Thank you
I decided long before my book was published that anyone who took the trouble to email me would get a personal response. I am pretty sure that I’ve succeeded in my aim and I’d like to thank everyone again for the very much appreciated emails of support, of which I have had over a thousand since my book launch in October last year. What’s even more humbling is that I have not had a single one that has condemned my actions. I’m glad my readers are able to see this for what it is. I still question the judiciary as to what it hoped to achieve by criminalising me. The retributive and adversarial agenda helped no one. It cost the tax payer tens if not hundreds of thousands of pounds and as a result two people were convicted and compensated out of the same incident.
On a very positive note – Things are moving on the appeal front. It’s a slow process, but I hope to be able to report something very soon. I have also had a sneak preview of the script being written from my book for the screen. It looks fantastic and really brings the story back to life.
Good luck with your appeal.
Posted by Sheila McBrearty | March 24, 2009 6:28 ami’ve just read your book and i was wondering what has been done regarding the purgery committed by the female sergeant who claimed you repeatedly kicked the offender even though the fme stated that could not have happened
Posted by diz | April 22, 2009 8:53 amI have made an allegation to West Yorkshire Police on several occasions, including in person to an ACC at my disciplinary hearing. No investigation was ever carried out despite years (and many letters) of trying. My account of events has not changed since this happened in 1997 and is completely consistent with the medical evidence. Her account flew in the face of that evidence and her evidence at court was different to her original account. There is so much more I want to write about this officer, but will wait as I don’t want to jeopardise my appeal. Suffice to say, the allegation that I made against her was of a criminal nature but that has been swept under the carpet. I still have all the correspondence from West Yorkshire Police and shall pursue the complaint again when my appeal has been heard. I am obviously appalled by West Yorkshire Police’s handling of my complaint, but am not surprised. It is inherently wrong that my complaint is not directed to an independent organisation for a proper investigation.
She is now a Superintendent, I understand.
Posted by Michael | April 22, 2009 9:49 pmAs a retired Police Officer and having read your book, I am left with the questions:- 1/ Why did you not appeal your Conviction and Sentence. 2/ Why did your solicitor not lodge a complaint regarding the behaviour of Sergeant Millburn?. In Scotland we presently have a case where the fingerprints of a Detective Constable were planted at the scene of a murder. All the evidence points to the object of this exercise being to get at the DC’s father, a Detective Superintendent. In your case the object might have been to get at your father.
Posted by Mr. A.Murray | May 13, 2009 7:51 pmI, and my solicitor, have complained to West Yorkshire Police many times about her conduct. To date, they have not investigated her. With regards to my appeal, you can only do this if you get leave to appeal. I was refused. However, I have now managed to get my case reviewed again, but I cannot go into any more detail on here just yet. What you need to bear in mind is that I have been at the mercy of the judiciary and what I have wanted to do and what I’ve been able to do are two very different things.
The theory you make about my father can only be speculation. We have no idea what the motive was to prosecute me.
Posted by Michael | May 13, 2009 9:30 pmI have just read your book, it arrived yesterday and I could not put it down,
Posted by Jenny | May 19, 2009 6:28 pmI am a nurse and my other half is a serving officer in Leeds (has also worked
in Rothwell and Holbeck).My dad is a magistrate.
I was amazed and sickened by what I read and what you have gone through,
I just cannot still get my head round what on earth the people making those
ridiculous decisions were thinking, a very thought provoking book.
Thanks Jenny. I really appreciate your comment.
Posted by Michael | May 19, 2009 9:45 pmA touching story. I hope the appeal goes well.
Unfortunately it is all one-sided – why should an officer who is defending themselves get a serious amount of time inside, when the person who is attacking him get a very minor slap on the wrist. As the double jeopardy rules have been relaxed perhaps the attacker could have his case reviewed and re-proscecuted. I certainly fail to see how the CPS can see prosecuting an assaulted officer being in the public interest.
I also admire your stance on “The Job” – still admiring and supporting the job and work of colleagues, while accepting that “the service” is the one that stuffed you up.
Posted by Simon T | August 17, 2009 1:35 pmI got hold of your book yesterday at about 2100hrs lat night. I finished it this morning. I have a serious feeling of disquiet about this book. Not about the author or style but of the way the author was treated by the Force and the Judiciary. How many in the job cannot say, “But for the grace of God go I.” Every new prbationer should read this and learn what they are getting into. I wish you well for your future.
