Gary Critchley – Raised In A Prison
This is to flag up the case of Gary Critchley who is still in prison for an alleged murder at Campbell Buildings in 1980 – see recent posts on Bob Short’s Trash Can book thread for more details and also the official website and also this website.
The challenge is to get this miscarriage of justice overturned.
But how? I suggest it needs a twin track approach
Firstly to raise the public profile (as Jock has suggested) via myspace / facebook / blog sites like KYPP – for example by putting a slide show of Gary’s paintings plus a relevant soundtrack eg Raised in a Prison by the Mob on youtube or organising a UK exhibition of Gary’s paintings…
Secondly using official channels eg letters to your MP and the Rt Hon Alan Johnson MP
Home Secretary 2 Marsham Street London SW1P 4DF.
Gary is also being supported by Wendy Thurley and Julie Coimbra.
Julie and Wendy are librarians in Cambridge and contacted KYPP about the case.
Julie said [edited]:
“Myself and another librarian have become involved in trying to publicize this extraordinary miscarriage of justice. We happened to purchase some of Gary’s paintings and began corresponding with him without ever asking why he was inside. When the Private Eye article came out in July we were flabbergasted to say the least and began our campaign. Fifty of his paintings were sent to Adelaide and were in a recent exhibition there. Prior to posting them we photographed them all and have made them into cards to sell, 12 are at present on the website.
If you have ANY INFORMATION WHATSOEVER that could be helpful could you let us know and we can pass it on to Glyn Maddocks, the solicitor who has taken up his case. Anyone who can provide ANY INFORMATION should be encouraged to contact us as soon as possible”.
Julie and Wendy have created the website from which the following bio of Gary is taken.
Finally – don’t wait for someone else to act. If you think this is important get on and do it yourself.
AL Puppy
Biography- Gary Critchley “Raised In A Prison”.
“England is a supposed model of democracy and justice, yet ironically I have so far been made to serve longer for being rebellious and non-conformist than the Yorkshire Ripper has for 13 serial Killings. Nowadays, painting is the only thing that keeps me alive.“
Gary Critchley
Born in Birmingham and raised on an estate that bordered on two mental hospitals, visiting and often staying with his elder brother in care homes and approved schools,
Gary was introduced to institutions at a very early age. At 8 years old he got drunk on alcohol and by the age of 12 he was drinking on a regular basis. Aged 14, Gary became a punk rocker, was recruited to the Young Socialist party and excluded from school for leading ‘pupil-power’ marches and picketing the school. Also aged 14 Gary was sent to juvenile detention centre for criminal damage and theft. During his time there he was physically and mentally abused and he describes this as a very negative period of his life.
Upon release he quickly deteriorated, abusing various drugs and becoming involved with crime. In 1980, six months after being released from borstal, he moved to live in London. In June of that year he was discovered severely injured four stories below the flat he was squatting [in Campbell Buildings] and was taken to hospital with a broken back, arm, legs and head injuries. When police investigated the circumstances, they found the body of another man in Gary’s squat. Charged and bailed for this man’s murder, Gary returned to Birmingham where even on crutches he continued his life of punk rock gigs and substance abuse.
In May 1981, he was found guilty of murder (despite numerous forensic discrepancies) and sentenced to be ‘detained at Her Majesty’s Pleasure’, the juvenile equivalent of a life sentence. The then Lord Chief Justice recommended that he should serve ‘no more that 8-9 years’. Despite this it was a full 20 years before Gary was first released in July 2000.
Gary was recalled to prison three months later for having sexual relationships with two female peers at his rehab unit and running away with one of them. After another three years in prison for these breaches of his license conditions, he was again released in 2003 to another drink /drug rehab centre. Twelve months later in 2004 he was again recalled to prison for missing a probation appointment. He’s still there.
Over the last five years in prison, Gary has suffered from severe depression and made three serious attempts to take his own life. After the second attempt, Gary was introduced to drawing and painting for the first time in and has since become a prolific painter. He has won a Koestler award for one of his paintings and has been both encouraged and inspired to paint by the staff of a Cambridge University library that have bought and exhibited several of his early works and sponsor him with materials etc.
Despite unanimous recommendations of release and the parole board agreeing that he does not constitute a risk to the public, Gary was recently refused parole on the grounds that if he was ever to relapse into drink /drug use there was a “possibility” that he “could” re-offend violently. This was despite all professional opinion and the masses of evidence to the contrary where Gary has been in active addiction without any such incident.
This ruling is currently the subject of a judicial review, being in breach of not only the Human Rights Act but also several judicial rulings regarding Lifers. There are also investigations still going on into the events surrounding the index offence, of which Gary to this day has no memory.
Gary describes his on-going imprisonment as “warehousing”. He has now actually served more than three times the recommended sentence. He maintains that he never murdered anyone, never intended to hurt anyone and has never before or indeed since the age of 17 been involved in any violence. He says he is now semi-institutionalised and a true product of the system. No longer jailed in relation to the original offence, he has become somewhat of a political prisoner: being punished over and over by a retributive system for his years of rebellion and breaches of petty rules.
Gary on right with green jacket and blond spikes 1979/80 – photo courtesy of Carol Coombes.
Some of Gary’s prison artwork may be viewed HERE
http://www.justiceforgarycritchley.org
Template for contacting MP’s and other officials or media. Please cut and paste the document below onto a word document and print it out to send by post or fax.
Dear …………………..,
I am contacting you regarding Gary Critchley, prisoner no B39969 (A1473AK), convicted of murder in 1981.
The Judge at the time recommended he serve no more than 9/10 years.
This is now his 30th year of incarceration. The conviction is unsafe and according to his solicitor one of the worst miscarriages of justice Britain has ever seen.
Briefly the case is as follows, however please read the Private Eye article
(http://www.b39969.org.uk/pdf/private_eye_24July2009.pdf)
for full details.
Gary allegedly killed a man in 1980. During this murder he sustained frontal lobe damage to his brain, by being hit with a hammer. He also broke his back, ankle and wrist and was found in the street covered in blood.
The victim sustained more than 20 blows with a hammer.
The blood on Gary was found to be from his injuries and there was not one speck of the victim’s blood on him.
The victim was discovered in a room on the upper floor in the building, Gary was found outside on the pavement.
The only evidence to link Gary to the crime was a trainer, two or three sizes too small for him, on his left foot. On his right foot was his own boot which fitted him.
Gary apparently killed the victim, avoiding any blood, changed one shoe, hit himself on the head with the hammer, and then jumped out of the window.
The truth indicates that both Gary and the victim were attacked by a third party, who remains at liberty.
I feel that this really is a grave miscarriage of justice.
Unfortunately, this is not a high profile case, merely the case of an ordinary citizen who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. A person who nearly lost his life, but who ended up in prison himself, for something the forensic evidence suggests that he didn’t commit.
I am asking you to look into this, because I know if you do, you will want to take it further.
……………………………………………… Signature.
December 19th, 2009 at 1:30 am
Wouldn’t it be an idea to get in touch with MOJO?
http://www.mojoscotland.com/
December 19th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
I am an old friend of Gary and was with him that fateful night in Waterloo station I would like to do anything I can to help Gary, I had no idea he was still in prison after all these years, I last saw him in Long Lartin HMP when I visited him in 1985.
December 20th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
good stuff Al-this is the link to contact Home Secretary Alan Johnston by email
http://www.alanjohnson.org/?page_id=58
December 27th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
when i tried to email wendy thurley @ wt1000@cam.ac.uk keep getting a failure to deliver message back from google.
anyone else tried to email with success?
would be good if we had a contact address for gary to write to him in prison, maybe send him stuff like books or magazines, not sure what your actually allowed to send prisoners, anyone know?
December 28th, 2009 at 9:36 am
Jock – try Julie jac46@cam.ac.uk. I had an e-mail from her just before Xmas.
December 28th, 2009 at 10:39 am
thanx al, sent one to julie not long after i got the delivery failure notice after trying wendys, no reply yet so at least it must have got thru, probabley on her crimbo break at mo?
December 30th, 2009 at 11:47 am
I got an email from Julie and she said it would be ok to copy and paste it here @ kypp……..
Thank you ever so much for your message regards Gary’s dire situation. It is exactly your type of response and support that he needs. It is not straightforward to send him things but the first step is just to write to him, Gary writes wonderful letters and further down the line what he could do with is some cash in order to buy stamps, paper, envelopes but just write to him first and see what he has to say. I will find out the exact way of sending postal orders to the prison for him and let you know.
Once this holiday period is over, and I personally needed this break, we will be having a talk with Glyn Maddocks, Gary’s solicitor, to see how best to move forward with the supporters who have appeared from this discovery of Bob Short’s book and the chapter on Campbell Buildings. It was pure chance and perhaps a breakthrough if we can dig up some real witnesses?
I will keep you informed as soon as we have news on next steps forward. There are quite a few of you who read KYPP and have been in touch and this is very positive I have to say.
This is Gary’s address. He cannot receive books before prior warning as he has to supply some paperwork to the prison authorities to release whatever is sent him. He cannot receive CD’s unfortunately as I had thought music would be helpful. He will need painting materials but as I said earlier let us take this step by step and as in all cases of this sort the biggest drawback is funding. We are doing this so far with no financial help whatsoever and one idea is to sell Gary’s artwork and cards I have made from photographing his paintings but all of this takes time to set up, organize and most importantly fund. But as Gary has been inside now for 28 years (can you even begin to imagine….) I think we have a bit of time to get cracking. Once again thank you so much.
Gary Critchley (B39969)
H.M.Prison Gartree
Hospital Wing
Leicestershire
LE16 7RP
With warm regards and may 2010 mean a good year in Gary’s life…l
Julie
January 9th, 2010 at 10:16 pm
Michelle Says:
January 8th, 2010 at 6:40 pm edit
I’m Gary Critchleys sister, we all know Gary didnt do this and was stitched up by the police for it. His Trial was at the Old Bailey the same time as the Yorkshire ripper (Peter Sutcliffe). The way things are he will be released before Gary. If anyone wants to write to Gary the address is:
Gary Critchley B39969
H.C.C.H.M Prison
Gartree
Leicestershire
LE16-7RP
Comment left on the Campbell Buildings post
January 21st, 2010 at 7:03 am
Eeh oop tony.
I dunno mate,in 2 years you never posted about the heretics…!!
I think sam has passed on all the contact details for the support group and lawyer etc to you ?
If not email me @baronvonzubb@hotmail.com
I’m in South India atm but get to the net every week or so.
Hello to all in puppyland from maharastra (south of mumbai).
Cheers jake
January 21st, 2010 at 9:38 am
The following statement below from Glyn Maddocks, the solicitor handling Gary’s case:
Gary welcomes and appreciates all contact from those who were living in Campbell Buildings in the early 1980’s or knew people who were there or who may have knowledge of the events that led to the murder of Edward McNeil.
Gary has served 28 years in prison for this crime for which he is innocent and needs anyone who can help to provide fresh evidence to clear his name to come forward. If requested any evidence provided will be treated confidentially. For practical reasons Gary cannot respond to each individual contact but thanks everyone who makes contact – any information however trivial or insignificant it may seem could perhaps be of vital importance.
Some of Gary’s writing has now been uploaded – some poems and excerpts from his letters……..
http://www.b39969.org.uk/index.html
January 22nd, 2010 at 12:19 pm
got a great letter from him yesterday,in it he says he really could do with clothes donating-if his sister or julie are reading this what size his he?
sure there are folk out there with old teeshirts and jeans they no longer wear?
he also would really appreciate postal orders of any amount,everything has to be purchased inside,cant send him much really,i thought they allowed stamps so they can reply to people but even thats verbotten.
going to send him a PO for a few quid next payday.
