investigation if not a danger or flight risk, or the accused should be charged and tried under the jurisdiction of the country where the crime is alleged to have been committed. I do not mean the ISP where the charges relate to a web site, I mean from where the site is maintained by a controlling user. The trial should take place within three months and last no longer than one month. If the investigating authorities cannot do this, then it is obvious there is not enough to warrant a charge. In which case, DO NOTHING other than investigate further to find what is needed. In other words, detention without charge should not be used in place of poor or non-productive investigation. If the alleged criminal is released prior to trial they should be allowed to claim substantial compensation for illegal detention (all that blather about us not being a country that sanctions torture refers).

In this case however, UK law has been bent to accommodate US requirements concerning their rightfully extreme sensibilities about 9/11. When I say rightfully I mean their sensibilities, not their imposing them on UK. They have flatly refused to collaborate with UK intelligence agencies unless we accede to all their demands (that is entirely understandable when we insist on sending substantial 'aid' to countries known to be hot-beds of terrorism). They now decide what air passengers are allowed to board aircraft leaving this country! We are wholly dependant on the US for our worldwide security and frankly it's about time we stopped kidding ouselves.

Our security and intelligence services do a fantastic job on our behalf. Unfortunately, with
one-and-a-half-hands tied behind their backs because our political leaders think phoney 'charm' masquerading as old-fashioned diplomacy is all that is necessary in a world where nobody else agrees. And where everybody laughs at our inability to send in a gunboat.