Posted by R | August 29, 2009 12:56 pmToo many times have I seen the likes of SGT Milburn. I appreciate you cannot comment due to the appeal process, however I would be interested to know what she actually did at the incident. In my experience “officers” such as this do nothing, and she should have been disciplined for neglect of duty if she just stood by. Perhaps her evidence was to distract from her failings. Why am I not surprised she is at ACPO level now. No wonder our service is in a state. I hope you haunt her dreams MIck. Best wishes
Posted by A R | August 31, 2009 12:44 pmI bought your book recently and couldn’t put it down. I was having to switch my bedroom light off at 3 a.m. just so I could get some sleep!
Posted by Allan Macleod | September 3, 2009 10:54 amI found your story terrifying as any officer would who found themselves locked up.
As a retired officer, I can appreciate the difficulty you had the night this happened to you.
Some people don’t appreciate what it’s like to deal with the drunken scum the police come across, especially big powerful ones who won’t comply.
Like every other right thinking person, I find it incredible that your force didn’t stifle the complaint against you at birth and also that the judiciary thought it a good idea to send you to prison.
I think it’s an absolute travesty that you were robbed of your career and there must be people in your force who have to have a close look at themselves and their conduct in this affair.
Anyway, I wish you all the best. Good Luck.
Illegitimi non carborundum!!!
As a serving officer with one of the home counties I was appalled to read your story of how the British justice system has treated you and at times it shook me to the core. I see day in, day out how the courts in this country punish the hard working and are so soft on the true criminals out there. I have just come back from working along side the Met Police in London. Having had some inputs from them it now appears that the courts will accept its ok for members of the public to shout and swear at Police officers thus Section 5 of the Public Order act no longer applies to Police officers alone. This yet again highlights the fact that we are expected to put up with even more abuse from the minority out there that we are constantly dealing with. I wish you all the luck in your appeal, I am not bitter against a service that I feel looks after me but acknowledge that at times they do let thier members down badly and your experience highlights that fact. I can only hope that you win your appeal so that this does not have to happen to another member of the policing family. What the service needs is management that has the guts to stand by its hard working employees in these sort of case which they clearly have not for you.
Posted by D Quinn | September 8, 2009 10:31 amGood Luck and all the best for the future.
I read your book and would like to congratulate you on
Posted by Nick Burke | November 11, 2009 8:08 pmyour coming through what must have been an extremely
difficult time not only for you but for your parents also.
Great to see you have been successful and I wish you all
the best for the future.
Michael
Posted by Ken Yule | February 16, 2010 10:53 pmI saw your book on the shelf in my local Tesco. Went to find my wife came back to the book shelf and it was gone,(the last copy) I had to wait a week. I got my copy and could not put it down. I even got my light which is hands free a attaches on my head so as not to disturb my Wife while she slept. She now calls me Cyclops. Anyhow I digress, I lay reading it till 0230 hrs. I read it in two nights. I worked 12 years in the Fire Service here in Scotland. Then in1980 changed careers and I joined the Metropolitan Police where I spent 21years till I retired in 2001. I have experienced senior officers in authority in both services and know how things are done in secret a case of sticking together.
I must admit I read your book with an open mind, however I could not beleive what happened in the subsequent investigation re the complaint against you. Why anyone could think that you doing your duty that night and getting a hiding in to the bargain should be charged with assault when you had to defend yourself. I know you cannot comment on one of your supposed colleagues who apparantly saw something that she stated was an assault by you. I would love to read her evidence of that night and explain as a supervising officer what she did to help one of her officers. Did she get assaulted helping to restrain this violent drunken male? But somehow managed to observe you long enought to step into the witness box to give her acount of what she say’s she saw. Reading the book I thought to myself (I wonder what rank she is now) I am not surprised to read she is apparantly a Supt. I have attended many incidents. Riots, bombings in the early eighties and train disasterss to name a few. But always the calls that were unknown were domestics. There but the Grace of god go I. I could go on. Also I would like to know if the Judge in your case sleeps well at night. I expect he does knowing his safety is ensured by devoted Police Officers like you were. I loved serving our public for 33 years. However I feel ashamed at how you were treated, by so called colleagues in the job. I wish you well in your quest.