January 22nd, 2010 at 2:21 pm
also just got a beautifully hand painted postcard from gary today,i sent one stamp with my letter to him and apparently if its just one it will get thru.
January 24th, 2010 at 12:48 am
nice one jock, and even nicer to be chillin’ in India zubb, coz its a wee bit chilly here,but very glad to hear from you all again was a bit worried by the silence, julie
January 24th, 2010 at 12:49 am
forgot to thank penguin for posting Glyn’s message
January 29th, 2010 at 5:14 pm
Gary is a large in tops and will only wear long sleeves because of all his tattoo’s. He is a 32 waist. Anyone sending any clothes has to write to him first and then he has to let the prison know that they are going to be sent in.
Michelle
February 28th, 2010 at 1:28 pm
have recently sent gary a postcard to tell him to ask permission for some clothes to send him.
has anyone else, especially those who knew him back then been writing to him?
March 3rd, 2010 at 5:30 am
Saw this bit of inflammatory nonsense about the Bulger killer tonight and it made me ask myself even more about why Gary is still locked up…
“When Jon Venables walked out of prison in 2001, it was not as a free man. His release came because the Parole Board decided the public would be safe if he were allowed into the community on a licence that includes strict conditions.
A criminal’s recall to prison is triggered by one of three circumstances. He either committed a crime, showed the signs that he was about to, or breached specific conditions imposed. Breaches can be technical, such as being out of the home at the exact start of a curfew, or far more serious, such as contacting a victim’s family.
Venables will be told why he is back inside and he can seek a full oral hearing before the Parole Board. But with public protection being the top priority, the panel will start with the case for keeping him inside, rather than the argument for letting him out.”
Well: what are they doing to Gary? Is having a drink when you’re in a bail hostel or copping off with someone when you haven’t had the opportunity to do it for 20 bloody years “committing a crime”, “being about to”, or “breaching a specific condition”?
@Michelle-> 32 waist and a large chest… Will try to sort something out (though not from my personal clothing vault as I have descended bodily into a tub of lard to make Roy Hattersley look like Michael Foot, over the years!)
March 3rd, 2010 at 5:41 am
Last week I sent Julie Coimbra a list of all the names (alive and dead) of people I could remember living at CB in 1980 who weren’t regular posters on here. It might help if you guys sorted her out a few names too, just to cross reference.
This has to be the year that Gary gets out. One of us may have that crucial bit of information that gets his case back to the CCRB. We MUST all try. Even if that’s exhausted, let’s not forget that it’s an election year and all of the politicians will be well keen to be seen to be doing things. Let’s try at least to get him out on license again – without him having to admit to something he hasn’t done, obviously.
As I’ve said before, Gary is one of us. Always was, always will be – no matter what you are doing now. He who lives without a sense of history is living from hand to mouth.
March 3rd, 2010 at 11:46 am
nice one pork pie, are people still up for a march/demo down in london? cant promise if i can persuade people to come down but i would certainley try and make it, on benefits at the mo so cash flow aint even a trickle.
what about some fathers for justice type actions to get more publicity? (i aint wearing latex trousers tho!)
remember the case of george davies when supporters got onto the cricket pitch at lords or the oval, mashed up the pitch and threw oil over it, didnt they write gd is innocent on the crease with the oil, just a thought.
good luck pp.
March 3rd, 2010 at 3:35 pm
I’m definitely on for a march – anyone got any ideas other than latex trousers though? I’d end up getting nicked for obscenity!
I remember the George Davis thing – he ended up getting released and then going back inside for a suspiciously similar armed robbery, didn’t he? Waste of a good cricket pitch, that bloke!
Apologies for the Michael Foot reference above, btw – it was before I heard of his death and was simply a jokey reference to my increasing waistline with the fattest and thinnest politicians from the eighties that
I could think of. Trust me to open my big mouth
March 3rd, 2010 at 6:20 pm
no-the sight of several now slighly not as thin as we used to be anarcho punks in latex,not a good idea i agree, we’d be arrested for gross indecencey before we even set off!
plus trying to do anything with all the cctv makes it trickier.
March 4th, 2010 at 3:41 pm
On a strange note, I saw a bit of ‘George Davis is Innocent’ graffiti in a strange location (Leamington Spa) about 2 weeks ago…It looked pretty fresh as well (despite being in the traditional 1970′s ‘Paint Brush’ style)…Perhaps it was a Sham fan?
March 4th, 2010 at 3:57 pm
thats just surreal, it was probably jimmy pursey! didnt look very well last time i saw him on some telly doc.
March 4th, 2010 at 4:53 pm
maybe it’s a viral marketing campaign for M&S clothing line?
March 7th, 2010 at 10:16 pm
They’ve probably ‘Slapped (why is it always slapped?) a preservation order on it’ and it’s been restored. There was a paintbrushed ‘Vote Wilson’ near Swiss Cottage for years and years which was a bit weird to read in the 90s.
March 8th, 2010 at 4:06 am
[insert "Slappers" joke of your choice]
Milan Kundera would probably appreciate the irony: the first occurrence ever of someone being airbrushed INTO history!
March 8th, 2010 at 4:27 am
BTW, does anyone else remember the “Free George Ince” campaign?
Look here… http://www.ennever.com/histories/history7414.php
… for some sobering similarities with Gary’s treatment both at the hands of the Old Bill Stitch up and his subsequent treatment inside at the hands of HMP. The difference? Gary wasn’t even a mate of the Krays!
Let’s make sure that Gary gets out this year before the 30th anniversary of his incarceration. The person that I was then has been very significant in making me the person that I am now. If you think the same way about yourself, then come on… let’s get the man out, eh?
Anything you can remember, no matter how insignificant you think it might be, please send it to Julie Coimbra. In the meantime, let’s get this march arranged.
May your God go with y’all!
March 8th, 2010 at 4:43 am
… and just as a matter of interest, is there anyone out there who thinks that Gary’s was a safe, sound conviction on the basis of the evidence offered at the time, and also with the hindsight that modern forensic techniques offer us?
And of course the hindsight that 30 years of bent Old Bill being called to account offer us too.
I’d be keen to know.
March 8th, 2010 at 9:35 am
once gary is out, shouldnt the arresting officers be investigated, reading the link gerard posted, i read the case of Robery Brown who was sent down for the murder of a woman in manchester, he was beaten to fuck to confess to the killing, the cop in charge later stood trial for all sorts of corruption along with other manchester c.i.d. officers, they’d been bang at it for years, ‘the firm within a firm’ being the classic description of their working methods, Ex DCI Jack Butler was found guilty of all sorts of corruption, Robert Brown is trying to take him back to court regarding his own case claiming Ex DCI Jack Butler and others conspired to keep him inside by lieing and not disclosing important evidence that proved Robert was innocent from the start,you can read about it here http://www.mojoscotland.com/robert_brown/robert_brown.html
on Roberts release one of the first things he said was, ‘i’m free now,but there are loads of innocent people serving time inside,absolutely loads’.
we all remember the methods of policing in the 70′s and 80′s, it makes you wonder how much nasty work has gone on at the hands of those old style cops, hidden away or shredded and destroyed, theyve got away with murder and god knows what else.
March 15th, 2010 at 5:33 pm
Hello everyone, I received this message for you all in my latest letter from Gary. Julie
From: Gary Critchley (CRAP) to K.Y.P.P. users.
I would like to say thank you to everyone that has tried to help me or even thought about trying to help. Your thoughts have kept me going lately when things have been rough.
Thank you to Penguin, Pork for his letter about me to Julie. Thank you to Sam for the memories, and especially to the couple of people John (Jock) and Dale (& his amazing monkeys) who took the time to write to me in person. As Al Puppy said its mail that keeps you going in jail.
I don’t have a crystal-ball (not even a ball of crystal meth) but it’s not hard to guess what the future holds for me (without some extreme changes), however there are a few embers of hope still smouldering within me. Some new evidence or even existing evidence that could be looked at in a new light might yield something that changes everything. Another far more unexpected seed of hope was finding out about you lot, that you still exist and what’s more have blossomed into the caring adults you are now (even if we are still 17 inside). Thankyou.
——————————————–
I would just like to add that next time you write to Gary please include his newest prison number which is (A1473AK).
Therefore his full address is:
Gary Critchley B39969 (A1473AK)
H.C.C. H.M.Prison Gartree
Leicestershire
LE16 7RP
I have made a lot of cards of Gary’s paintings and they have a label on the back with his website address. I am happy to send you all some so that you may distribute them to friends and family to extend the message.
You may write to me directly at juliecoimbra@gmail.com with your postal address and I’ll get them to you posthaste.
Regards to all,
Julie
March 18th, 2010 at 5:24 pm
pork since we had that review in vice i contacted them to see if they were interested in running a piece. they aint got back to me yet but if anyone has any media contacts that may be a way to go. chris l, wanna prompt
your mate james about this?
March 19th, 2010 at 4:51 pm
New paintings in the gallery at http://www.b39969.org.uk/gallery.html
The Hate Factory
Having been in prison for more than two thirds of my life now, I have witnessed dramatic changes in most prisons at least. However the essence of prison – a mixture of loneliness, grief, pain, self pity and violence – is still there, simmering below the surface. ‘The Hate Factory’ represents that essence of prison to me.
The meeting of dark and light colours is representative of that meeting of old and new. Reform clashing with retribution. Prison to me is the ultimate melting pot, not just of every colour and creed but of every other class or division. The great leveller. The Hate Factory is meant to represent how prison for many is destruction and an end of everything they hold dear, whilst for a lucky few it is a new beginning. The representation of the cockroach sat on the slop-bucket, the recurring keyholes, the fat rat and the shadows of the bars are all to remind us that the past still lurks beneath.
Gary Critchley, 2007
Parole
This painting is representative of the parole system and the depth of feeling that it evokes. Anyone awaiting a parole answer is under a tremendous amount of pressure.
The painting is meant to portray the anxiety and confusion I feel at such times. The way I’m metaphysically torn apart by this All Important Question, when all I want is answers. The fact that my ‘head is in bits’. Part of me searches for light at the end of the tunnel, but the way is blocked to me by untold faceless bureaucrats. I dream of the world outside, but my memories have become faded like aged sepia tinted photographs, and it’s like part of me doesn’t want to see as it’s too painful and there is an element of institutionalisation. While another part of me yearns for the wings of freedom. The deep red is significant of the confusion/anger that clouds my mind. I feel like a robot at such times, like I’m in a fugue like state and running on automatic, and everything is inverted. The curtains represent the shroud of despair that envelopes me as a little bit of me dies with each refusal.
Gary Critchley, 2007
March 20th, 2010 at 9:38 pm
Gary has posted in the Bob Short Trash excerpt thread:
“hello, julie and wendy if you are reading this is me gary, i’ve just found out that i can contact the site from here in the hospital. so i hope that maybe in the future i may be able to contact and reply to you all direct from here
. all the best gary. now officially barking mad”
I’ve copied it here as well.
March 21st, 2010 at 9:24 am
Hi there Gary, nice to hear from you! great news that you’ve found a computer outlet! Julie.
March 23rd, 2010 at 1:09 pm
Gary
Great to hear from you outside, I hope this means communication will be easier. I hope you’re settling down okay.
March 24th, 2010 at 12:45 pm
As you will see above we received a message directly from Gary and yesterday both Wendy and myself received letters from him. Gary was moved to a secure hospital for an undetermined time and we hope he will soon be able to contact you all personally. We will keep you posted with fresh news.
March 27th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
Julie; thank you for the cards – they are very, very good. I can start to do my (little) bit now.
April 2nd, 2010 at 3:10 pm
I knew Gary (we called him Crap) when he was punk. I’ve just read through this and it’s made me cry. How the hell can he still be in there?
I was under the impression he was out a long time ago, and we’d hope, living a happy life.
Thankyou for publicising this.
Have we a campaign group together I could join- can we form one?
I’ve been part of various campaigns, and can contact others who are much better than me- how do I make direct contact with those managing this?
Does anyone have as a ‘standard’ mail that can go to the Home Secretary that we can get post across websites so people just have ti complete and send?
Please let me know what I can do- I’m writing to Crap now
Best
April 2nd, 2010 at 6:20 pm
Dear Carol, really great to hear from you, especially if you have friends with campaigning experience as Wendy and I, who got to know Gary through his art, have none at all and we were just waiting for someone like you to appear!
We are in fact going to visit Gary tomorrow at the place he has been moved to and I will tell him you have been in touch.
I will also post up here tomorrow any messages Gary has to everyone. Finding you all out there, alive and kicking has really made a great difference in his life and perhaps we can all put our heads and ideas together to get this campaign finally on the road?
This is Gary’s new address, he will appreciate hearing from you.
As you can see above your message, I sent Dev some cards I have made which are Gary’s paintings. If you would like me to send you some please send me your address.
Dev, I am glad you liked them, sorry for not having replied earlier.
I am a bit apprehensive about our visit tomorrow but will let you all know the outcome.
Gary’s new address is: Rowan House, Buxton, Norwich, NR10 5RH
Carol, my address is juliecoimbra@gmail.com
Thanks again for your very positive message. Look forward to working with you.
Julie
April 3rd, 2010 at 11:58 am
great to hear from, you gary in person.
julie, keep us posted.
April 3rd, 2010 at 9:15 pm
Hi all of Gary’s friends and those of you wanting to help campaign to clear his name and obtain his freedom.
Wendy and I spent over two hours today with Gary at Rowan House. He is a lovely chap as we had already realized from all of the letters we have received from him and he talked non-stop and very eloquently indeed.
He is alright though very thin, not like some of us out here, and appreciates very much everything you are all doing for him, your thoughts, prayers and deeds.
We are waiting to hear from Carol (recently wrote here above) regarding campaign ideas.
You may write to Gary and even phone him should any of you wish to speak directly with him just @mail me and I’ll pass on his phone number.
We don’t really know what happens next but he is in a better place right now and the time has come for us to act.
We hope to meet up with Glyn, Gary’s solicitor in the near future, probably in London and I’ll let you know as if any of you wish to join us please do so, the more the better.
Gary does not remember Carol so can you remind him from when/where you know him.
We took him loads of stuff, clothes, art books, edibles etc and he’ll let us know of any other things he could do with but he now has a TV and is getting on with painting. We want to take him a CD player and he will be allowed to receive shop bought CD’s.
Please do not give up on Gary, he does not deserve having spent all this time in very difficult places and we must prevent him at all costs being sent back behind bars.
If any of you would like to visit him there is no problem at all, perhaps just the distance. Rowan House is just beyond Norwich but I think it can be done by train and then taxi if you do not have a car.
Looking forward to hearing from you and enjoy the rest of the Easter.
Julie
April 5th, 2010 at 3:08 am
@Gary-> Great to know you can talk to us on here fella. Hope all is more positive in the new place. sounds like a much better environment. Keep the faith, there’s a lot of us out here trying to get some justice for you.
@Carol-> If you want a letter to write to the Home Sec, there’s one I’ve done in Word format – get my email address from Penguin and write to me – I’ll send it by return.
@Baron->An article in Vice sounds like a good idea – why not start work on one and we can give it a run past them?
@Julie-> I’m in for any action – direct or otherwise. Let me know.
April 5th, 2010 at 9:08 am
Great — I’ll mail Julie now.
April 5th, 2010 at 9:09 am
We’d not seen this response – apologies – and so began making some noise of our own – (details on Crown Punks Birmingham F/book page), including contacting media, MPs, Cracked Actors raised it at a gig, and we put a list of basic things people can do – we’ll get hold of you now to see how we can coordinate what we’re all doing, and thankyou v much for the update re a visit, and all you’ve been doing for him – we wouldn’t even have known where he was but for this and (ex Punk )Tom’s sleuth work.
Most importantly of everything that’s happened, Sharon spoke to him for a good few hours last night – and he was in great form as he would have been by a call from her. Fudge is speaking to him today – I’ll wait til he remembers me, if he does, to do so, (from when we were Punks, tho I was more a skin then in 79) and will continue to write to him anyway so he has additional entertainment in letters from people.
April 5th, 2010 at 9:10 am
Eh oop jah p. hows it going? bruvaman why dont you write the article while im hassling the editor online? he’s prob sick of me by now, and your writing style is v excellent as we know. then i can present it to him as something done by ‘the campaign ‘ rather than by myself. what d’you think?
April 6th, 2010 at 3:36 am
Hello everyone,
I knew Gary back around 1979/1980 from the Crown, as Carol C mentioned yesterday ( April 5th). Just wanted to say hello and add my name to the list here so I get the e-mail updates.
April 10th, 2010 at 11:47 pm
I knew Gary from 1978. Visited him in Wormwood Scrubs, and somewhere else I can’t recall. Like Carol I thought he was now out and living a (hopefully) good life!
Devasted to find out last week he is still in prison. Spoken to him a lot. Please everyone, contact your local MP, and ask them to ask questions in the house regarding the unsafe conviction of Gary. The most awareness we can raise the better!
April 13th, 2010 at 1:01 am
i spoke to gary(crap)on saturday by phone.i know him,carol,sharon and tom from the early birmingham punk scene.im in a fairly well known punk band and am sharing a lot of this stuff through our site to try and raise awareness also. ill be following what goes on and hopefully can get involved a little more as it really is a ridiculous situation that has to be resolved as soon as possible!
April 13th, 2010 at 9:06 am
how about somone creating a template letter to send to our mps, i’m a bit crap at writing letters to officialdom so having one would be useful for me and maybe others as well.
April 13th, 2010 at 3:42 pm
Jock,
Here is a short e-mail to send to MP’s
Reference: Gary Critchley, prisoner no B39969 (A1473AK) , held at Gartree Prison in Leicestershire.
I believe Gary has been a victim of a terrible miscarriage of Justice, and I demand an investigation into his situation
Please respond to let me know how we proceed with this, within 10 days of receipt of this e-mail.
Here is a longer letter version with the pertinent facts;
Dear …………………..,
I am contacting you regarding Gary Critchley, prisoner no B39969 (A1473AK) , held at Gartree Prison in Leicestershire.
Gary was “convicted” of murder in 1980. The Judge at the time recommended he serve no more than 9 years. This is now his 30th year. Furthermore, the conviction is unsafe to say the least, according to Private Eye it is one of the worst miscarriages of justice Britain has ever seen;
Reference: http://www.b39969.org.uk/pdf/private_eye_24July2009.pdf
Please allow me to briefly outline the case, in the hope and expectation that you will look into this further.
Gary allegedly killed a man in 1979. During this murder he sustained frontal lobe damage to his brain, by being hit on the head with a hammer. He also broke his back, ankle, and arm. He was found in the street covered in blood. The victim sustained more than 20 blows with a hammer. The blood found on Gary was found to be from his own injuries only, not one speck of the victims blood was found on Gary. The victim was found in a room on the upper floor in the building, Gary was found outside.
The only “evidence” to link Gary to the crime was a trainer on his left foot. This trainer was two or three sizes too small for him. On his right foot was his own boot which fitted him.
Therefore, Gary apparently killed the victim, avoiding any blood, changed one shoe, hit himself on the head with the hammer, and then jumped out of the window.
The truth indicates that both Gary, and the victim were attacked by a third party, who remains at liberty.
Gary has been released on licence twice and recalled. The first time he allegedly had intimate relations with a peer before absconding from a rehabilitation unit. The second time he failed to keep a probation appointment. I am not condoning this, however in Gary’s case I’m sure you would agree it draws a great deal of empathy given his situation.
I feel that this really is a grave miscarriage of justice. Unfortunately, this is not a high profile case. It appears to be a case of an ordinary citizen who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, a person who nearly lost his life, but who ended up in prison himself, for something the forensic evidence suggests that he didn’t commit.
I am asking you to look into this, because I know if you do, you will want to take it further.
April 13th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
thanks tom,lets bombared them with this,cheers.
April 13th, 2010 at 4:36 pm
Apparently Gary’s case falls within the realms of the Ministry of Justice, their e-mail address is ;
general.queries@justice.gsi.gov.uk
Personally I would still e-mail or write to my local MP and CC the Home Secretary: atjohnsona@parliament.uk
April 13th, 2010 at 4:54 pm
Dear Jock, Tom and everyone else concerned about Gary’s case and gearing themselves up for the campaign; onslaught of letters to be sent to your MP’s; fund-raising events to be organized; Gary’s art to be put on exhibit etc; music events and many other ideas.
Please wait until Carol, who is now spear-heading the campaign agrees on the wording of the above letter together with Gary’s solicitor.
Gary is no longer in Gartree prison.
You may write to him at Rowan House, a secure hospital where he is currently under assessment, address is in a message above.
Something will be posted here very soon that can be used as a template.
Julie
April 13th, 2010 at 5:08 pm
ill hang on with the letter writing till a template goes up. best to do this right! carol is well on the case!
April 13th, 2010 at 5:25 pm
Cheers! we do need to coordinate so that the correct information goes out!
April 13th, 2010 at 6:10 pm
There is also the minor detail of a general election going on.There are no MPs or ministers of justice etc to send letters to. Parliament has been dissolved and will not meet again until 18 May.
Depending on the outcome there could be a new (Tory) regime in charge – if so Chris Grayling will be Home Secretary and Dominic Grieve Justice Minister.
April 13th, 2010 at 9:37 pm
I’ve not long spoken to Gary- he’s in great form and asked me to pass on his thanks to everyone who’s still concerned with him and his situation.
We’re currently trying to pull together all the relevant information and papers, and all the interested parties, and have spoken with Gary’s solicitor.
PLEASE DON’T PUT ANYTHING ON HOLD.
Do all you can, and if you can, let us know, to share your ideas with others. You can’t do anything BUT help if you raise awareness of Gary’s situation.
We’re aiming to get all the publicity out that we can, with the salient facts.
Please visit the ‘Crown Punks Birmingham’ facebook page for now, for added ideas, and add your own:
We’re in parliamentary recess now, so no MPS are back til May- this gives us a few weeks to work out exactly how to do this best.
In the meantime, please spread the word however you can- through your gigs, asking people to visit this site and write/phone mail their MPS, (asking for an Early Day Motion in the house), to raise Gary’s plight there.
A number of bands have suggested putting on fundraising gigs – please do – and please urge people to visit this website to find out more.
Best
C
April 14th, 2010 at 2:10 pm
great idea of the template. and fund/awareness raiser. jah p hows it going with the vice thing?
April 14th, 2010 at 6:04 pm
BVZ/JOck- the vice thing?? tell us more if you think we can help?
The template (below) is pretty much as Tom put up, and is the one that’s been used on the punks fbook page (cheers Tom)
In my opinion we’ll do best to keep it short and sweet so there’s absolutely no confusion about what we’re asking for.
Parliaments in recess now, and not back til May.
We should work on getting as many people as possible to all mail their MP’s on one particular day (June 1st), so it can’t be ignored.
New MP’s may be more likely to send a non- standard response.
Template:
Subject title: urgent response required
Reference: Gary Critchley, prisoner no B39969 (A1473AK) , held currently at Rowan House in Norfolk,
I believe Gary has been a victim of a terrible miscarriage of Justice, and as one of your constituents, I request that you demand an investigation into his situation.
Please table an Early Day Motion in the House, and follow this up by number with questions to the Leader of the House when back in session.
Please respond with confirmation within 10 days of receipt of this e-mail.
And then if you’ve not had a proper response (not just confirmation of receipt): send it again
Best
C
April 14th, 2010 at 6:06 pm
Tom- as the IT genius, would you be able to cut the pic down to just show Gary?
April 14th, 2010 at 6:37 pm
From google found that Norman Baker, LibDem MP for Lewes asked the Solicitor General [Vera Baird] about Gary Critchley on 12 October 2009.
Is there any background / follow up to this request?
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm091012/text/91012w0001.htm
Gary Critchley
Norman Baker: To ask the Solicitor-General what representations she has received concerning the safety of the conviction of Gary Critchley; and if she will make a statement. [292384]
12 Oct 2009 : Column 2W
The Solicitor-General: No representations have been received concerning the safety of the conviction of Gary Critchley.
April 14th, 2010 at 6:59 pm
cheers alistair: No – there was none as no representations had been made. this is what we’re asking for in the mails, and should move it on a bit.
April 15th, 2010 at 6:24 am
Hi, I’m an old Crown punk and I admit at first I couldn’t put a face to the name Gary Critchley but could vaguely remember the name Crap. Now, however, I have seen the pic posted to the Crown punx facebook page and I do remember him. I, like Tom D am adding this comment to also receive regular updates. I am no longer living in Birmingham but will try sending a letter to my Worcestershire MP. Who knows the more widespread it gets passed around the more coverage we may get!
I will write to Gary although he may not remember me lol! Hopefully it will be some help.
PS this is the first time I have seen this site, following a chat to Sharon on how to find it. So I’m sorry for the delay in supporting.
April 15th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
im waiting from mr vice to reply on wether theyre interested. in the meantime jah porks doing an article that we’ll bombard them with. when thats done mr jah p will mail you carol.
chris low of this site is mates with mr vice and could use that to the campaigns advantage there. but chris has been quiet so far on this (pengween can’t you blackmail him or something???).
i had a wizard wheez involving some family members in the media industry that i thought might lead to, at least being able to present ray winstone or danny boyle with a decent email about gary. but its lead to nothing. anyone else got a way of getting in touch with that type of uk face?
cheers j
April 15th, 2010 at 3:13 pm
remember jimmy boyle the scottish guy who was reformed through art classes etc. ended up marrying his art teacher or something. had a lot of publicity. he was friends with the exploited back in the day. anyone able to get in touch with him? cheers!
April 15th, 2010 at 8:56 pm
jock b-maybe the organisation gerard mentioned at the start of this post might know…..http://www.mojoscotland.com/
funnily enough i read jimmy boyles autubiography a few months ago.
April 17th, 2010 at 9:56 pm
We have the Hare and Hounds in Birmingham for free, for three benefit gigs for Gary……GBH, Drongos for Europe, and Cracked Actors have agreed to play for free…..Many thanks to them, and many thanks to Adam, at the Hare and Hounds who did not hesitate in saying yes to all my requests………We need full houses at all three gigs to raise cash for Gary’s fighting fund. looking at around August I think!……Watch this space!
April 18th, 2010 at 9:36 am
Below is the approved template that you could copy and paste onto a word document and send out to interested parties and MPs etc.
Dear …………………,
I am contacting you regarding Gary Critchley, prisoner no B39969 (A1473AK), convicted of murder in 1981.
The Judge at the time recommended he serve no more than 9/10 years.
This is now his 30th year of incarceration. The conviction is unsafe and according to his solicitor one of the worst miscarriages of justice Britain has ever seen (http://www.b39969.org.uk/pdf/private_eye_24July2009.pdf)
Briefly the case is as follows, however please read the above article for full details.
Gary allegedly killed a man in 1980. During this murder he sustained frontal lobe damage to his brain, by being hit with a hammer. He also broke his back, ankle and wrist and was found in the street covered in blood.
The victim sustained more than 20 blows with a hammer.
The blood on Gary was found to be from his injuries and there was not one speck of the victim’s blood on him.
The victim was discovered in a room on the upper floor in the building, Gary was found outside on the pavement.
The only evidence to link Gary to the crime was a trainer, two or three sizes too small for him, on his left foot. On his right foot was his own boot which fitted him.
Gary apparently killed the victim, avoiding any blood, changed one shoe, hit himself on the head with the hammer, and then jumped out of the window.
The truth indicates that both Gary and the victim were attacked by a third party, who remains at liberty.
I feel that this really is a grave miscarriage of justice.
Unfortunately, this is not a high profile case, merely the case of an ordinary citizen who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. A person who nearly lost his life, but who ended up in prison himself, for something the forensic evidence suggests that he didn’t commit.
I am asking you to look into this, because I know if you do, you will want to take it further.
……………………….. Signature.
April 18th, 2010 at 4:56 pm
here is a great mail/ letter from Pauline Madden. This could be used quickly by all too: please amend as you wish and send- THE MORE THE BETTER, to every newspaper editor and news editor (radio/ tv etc) – please add in detals of any other editors/ media people who’ve been contacted so we can make as many people aware as is poss.
IF WE COULD ALL MAIL JUST ONE PERSON PER DAY, THE DIFFERENCE WOULD BE HUGE.
For the attention of: Justice on Trial – Investigation Team
Subject: Gary Critchley – A Miscarriage of Justice
Dear Sir,
Please may I draw your attention to the case of Gary Critchley, in the sincere hope and expectation that you will look into his case as part of your ongoing investigation: Justice on Trial.
Gary Critchley was convicted in 1981, when he was 17 years of age, on what appears to be an unsafe conviction. He is still imprisoned today.
I have included, for your reference, a link to a recent article from Private Eye Magazine (first published in July 2009), which summarises the events of Gary’s arrest and conviction.
http://www.b39969.org.uk/pdf/private_eye_24July2009.pdf
Gary was convicted of murder in 1981.
The Judge at his original trial recommended that he serve no more than 9 years.
Gary has been in custody for thirty years.
There are a number of factors that appear to make the original conviction unsafe:
• Errors in the handling and processing of material evidence
• Flaws in circumstantial evidence
• Failure to include evidence that may have been used in his defence
• Errors in documentary, and in documenting, evidence
• Discrepancies in the statements of prosecution witnesses
This is unfortunately neither an exhaustive, nor a comprehensive, list.
According to the article published by Private Eye, Gary Critchley’s case is “…one of the worst miscarriages of justice Britain has ever seen”.
Gary was convicted of murder in 1981. He was charged, tried and convicted of the murder after it was alleged that he had fatally attacked the victim with a hammer. (Please may I refer you to the linked Private Eye article, which sets out the circumstances surrounding the alleged fatal attack?)
In the early hours of Saturday 28th June 1980, Gary had been found lying seriously injured, and covered in blood, on the pavement outside his squat. He had sustained serious injury, including frontal lobe damage to his brain (caused by hammer blows to his head), a broken back, arm, and ankle. Analysis of his blood at the time indicated the presence of alcohol and sleeping tablets.
The murder victim was found in an upper-floor room of the same squat building.
Circumstantial evidence, and physical forensic evidence obtained at the time, suggested that both Gary, and the victim, were attacked by a third party.
Analysis of the blood found on Gary proved that it had come from his injuries exclusively.
None of the victim’s blood was found on Gary.
The evidence that was used to link Gary to the crime scene consisted of an un-tied training shoe, found on his left foot when was discovered lying in the street. The Prosecution alleged that prints matching the training shoe were found at the crime scene. This training shoe was two to three sizes too small for him, and was not in accordance with his usual type of footwear. He was found wearing a black, laced-up work boot on his right foot (this fitted him correctly and was identified as being his usual footwear).
The case for the prosecution suggested the following improbable sequence of events: That Gary had attacked the victim, changed one of his shoes, self-inflicted a serious head-wound with the hammer (a wound of sufficient severity to cause brain damage) and jumped from the upper floor window of the squat.
Witness statements for the prosecution were contradictory, inconsistent and contained discrepancies. Statements given to police by the other squatters had initially said that two to three hours after Gary and the victim had been seen entering the squat, three men had arrived in a car. At least one witness described two of the men going upstairs to the squat, while one man kept watch downstairs. This account was subsequently changed when presented as prosecution evidence in court. The defence counsel failed to challenge the witnesses about the discrepancies between their statements and the evidence given in court and relied upon by the prosecution.
In the 30 years since his conviction, Gary has twice been released on licence, and subsequently recalled. He was recalled, following his initial release, after he was alleged to have had a relationship (in contravention to his conditions of licence) and had absconded from a rehabilitation unit. He was recalled following his second release when he failed to attend an appointment with his probation officer. Though Gary had technically contravened his licencing conditions on both occasions, it seems like a rather hard and disproportionately punitive response to recall him to prison, considering the relatively minor nature of his non-compliance , the amount of time he had spent in custody and the fact that he wasn’t considered to be a risk to the community.
I am deeply concerned that Gary Critchley has been the victim of a grave miscarriage of justice.
I feel that he has been let-down and badly-served on many levels, and by many agencies from which he had the fundamental right to expect recourse.
I would be so grateful if you could look into this as a matter of urgency. It’s really difficult for me to understand how this could have happened in a civilized democracy: it’s just so fundamentally at odds with what I would expect from a humane society and from our judicial system.
Gary’s details are as follows:
Gary Critchley – Prisoner number: B39969 (A1473AK)
Rowan House
Buxton
Norwich
Norfolk
NR10- 5RH
Many thanks for your time and for your consideration,
April 19th, 2010 at 3:45 am
I emailed it, with a list of signaturies to :
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/series/justice-on-trial
Have a look: they have had a hand in addressing/raising the profile of many serious miscarriages of justice.
It would be good if we can get their attention by maybe a lot of people sending something similar, or just flagging up your concerns and Gary’s name to them. If his name crops up repeatedly in correspondence to them, we can maybe raise his profile and hopefully use their considerable resources.
Love and best wishes, Pauline xxx
April 19th, 2010 at 3:46 am
LOL, I write MASSIVE letters xxx
April 19th, 2010 at 8:52 am
great work pauline,i have also emailed the guardian.
eveyone else please do to,lets hope it starts the ball rolling until its unstoppable.
April 19th, 2010 at 10:00 am
I have emailed my MP today, and sent a link to this page to everyone I know, asking them to do the same.
Further up this page it says that people were trying to get him a CD player. Has this been done? If not, what kind of thing are we talking about – a ghetto blaster type or something more hi-tech?
Would I be able to order it online to be sent direct to him, or would it have to go to someone who would then take it when they visit?
If it has already been bought, does he have a list of CD’s he wants? Maybe set something up on Amazon or similar? Again, can these be sent direct or does it have to go via a 3rd party?
April 19th, 2010 at 10:12 am
Gary’s putting together a list of cds he’d really like, and as I understand it, we have to send them through amazon/HMV wherever- but directly from the suppliers.
I’ll double check with him this evening if he has a cd player yet- I know there were plans to get him one.
April 19th, 2010 at 5:40 pm
Just read the top of the page re: You tube video with a Mob soundtrack.
I can do this really easily, and have started putting one together with the pics that are on this page. But only 4 pix is not going to make it very interesting
If any one has got more pics please either put them up here or email them to me: nickhydra@gmail.com
April 19th, 2010 at 5:44 pm
Just read the top of the page re: You tube video with a Mob soundtrack.
I can do this really easily, and have started putting one together with the pics that are on this page. But only 4 pix is not going to make it very interesting
If any one has got more pics please either put them up here or email them to me: nickhydra@gmail.com
ARRGH just read it again and found the gallery of stuff at the web site.
Ignore me, I’m getting old.
Hope to have something together and online in the next week or so.
April 19th, 2010 at 5:50 pm
Don’t worry Nick, I am getting even older (my little/ younger / wee brother will be 50 next week…which is scary!) and the gallery link is not obvious.
So in case anyone else has missed it, here is a link the gallery section of the Gary Critchley’s website.
http://www.b39969.org.uk/gallery.html
April 19th, 2010 at 6:03 pm
Highlighted Gary’s case to the Brits in LA facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/group.php?gid=22215942184&ref=mf
It has 2300 members, some may be influential in the movie or journalism business, at the very least might get a handful of people to cut & paste the template letter to MP’s and/or The Guardian
April 19th, 2010 at 6:05 pm
Also (re-post from other thread) re-Facebook
There is a discussion section about Gary Critchley (aka Crap?)on the ‘Crown Punks Birmingham’ Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=108486069179177&v=app_2373072738#!/topic.php?uid=108486069179177&topic=18
but a separate page on Facebook would be useful.
Also if the press/ media do pick up on the story, they will need an easily accessible contact person who can give sound bites, repeat Gary’s story over and over again, be up for interviews etc.
To be effective we need to be co-ordinated.
April 19th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
Cannot agree more regards accessible, well-informed, contact person. Any suggestions or candidates for this role?
April 19th, 2010 at 6:35 pm
I went ahead and created the Facebookgroup page;
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/group.php?gid=112712122094405&v=wall
I can assign admins as needed. Right now the group is just a shell, I can transfer data as needed and invite members. I nominate Carol C as the spokesperson. She seems to be the obvious choice.
April 19th, 2010 at 7:28 pm
Personally I’m not convinced of the wisdom of running a miscarriage of justice campaign about a murder from a site called Kill Your Pet Puppy…? I don’t think pillars of society will be overly impressed personally.
On this note I’d be happy to build a website for the campaign if people want and donate a domain name & hosting. Just let me know. (I built this site BTW)
April 19th, 2010 at 9:23 pm
I’ve just finished speaking with Gary- he read the site today (he’s allowed to read it but not add anything, which he said frustrates him but he absolutely sees the need for that ruling)
He’s particulary touched and grateful for all this support.
He’s not yet got a cd player, and understands he can have any type as long as it’s not able to access the net; and he believes he can have cds directly from wherever, (inc individuals) as long as they are bought ones (i.e not burnt/home made).
April 19th, 2010 at 9:35 pm
Just read through quickly through some of the other messages: Tom- you star. Gerard- what a fantastic offer. You’ll have access to my contact details then, thru this- I imagine we (the Brum Punks) can happily sort the domain site fee out if you can manage the logistics. Could you contact me to let me know how we best sort this, if that’s okay?
Your title: Gary Critchley- Raised in a Prison- feels to me to be absolutely spot on, and if you have the ability to link that site to this, this avoids losing any of the energy/momentum built up from here, or confusing people, navigation wise, which have been our biggest concerns.
Gulp- just read the rest- I’m happy (and humbled) for my name to be suggested, and am willing to do it-however, I’m not as accessible as I’d like to be for this. Can we have 2/3 of us who are comfortable with this, and who can speak between ourselves regularly to make sure we’re all on point?
Some of you clearly have great skills in this- volunteers/ suggestions please? (I know you can’t, Tom, as you’re in the USA)- people based in UK would be easier?
April 19th, 2010 at 9:39 pm
aargghh- forgot the most important bit- G. said hello and thankyou to all of us.
April 19th, 2010 at 10:24 pm
Attn: Nick Hydra – loads more GC artwork in the photo album for you to use in a video in you see fit.
http://s208.photobucket.com/albums/bb227/killyourpetpuppy/Gary%20Critchley/?start=0
Also Tom use them for the F/B site if you wish.
Ok dokey.
April 19th, 2010 at 10:46 pm
OK just been liaising with Carol and we’re wondering if anyone has any ideas for a domain name for Gary’s site?
How about justiceforGaryCritchley.com?
April 19th, 2010 at 11:09 pm
justiceforgarycritchley.com sounds just fine. straight and to the point. some wonderful stuff going on here good people. much love. the ball is definitely rolling!
April 19th, 2010 at 11:59 pm
Sounds fine to me too! I think Madam Coombes would be ace as our spokesperson………Brilliant!
Jock b I will be calling you or texting you tomorrow with dates!!!!! Get back to me asap, or I will poke you in the eye with a pencil!!! XXX
April 20th, 2010 at 12:16 am
Regards a new site/domain for Gary. I am sure our friend who set up b39969 would hand it over to Gerard, already paid for by Wendy and address already very much visited and recognized? what do you think?
April 20th, 2010 at 12:21 am
I’m so thick- I’d thought this (B39969)was part of a linked site- shall we look at what we need the site to do, and which is the best way forward based on that? I’m sure both of you could advise the rest of us/raise the pros and cons so we can chip in.
my thoughts are that we need a site that’s a one stop shop for the campign itself : linking to all the other sites well, and holding a regualr (as in daily) update of where the campaign is/ what’s happened/ how to become involved etc.
April 20th, 2010 at 12:31 am
We need a hero out there who has time to manage the site on a daily basis. Gerard do you have the time? will become a full time job as things heat up……
April 20th, 2010 at 12:53 am
the idea of one central website is great as its quite difficult to point people to the latest contact details,plans of action,letter templates etc!great stuff.and sharon i look forward to that poke in the eye dear,haha.goodnight everyone.whatever you do please don`t call the new website justice for crap,which was his nickname:)!much love!
April 20th, 2010 at 2:03 am
I’ve already started a Facebook Group page. Might be a good idea to tie the website name to the Facebook page. I had a think about it and decided Gary Critchley Justice Project. My train of thought was quite deliberate in the name, I put Gary’s first and last name in the title as people may want to search for his full name if they are not familiar with his case. Justice appears to be the common goal here, and project seemed less confrontational than movement etc. I think the website is a great idea however I think it’s extremely important to link it with Facebook, there are still a lot of people who cannot search the web or use the internet to it’s full potential, however everyone is on Facebook nowadays. Of course I can put a link to the website on the Facebook group when it’s done. Some uniformity for both the website and Facebook group might be a good idea too.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=108486069179177#!/group.php?gid=112712122094405
Just some ideas, whatever you guys decide will be a great step in the right direction
April 20th, 2010 at 7:51 am
OK a CD player is on it’s way from Amazon -should be there in 3-4 days.
The you tube thing is going to take me slightly longer than I thought – I didn’t realise there was so much artwork to choose from. If I just bung everything in there it won’t go with the song, so I’m in ‘edit’ mode at the moment.
What would be good is if there are any pictures of Gary as he looks now. there’s a couple of portraits in the photobucket, but I’m not sure if they’re him.
Anyone got any up to date photos?
The face book group is a good idea, but we shouldn’t forget there are other forms of communication.
I checked on the KYPP myspace page and there are 594 friends, who can be contacted in a matter of seconds – I think you send a bulliten to all friends – if all the friends do the same to their friends, that’s a lot of people.
April 20th, 2010 at 8:51 am
Nice one Nick! Oh by the way your CD finally arrived this morning I’ll give it a listen when I get home. Cheers.
April 20th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
Hi Nick,
Totally agree with you, any and all media should be used. A ‘broadcasting’ approach is the best method. Not sure if there are anymore floating around but there is a 2009 picture of Gary on his FB group page, which I cropped. There’s also a 1980 picture. Both images create quite a powerful before and after ( 30 years) profile.
Very kind of you on the CD issue.
April 20th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
OK I’ve started on a site now: http://www.justiceforgarycritchley.org
(Some more pics on there Tom)
If anyone wants to send me anything just ask Penguin for my email address.
April 20th, 2010 at 11:13 pm
Message from Gary for Tom! ” Many Thanks…..This is blinding ” He is going to write to you.
Thanks from me too Tom!
Thanks for your quick response to my text Jock b…….But I was looking forward to poking you in the eye with a pencil!!!!!!!!!
Lot’s of love to Madam Coombes!
To everyone involved in this….Let’s keep the momentum growing till it cannot be ignored! XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
April 21st, 2010 at 8:41 am
Hi, the you tube video is now finished.
I will upload it today (without any tags) so people can have a look at it.
BUT we need to decide whether or not to have a seperate you tube channel (justiceforgarycritchley?), which I can set up, but it would seem to make more sense if any emails, comments etc went to the website rather than me. I’m happy to forward anything on, it just seems a bit of a pointless delay.
Any thought from the more technically minded?
This is the text in intend to attach to the video:
Gary Critchley, prisoner no B39969 (A1473AK), convicted of murder in 1981.
The Judge at the time recommended he serve no more than 9/10 years.
This is now his 30th year of incarceration. The conviction is unsafe and according to his solicitor one of the worst miscarriages of justice Britain has ever seen (private eye, 24July 2009)
Briefly the case is as follows, however please read the above article for full details.
Gary allegedly killed a man in 1980. During this murder he sustained frontal lobe damage to his brain, by being hit with a hammer. He also broke his back, ankle and wrist and was found in the street covered in blood.
The victim sustained more than 20 blows with a hammer.
The blood on Gary was found to be from his injuries and there was not one speck of the victim’s blood on him.
The victim was discovered in a room on the upper floor in the building, Gary was found outside on the pavement.
The only evidence to link Gary to the crime was a trainer, two or three sizes too small for him, on his left foot. On his right foot was his own boot which fitted him.
Gary apparently killed the victim, avoiding any blood, changed one shoe, hit himself on the head with the hammer, and then jumped out of the window.
The truth indicates that both Gary and the victim were attacked by a third party, who remains at liberty.
I feel that this really is a grave miscarriage of justice.
Unfortunately, this is not a high profile case, merely the case of an ordinary citizen who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. A person who nearly lost his life, but who ended up in prison himself, for something the forensic evidence suggests that he didn’t commit.
A group of us are trying to raise awareness of this case, and I am asking you to please make this video a ‘favourite’ and please forward a link to any of your subscribers who might be interested.
Gary Critchley – Prisoner number: B39969 (A1473AK)
Rowan House
Buxton
Norwich
Norfolk
NR10 5RH
Websites: http://www.justiceforgarycritchley.org/
http://www.b39969.org.uk/gallery.html
More artwork:http://s208.photobucket.com/albums/bb227/killyourpetpuppy/Gary%20Critchley/?start=0
Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/group.php?gid=112712122094405&v=wall
Any thoughts?
April 21st, 2010 at 10:05 am
The Private Eye article link isn’t working at the moment.
April 21st, 2010 at 10:11 am
I was told to delink the article until Private Eye give permission for it to be used.
April 21st, 2010 at 10:12 am
This is all great work. Doing a Google search for Gary Critchley the b39969 website comes out top …above the Gary Critchley who works for Marks and Spencer… If we can get enough links in, justiceforgarycritchley and the facebook group should soon be up there as well.
One thing to watch out for and be prepared for/ have answers ready will be negative reactions. For example, the Guardian might run a positive/ favourable story… but the Daily Mail/ Sun/ Telegraph could run some knocking copy, playing up to their readers’ hang’em/flog’em attitudes.
So we need to be aware of any weak points or grey areas which a hostile journalist could pick up and exaggerate/exploit/ highlight. Even friendly journos/interviewers can ask awkward questions to ensure ‘balanced reporting’.
This is especially a problem when doing radio/tv when only the soundbites survive editing. A tricky (or trick) question may need a long answer to explain a complicated situation… but long answers either sound like waffling/evading the question or get cut back to one sentence out of many.
The answer is rehearse, rehearse, rehearse until its automatic. It is tedious to say the same things over and over again but it works. For the difficult questions the process is essential.
Right now these are not problems, but the media/ newscycle works very very fast. We have to use this space before anything has happened to be ready for when it all happens at once. And then for all the interest and attention to vanish again just as quickly.
April 21st, 2010 at 11:00 am
great justice website.
brilliant work everyone.
April 21st, 2010 at 11:21 am
Regards Private Eye article. Please DELINK as Penguin says above. We are seeking permission to keep using it, in the meantime can refer to article in ‘Private Eye July 24 2009′
Thanks Alistairliv for your comments regards the press.
Anymore advice would be much appreciated on this matter.
April 21st, 2010 at 3:25 pm
Nick H.’s excellent vid now up on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuIjKZbGpaU
April 21st, 2010 at 3:47 pm
Nick, the video is superb! great to have ended it with that image, I’m sure Gary will be chuffed to bits! Thanks so much for all your time! Really does Gary’s art work (at least) justice!!!
April 21st, 2010 at 5:52 pm
Nick,
I think it makes more sense for comments to be directed to the website too. You can always link youtube video to the Facebook group page & Gary’s website.
April 21st, 2010 at 6:06 pm
Great video Nick! ( typo re Critchley to be amended to make it perfect!) This is great- Gary will be able to watch it, so I’m sure we’ll have his thoughts asap- he’ll no doubt love it too
Re the press: good points- main thing is to be clear we are seeking justice for Gary, not anything else.
Justice = freedom, retrial and support to live a safe and fulfilling life, sustainable outside an institution.
As the UK prides itself on being an exemplar of justice to the rest of the world (!), this is a completely appropriate request, and shouldn’t be affected by baiting, or right wing views, as the Right would feel that justice is one of the nationals principles worth fighting for..
I’ve no doubt we’ll’ represent Gary’s cause well: do you fancy being one of the spokespeople (still hoping for other volunteers who have experience and a confidence in their keeping on point).
April 22nd, 2010 at 4:22 am
nick and gerard.great job on you tube vid and the website.great to see such dedication and hard work for a good cause in this day and age.ive got a feeling we`ll see some results of all this in the not too distant future.heres hoping.gary`s being done proud.as an old friend,im truly grateful,thankyou.
April 22nd, 2010 at 10:06 am
PLEASE GO TO http://emailyourcandidates.heroku.com (Thanks Jaki B) and mail your parliamentary candidate TODAY- it takes 30 seconds
Here are the facts, and a template should you wish to do so quickly (thanks Poll)
Dear Parliamentary candidate for (your area)
I’d like to bring this issue to your attention, and request an early response to hear how you may become involved in securing http://www.justiceforgarycritchley.org/
Gary Critchley, from Birmingham, was convicted in 1981, when he was 17 years of age, on what appears to be an unsafe conviction. He is still imprisoned today.
Gary was convicted of murder in 1981.
The Judge at his original trial recommended that he serve no more than 9 years.
Gary has been in custody for thirty years.
There are a number of factors that appear to make the original conviction unsafe:
• Errors in the handling and processing of material evidence
• Flaws in circumstantial evidence
• Failure to include evidence that may have been used in his defence
• Errors in documentary, and in documenting, evidence
• Discrepancies in the statements of prosecution witnesses
This is unfortunately neither an exhaustive, nor a comprehensive, list.
According to the article published by Private Eye, Gary Critchley’s case is “…one of the worst miscarriages of justice Britain has ever seen”.
Gary was convicted of murder in 1981. He was charged, tried and convicted of the murder after it was alleged that he had fatally attacked the victim with a hammer.
In the early hours of Saturday 28th June 1980, Gary had been found lying seriously injured, and covered in blood, on the pavement outside his squat. He had sustained serious injury, including frontal lobe damage to his brain (caused by hammer blows to his head,) a broken back, arm, and ankle. Analysis of his blood at the time indicated the presence of alcohol and sleeping tablets. The murder victim was found in an upper-floor room of the same squat building.
Circumstantial evidence, and physical forensic evidence obtained at the time, suggested that both Gary, and the victim, were attacked by a third party.
Analysis of the blood found on Gary proved that it had come from his injuries exclusively.
None of the victim’s blood was found on Gary.
The evidence that was used to link Gary to the crime scene consisted of an un-tied training shoe, found on his left foot when was discovered lying in the street. The Prosecution alleged that prints matching the training shoe were found at the crime scene. This training shoe was two to three sizes too small for him, and was not in accordance with his usual type of footwear. He was found wearing a black, laced-up work boot on his right foot (this fitted him correctly and was identified as being his usual footwear).
The case for the prosecution suggested the following improbable sequence of events: That Gary had attacked the victim, changed one of his shoes, self-inflicted a serious head-wound with the hammer (a wound of sufficient severity to cause brain damage) – after he’d turned it around to ensure it was consistent with the blows to the victims head- and jumped from the upper floor window of the fourth storey squat onto the pavement below.
Witness statements for the prosecution were contradictory, inconsistent and contained discrepancies. Statements given to police by the other squatters had initially said that two to three hours after Gary and the victim had been seen entering the squat, three men had arrived in a car. At least one witness described two of the men going upstairs to the squat, while one man kept watch downstairs. This account was subsequently changed when presented as prosecution evidence in court. The defence counsel failed to challenge the witnesses about the discrepancies between their statements and the evidence given in court and relied upon by the prosecution.
In the 30 years since his conviction, Gary has twice been released on licence, and subsequently recalled. He was recalled, following his initial release, after he was alleged to have had a relationship (in contravention to his conditions of licence) and had absconded from a rehabilitation unit. He was recalled following his second release when he failed to attend an appointment with his probation officer.
Though Gary had technically contravened his licencing conditions on both occasions, it seems like a rather hard and disproportionately punitive response to recall him to prison, considering the relatively minor nature of his non-compliance , the amount of time he had spent in custody and the fact that he wasn’t considered to be a risk to the community.
We are deeply concerned that Gary Critchley has been the victim of a grave miscarriage of justice.
We feel that he has been let-down and badly-served on many levels, and by many agencies from which he had the fundamental right to expect recourse.
It’s really difficult for us to understand how this could have happened in a civilized democracy: it’s just so fundamentally at odds with what we would expect from a humane society and from our judicial system.’
PLEASE let me know, asap, how you will be involved, at this mail address, and also http://www.justiceforgarycritchley.org/ or via ‘Crown Punks Birmingham’ facebook page
April 22nd, 2010 at 2:34 pm
The personal is political.
I still dream about the city. Awake, I am surrounded by green fields and brown moors rising up to distant mountains still (just) dusted with snow. But then night falls and beyond the wall of sleep the city waits. Not every night, not in every dream, but often enough for patterns to emerge. In one I am still living within the red brick maze of a Hackney council estate, still living with my dead wife. Sometimes I say ‘I thought you died’… ‘ I never died’ says she.
My wife was Pinki. In 1978, as soon as she was 16 (so she could no longer be picked up by the police as underage and sent home) she ran away from Gloucester to be a punk in London. She lived at Derby Lodge in Kings Cross first and then at Campbell Buildings in 1979.
On New Years Eve 1980 she had a moment of clarity and realised that if she did not get out of the city she was going to die there. So she went home, went to college in Stroud, got some A levels and did a work placement with Stroud CND. She went with them to Greenham Common in late 1981 and decided to stay. She stayed at Greenham on and off for the next three years. When she wasn’t Greenham she was at other peace camps or on anti-nuclear/ anti-war protests and marches. Along with Dave Morris, she helped ‘organise’ the first Stop the City protest.
By then, 1984, she was back in London, in Hackney, where she lived until her death in 1996. In 1986/7 she went to Hackney College to get more A levels and then in 1987 she became a student at the (prestigious) London School of Oriental and African Studies where she studied Public International Law, the Legal Systems of Asia and Africa, Islamic Law and Law and the Environment. ( She was still an occasional student at SOAS when she died).
At the same time she carried on campaigning – for Stonehenge Free Festival 1985-87, against the 1988 Criminal Justice Act , against the M11 extension in 1993 and at Bath in 1994. She was arrested at Bath in 1994 (her 26th arrest for protesting) and used her knowledge of international environmental law to make the case for her defence. [The trial was never heard].
She once went to a graduate fair for law students. Her knowledge of Islamic Law impressed one of the law firms their and she was asked ‘Have you ever thought of becoming a barrister?’… had she lived, she would have been (or become) qualified enough to do so, but her dodgy past would have ruled it out. She even sat a ‘high flyers’ exam for the Civil Service and got top marks followed by a positive interview (her Latin O level impressed the interviewers) …then silence. No doubt a background security check had revealed her Greenham and more recent road protest arrests. And she was rather keen to work for the Department of Transport …
So when I read Julie’s first posting about Gary Critchley and Campbell Buildings last year it evoked a lot of still painful memories. Here was a very dark piece of the past which was not over, even after thirty (can it really be that long?) years. A piece of the past which is very much of the present. A piece of the past which puts in sharp perspective any indulgence in nostalgia for that era.
If Pinki was still here, she would have been getting stuck into Gary’s case. Not just campaigning and publicising but looking up her law books and researching case histories. No justice, no peace.
Enough. Here is Paul Robeson singing Joe Hill
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8Kxq9uFDes
I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night,
Alive as you or me
Says I, “But Joe, you’re ten years dead,”
“I never died,” says he.
“I never died,” says he.
“In Salt Lake, Joe,” says I to him,
Him standing by my bed,
“They framed you on a murder charge,”
Says Joe, “But I ain’t dead,”
Says Joe, “But I ain’t dead.”
April 22nd, 2010 at 5:55 pm
always very moving to hear about pinky al. forgot, i never knew that you two were married.
April 22nd, 2010 at 10:09 pm
I have set up a you tube channel linked to the http://www.justiceforgarycritchley.org/ website – justice4gcritchley – and have uploaded the video to that channel here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_FzWWzc3b0
I will be deleting the original video from my own channel (eyesaw77) in the next few days so it doesn’t get confusing.
I have put as many tags as I could think of, but if anyone has any suggestions to add, I’ll be happy to do so – the more people see it the better.
Please go and watch the video at the new channel, even if you’ve seen it before.
If we get enough ‘viewings’ you tube will give us money to put adverts on it, which can then be put into the campaign.
April 22nd, 2010 at 10:16 pm
Sorry, I forgot -
I emailed a friend (Hi Naoko) who has previously done work with prisoners and arranged an exhibition of ‘Insider Art’ to see if she had any suggestions about how to set up an exhibit of Gary’s art. this is her reply;
“I think you would have to set it up independantly. It will be quite expensive to hire an art gallery for this but there are a few art galleries that exhibit exclusively disadvantaged artists.
The novas/scarman group (a social enterprise) has two galleries, one at their Conteporary Urban Centre in Southwark and a stand alone gallery in Camden. The Camden gallery was closed for refurbishment and it is not clear from their website whether it has been re-opened or not. It is worth giving them a call though and finding out (this is where the exhibition I organised took place- it is a beautiful gallery).
The other one I know of is Our Space. As far as I know they only deal with mental health but since Gary is in a secure hospital now you could make a case for it.
The Other Side Gallery is also a very good space.
I think that all of these galleries will let you exhibit for free and they will probably take commission from sales. Therefore I am not sure if they will agree to a no sale exhibition but you can discuss this with them directly. They all have different policies anyway.
Failing this you can always hire a space (not a gallery as they are really expensive) such as a church hall or something similar.
Some of the galleries may have a curator who will hang the exhibition but it may be something that you will need to do yourselves. You can always ask at Goldsmiths or other Unis if any of their fine arts students would like to volunteer to do it or even contact the Koestler Trust and ask them if they know anyone who has some experience and would be interested in working as a volunteer curator. A lot of them will be former or serving prisoners who may enjoy the project.
You will need a budget for transporting the artwork (here and back), frames and labels (for the walls) as well as marketing (flyers, posters) and volunteer expenses (travel and substinance).”
April 22nd, 2010 at 10:47 pm
Nick, this is excellent information for us to start exploring, thanks so much. Excuse my ignorance but by whom is the music on the video?
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:13 pm
It’s ‘Prison’ by The Mob, from their fantastic LP ‘Let The Tribe Increase’ – there’s loads of Mob stuff on this site.
Basically that song was used because a quote from the lyrics is the title for this thread: – “(Raised in a prison) with iron bars and walls too high too be climbed, raised in a four cornered corridor, allways kept silent, kept blind…
It seems to go with the images as well.
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:47 pm
Regarding Gary’s artwork and an exhibition. I’m not sure pursuing a mental health exhibition is an avenue that Gary or anyone representing him would want to pursue. This might bite him in the proverbial ass and could possibly be used against him and/or his representatives as an admission of a mental health problem, which as far as I’m aware is not the issue in Gary’s case. I’m not a lawyer but such an admission, wether passive or active, could give someone, somewhere ammunition in the future.
Just thought I’d throw that caveat out there. Not knocking Nick’s hard work or anything.
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:53 pm
Hi Tom,
That’s fine – I’m just exploring possibilities – I’m not really a planner, I tend to go with my gut, so I’m just suggesting stuff, and I’m more than happy for people to point out potential problems…
April 23rd, 2010 at 1:27 pm
Nick
The video is great, thanks for doing it, I hope Gary will be allowed to see it.
April 23rd, 2010 at 5:52 pm
My friend (Hi again Naoko) also lent me a book called ‘No Smoke Without Fire” by Jill Morell, which has some very handy tips. The full text is availanble online here: http://www.unitedagainstinjustice.org.uk/advice/advice.html
I have copied the ‘Campaign’ chapter below as it’s the most immediatly relevant, but the whole book is well worth a read.
CAMPAIGN
Your new solicitor is up and running and you’re working towards a submission to the CCRC, but progress is painfully slow and s/he has a million other cases to look after. You need to concentrate his/her mind and that of anyone else who can help, on this case. You start a campaign.
Your aim is to get the prisoner’s name better known, to encourage/pressurise people who can help you inside and outside of the legal profession to do so, and to get the case back to the Court of Appeal. You may have only one or two people you can turn to at first who can do very little, but support will grow. It’s important not to burn yourself out -you should pace yourself.
Acknowledge the potential hostility you may face. All you can ask people to do is give you a hearing or read to the end of your letter.
The campaign’s relationship with the solicitor
Don’t let him/her off the hook; But don’t get up his/her nose either; s/he won’t have all the answers; Try to get on with him/her.
Most appeals are about finding new witnesses. Solicitors will always warn you not to do this. But if no one is going around seeing witnesses, do it yourself
Go in two’s, be honest about who you are and what you’re doing
Tell the solicitor what you’re doing. Unless you’re convinced s/he is right, then ignore their warnings. However, if you are visiting witnesses less than a year after the conviction, it could be seen as witness intimidation, so follow your solicitor’s advice on this (see previous “appeal” section about visiting witnesses)
the campaign should obtain a set of case papers for reference
Getting started
gather friends and family around you
nominate someone who will be a figurehead and speak to the press -it’s less
confusing if they have only one name to remember apart from the convicted person’s
meet in someone’s house to decide your strategy. Don’t let the meetings become a talking shop and nothing else. Nominate someone to take notes and someone to keep track of what action was agreed
hold regular monthly meetings, say the first Wednesday of the month, but try not to get bogged down with formalities
nominate someone’s phone to be the campaign phone number. It’s vital that you get an answermachine
start a campaign address book, and a small mailing list
keep a copy of everything you write
it’s vital to keep the convicted person, his/her family and solicitor in constant touch with what’s going on, particularly when it comes to publicity which might affect any ongoing negotiations with the CCRC.
Getting support
contact the pressure groups JUSTICE and LIBERTY (contact details at end of booklet) and the smaller pressure groups connected with miscarriages of justice. Justice and Liberty have stopped working on individual cases, but you should alert them to your case by sending them campaign literature (see page 24)
contact local churches, send them your campaign literature and ask for their support
contact any trade union with which you have links. Again, send them your campaign literature and ask for support. Offer to speak at their meetings
write to student unions all over the country, (contact details from National Union of Students, 461 Holloway Road, London N7) send them your literature and ask if you can come and be a speaker at an event, particularly to law students. Ask them to organise their own support group and petitions
contact your local Labour Party, Liberal Democrat Party, Conservative Party and Amnesty International Group (contact details in phone book or local library) and offer to speak at their meetings.
all of the above usually welcome outside speakers. And even if only two people turn up to listen, that’s two more people you may be able to add to your list of supporters
if you do go along to speak at a meeting, don’t ramble on. People want to hear a good story that’s easy to follow. Make yourself notes beforehand listing the main headings of points you want to cover; tell your audience the main points of your story and why you are fighting the conviction, and summarise the evidence. Speak slowly, don’t go into long-winded detail and don’t get sidetracked. Finish by telling people what they can do to help and have campaign literature available for people to take away. Take along a tape recorder and tape yourself to find out how you sounded
try to enlist the support of your MP. Find out who they are, their address and surgery times from the local library, then write to them and attend the surgery. If s/he supports you, put that on your campaign literature. (See later section on “Lobbying in
the UK and Europe” )
every single righting of injustice has involved some form of journalistic campaigning. Contact journalists with a track record of campaigning on miscarriages of justice cases, such as Duncan Campbell at The Guardian, Nick Cohen at The Observer, Paul Foot at Private Eye, Nick Fielding at The Mail on Sunday and Cathy Marks at The Independent (see contact numbers at end of booklet)
contact the television programmes Rough Justice and Trial and Error (contact details at end of booklet) and send them your campaign literature. They have a 50% success rate
ask people to write to their MP’s
ask people to write to the prisoner and send Christmas/birthday cards .ask people to write to their local papers and express concern
set up a website. Someone who understands HTML (the programme language for web sites) should be able to set up a basic website, but to create anything more sophisticated you need someone sympathetic to the campaign who knows how to do it professionally (or at least to a high standard). Make sure you find a service provider who will give you 5 -10 Mb of space for free so you don’t have the ongoing costs of hiring the site space. You will need to update the information on your site if anything new happens.
Campaign materials
Get your campaign literature in order -ie headed notepaper, flyers, leaflets and press releases
anyone who’s got access to a computer can design simple headed notepaper with the name of the campaign at the top and address and telephone number at the bottom, print it out, then photocopy it onto better quality paper. As you get some campaign funds, you can get your literature printed professionally
make headed notepaper, flyers, leaflets and any other campaign literature look as if they belong to the same “family” stylistically i.e. they all carry the same letter-head
as you gather support, add the names of any prominent supporters to the headed notepaper, flyers, and leaflets
type out a one-page flier remembering the following points:
most flyers, leaflets and letters to solicitors are unclear, badly laid out, too longwinded and lacking in essential information
stick to five facts on one side of A4 or A5 if possible which explain who the person is, what they were convicted of and why they are innocent eg: Witness A lied at trial, convicted person has an alibi, etc
make sure the person’s name is prominent, as should be the word “Innocent”
don’t be abrasive or offensive, stick to the facts
if you accuse a prosecution witness of lying, then you could leave yourselves open to a libel action with substantial damages awarded against you. No legal aid is available for cases like this
type out a leaflet in which you flesh out the case for people who show an interest in finding out more. This could run to a few sides of A4, but keep the above points in mind.
don’t confuse people – avoid too many names and details
put a tear-off slip at the bottom of the leaflet asking people to a) return it if they want to go on the mailing list (see below) or b) make a donation, or both
when funds permit, campaign compliment slips (to enclose with leaflets, receipts for campaign donations, etc) look professional and it reassures people that you are a bona fide group.
type a regular newsletter to send to supporters. They don’t have to be fancy, just clear and concise, containing an update of the case, any current fund-raising events and ideas, useful addresses, ie the campaign headquarters address with telephone number and/or fax, and the address of the person in prison
keep receipt books and send receipts to everyone who donates money, stamped “with thanks” or accompanied by a compliment slip
type out a press release template. It should have the letterhead and contact address and telephone numbers for the campaign at the top, then PRESS RELEASE in big bold letters underneath
when funds permit, have t-shirts printed bearing your campaign logo. Your Yellow Pages will list addresses for t-shirt printing -ring around for competitive prices
Campaign mailing list
keep a database of supporters names and addresses to whom you send newsletters/invitations to attend campaign events/requests for donations
make sure it’s all correctly spelt and keep it up to date
buy sheets of office labels in bulk
for big mailings, you need computer software that allows you to ‘mail merge’. You can keep the database divided into various ‘fields’ (eg media, MP’s). Make sure the title, name and surname are on the first line, followed by separate lines for the address, then the town, etc. It may take a few goes to get the spacing right so that everything is correctly placed on the labels
AS, self seal envelopes need just one fold of an A4 sheet.
brown envelopes are cheaper. Buy them from Viking Direct or compare prices with wholesale or office suppliers
buy sticky rollers or sponges for sticking stamps (always use second class unless the mailing is very urgent)
a mailing of 1800 takes three people six hours each approximately, so don’t leave it for just one person
the mailing may (hopefully) generate replies, so someone will be needed to respond. It’s very important to do this to maintain goodwill and to appear efficient
see section on Campaign Finances for advice on how to deal with donations
Campaign events
What you can do:
candlelit vigils on birthday or anniversary day outside prison or police station where the convicted person was taken to on arrest -you are within your rights to do so and anyway the police will be loath to move you on
set up stalls in town centres and collect signatures for a petition to the Home Secretary. You don’t need permission to do this as long as you’re on public property and you’re not obstructing the pavement.ask anyone and everyone to write to their MPi provide a sample letter if you can so they know the strongest points to raise.lobby the House of Commons (see Lobbying in the UK and Europe)
release doves and balloons on relevant dates such as anniversaries and birthdays, the delivery of submissions to the CCRC or petitions
deliver a big birthday card to the prison/police station
Bike rides from prison to prison (cycling for justice) .all night candlelit vigils
organise letter-writing campaigns to the CCRC/Home Secretary/MP but tell people what to write -different stages of the case require different approaches
organise as many members of the campaign as possible to bombard the CCRC/Home Secretary’s fax machines with campaign messages to mark a particular anniversary or protest against a government statement, etc. These numbers can be found through Directory Enquiries, or MP’s individual offices via the main number at the House of Commons
at Christmas, send as many cards as possible to the person in prison
try to get a personalised Campaign Christmas card (by approaching cartoonists, sympathetic designers, etc) and sell them on behalf of the campaign. They should include the campaign address. This is a good way to publicise the campaign beyond the immediate support group
write to the main political parties and ask if you can set up a fringe meeting at their annual party conferences
REMEMBER, if you’re holding a public event, always invite relevant media.
Fundraising
After people join your mailing list, ask for donations
Attend a car boot sale. You might make £40 or so to start the campaign funds
On all campaign materials insert tear-off section at the bottom which asks people if they would like to a/ be put on the mailing list, and b/ to make a donation to the campaign
Ask supporters to do a sponsored swim/walk/bike ride
Organise a pub quiz, hold a car boot sale/jumble sale
Organise supporters to hold collecting tins at appropriate events and always have campaign leaflets ready to hand out. Never forget that as well as raising money, these events also raise consciousness
Organise a fund-raising concert or benefit (see below)
Organising a benefit
The campaign’s off the ground, you’ve got £146 in the bank account -what do you do next? Organise a benefit
Planning the event
decide what your evening’s entertainment is going to be -singer, performer, magician, comedian, story teller and build the event around them. Everyone knows someone who can perform in one way or another
get a benefit organising committee together to share the job .you need at least six weeks to organise a fairly basic benefit
find a suitable venue. If it is a more amateur evening, a venue such as a church hall, community centre, labour club, student unions, colleges, municipal halls will be more suitable. Theatres can be expensive to hire and are often only available on a Sunday. Wherever it is, try to borrow/hire a good sound system, (for the performers and the speeches) even if it is a small room. It is very important to get your message across, otherwise the event is a waste of time
check the number of seats so you can work out how much you can make on the door
sort out a deal with the venue. Remember they can charge VAT, and they often want a deposit and a percentage of the takings. It’s worth searching around for a sympathetic venue which won’t demand a percentage
always ask people for advice and favours -they can only say no
keep the evening short, so you can get to the bar/pub afterwards to talk things through and chat to new supporters and members of the audience
it’s useful to have someone to link the acts, like a compere
make sure the event is not too gloomy; better to have an evening of fun with one serious moment
MAKE LISTS AND DELEGATE TASKS
local, free publicity is best, ie radio and local papers
print up simple posters (black and white can be very effective) with the campaign name, the title of the evening, the date, the address of the venue, the time, the people appearing, the price of the tickets and the number of the box office. Flypost in places of work, libraries, pubs, shops, amateur dramatic venues, schools, community centres, the HQ’s of supportive organisations -any noticeboard you pass. Fax/post posters to local radio stations with your campaign literature
make a running order of all the acts and put a firm time on them so the evening doesn’t overrun
if you can afford to have a programme printed, ask local businesses to sponsor it. It should have a list of performers and thanks to local supporters. Put the campaign address in it and information about the case. Sell the programmes, but use it to ask for a donation above the cost. Ask volunteers to sell programmes and hold collecting buckets/tins at the event
On the night
Set up early (three to four hours before the event starts) and arrange a “get-in” time with the venue
if you are using the venue’s staff, check when overtime starts because you might be charged extra for it
have names on the doors of any dressing rooms and copies of the running orders in each. Have running orders at the side of the stage, particularly if there has been no rehearsal
have someone (armed with a running order) to meet and look after artists. .dress the stage with campaign banners/photos of the imprisoned person .make sure there are complimentary tickets for the family of the imprisoned person
put campaign leaflets on all the seats
hold a raffle and ask local businesses to donate prizes
have a tray of sandwiches and drinks backstage for people giving goodwill services
try to video the event for the person in prison
maintain goodwill with the venue by tidying up afterwards
Campaign finances
Open a campaign bank account; you’ll probably need three signatories with two needed to sign cheques
when donations arrive, make a note of them and keep with campaign records
send the cheque/Postal Order/money to the campaign treasurer or put immediately into the campaign bank account
send a receipt to the giver “with thanks” stamped on it -it is worth buying a “with thanks” stamp, or when the campaign funds stretch to it have some compliment slips printed
Remember who you’re doing this for
try to inform and involve the person in prison as much as possible in the campaign by sending them copies of press releases, leaflets etc
send Christmas and birthday cards to the person in prison
organise vigils outside the prison
send them copies of relevant newspaper articles
video any campaign events and send them a copy of the tape .remember the families involved and consider whether any help can be given to them
April 23rd, 2010 at 6:01 pm
Nick, this is absolutlely brilliant stuff! Will take awhile to go through it all carefully but WONDERFULL!!!!
Thanks also for telling me about the ‘Mob’ and once again the fab video!
We will look into the exhibtion ideas, taking on board of course Tom’s comments. An exhibiton of any kind, even in a local church costs money so we will need to fund raise first but with so much positive energy that has surged recently it will certainly happen.
I would like to add here that we do not have all the paintings that are on the video and in the photobucket. Gary has given many of them away. I hope to photograph the ones we do have this weekend as a catalogue for the near future……….
Gary, if you are reading this and I do not get through to you in awhile on the blower, just to say we are really disappointed we cannot visit tomorrow, but understandably it is important that the residents get a trip out. We’ll rearrange it for very soon. There’s a hell of a lot of very useful information to take in right now from Nick’s latest message above. Take care. Julie
April 23rd, 2010 at 9:04 pm
HI all
I’ve just been on the phone to Gary for a few hours, and we’ve not stopped laughing – he’s In excellent form, helped along hugely by seeing Ronnie Bishton’s name on here – Gary would love to see you if that’s possible, and if you could drop him a line he’d be really happy.
He’s asked me to pass on sincere thanks to Nick – a cd player has arrived for him from you – and even more lovely, with a note on the dispatch slip. He didn’t know you could do that (neither did I ) and it was a lovely surprise. He’ll get the player tomorrow, as it’s had to be checked over first.
He’s told me all about how cool and funky Wendy and Julie are – St Patrick’s Day parades, gorgeous Brazilian children, photography and the like – you two seriously undersell yourselves!
Ask him about the kiwi when you speak to him..
April 24th, 2010 at 3:49 am
@TomD-> As somebody who suffers with mental health problems, I take your inference badly. Where do you you think Gary *is* now?
Gary has mental health problems. That is not the issue. It never was.
@Nick-> there must be another forum for talking tactics, surely? We don’t wan’t to alert the Old Bill or the CPS to what we’re planning, do we? Let’s knock up a mailing list of trusted people or something, eh?
April 24th, 2010 at 3:53 am
Btw, me and the missus are completely skint. Seriously, if you need anything potentially libellous said, we are the people to say it.
I’ve never been a great fan of the legal system.
In the gutter and looking at the stars, we are.
April 24th, 2010 at 8:10 am
CC – Good news that Gary’s got the CD player, no need for thanks – it is (almost literally) the least I could do.
Any news on the ‘wish list’? I had an email from a friend I hadn’t had contact from in about three years (She’s in NZ) who found the myspace group and wants to send him some CDs, so the message is getting out there.
I’d seriously recommend setting one up on Amazon or similar, as it will ensure that people don’t buy something he’s already got, and he will (assuming computer access) be able to add stuff himself.
Jah Pork Pie – I didn’t read TomD’s comment as a reflection of any prejudice he personally has around mental health issues or that he think’s Gary’s health (or otherwise) is the issue, but a point that the prejudice that very clearly exists in ‘normal’ society could be manipulated to become the issue and be used against Gary and the campaign.
I take your point about this not being the best place to discuss detailed tactics, but at this point it’s more at the “What do you think about this idea” stage than anything more definite.
No doubt as the campaign takes shape people will take responsibility for organising stuff and will have detailed discussions amongst themselves. Like I said before, I’m not a planner so the tactical stuff isn’t really my strong point.
I’m lucky enough to live in a housing co-op with cheap rent and have a decent job which means that I’m able to contribute funds, but don’t have a lot of time, as I do a lot of work for the co-op as well as my day job.
April 24th, 2010 at 8:18 am
Just as a suggestion Pork (and everyone else) I recommend Google wave, it’s basically a way that anyone who has a gmail account can contribute to an e-mail chain that is essentially a document that everyone can contribute to, almost like an ongoing conversation that you can invite people to join in on.
April 24th, 2010 at 8:38 am
Dropbox could be useful as well:
https://www.dropbox.com/tour#1
April 24th, 2010 at 11:37 am
For JPP here is an update of progress.
I have just checked. Penguin posted a letter from Julie about Gary’s case on the Campbell Buildings/ Trash can thread on 30 November last year. Yourself (JPP), Sam, Dave and the Baron then discussed the case and on 18 December I wrote a separate post (Raised in a prison) to flag up Gary‘s situation…
Jumping forward to April -Carol C. (who knew Gary from Birmingham but did not realise he was still in prison) posted about Gary on the Crown Punks Birmingham Facebook page and Tom D. then set up a Gary Critchley Justice Project which currently has 468 members…
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=112712122094405
Numerous emails and letters to prospective members of parliament plus the press have been sent out as a result. Most of this activity has only taken place within the past week or so as more and more people have found the Facebook page. There is also Nick’s video now on You tube, the dedicated Justice for Gary Critchley site and the original http://www.b39969.org.uk/index.html site set up by Julie and Wendy.
So from a small beginning – Julie and Wendy’s interest in Gary’s case, through KYPP and on to the Birmingham Crown punks, knowledge of Gary’s case has grown to a critical mass and will keep growing.
The more difficult step is to create an equivalent progress on the legal/ justice system side. There are two aspects to this.
Firstly for Gary to be released on licence again – but this time with the strongest possible support so he is not left to deal with adjusting to life outside of prison on his own. This will mean turning generalised goodwill towards Gary into firm commitments to provide practical, day to day help and support.
This will have to be done through official channels – Prison Service, Parole Board, social services etc.
Secondly to get the original conviction overturned or get a retrial. Again this means engaging with the legal/ justice system – but at much higher level, as in the Court of Appeal, men in wigs, huge files of evidence, case histories. It is possible that individually or collectively former residents of Campbell Buildings could make a real difference on this one. Either by providing fresh evidence (evidence not used at original trial) or by supporting a ‘not a fair trial’ case
e.g. that residents of Campbell Buildings/ punk sub-culture were so consistently discriminated against within the criminal justice system of the time to the extent that (in the case of Gary Critchely) he did not receive a fair trial.
April 24th, 2010 at 11:53 am
Hi all
Great update. Thanks Alistair.
JPP- ‘in the gutter, looking at the stars’- this is how my kids were brought up ,and we’ve all done okay- I liked it better there, most of the time, as, as you say, it does have its advantages.
Tom, myself etc (the Brum Punks) began by saying that we would immediately raise any concerns we had, or anything that may come back and bite Gary. I still think this is the right thing to do- if none if us raise it someone else will, and far better for us- his ‘team’- to have considered it to begin with. (Besides which Tom is as mad as a badger, like the rest of us)
Out of this debate, great tactical ideas have come up for how to manage these ‘internal’ conversations, which has to be a win. If poss, can I ask that the methods are as idiot proof (for me, not you lot) as possible? And if the simple ones are not good, please go with the best method and I’ll have to learn. I may just be v slow (no comments, thaks, the Brum lot).
Best
C
April 24th, 2010 at 11:58 am
ps- Nick- G said (when I asked him a the same, re cds/books we could get him) – ‘surprise me’
he said he doesn’t need anything- 3 square meals and all that- so anything anyone sends him. cd or book wise, is really appreciated, and a nice lift to the routine of his day. (and how lovely of your friend, v btw)
so- Black Lace and Abba all round, then..
April 24th, 2010 at 3:18 pm
Just so no one gets him the same thing…
These are on the way to Gary;
Book: England’s Dreaming Jon Savage
CD: England’s Dreaming [compiled by Jon Savage]
CD: Punky Reggae Party: New Wave Jamaica 1975-1980
Amazon also do art supplies, which may be better as there’s no chance of duplication (or rather it won’t matter as much).
Any one know Gary’s preferred medium Oils, Watercolour etc what type of brush he prefers?
April 24th, 2010 at 4:37 pm
Wonderful Nick.
We’ll find out regards the painting materials and post it here.
April 24th, 2010 at 5:46 pm
he uses acrylics: he’s just been speaking to his mom, and she was saying how lovely (you) people are..
April 24th, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Hi Gary,
If your able to read this, its Chris, would love to get in touch with you, its been a long time since dad’s funeral. Me, Roger, Clare and Laura think the paintings are fantastic, would really love to hear from you.
Love from Chris, Roger, Clare and Laura xxxxxxxxxx
April 24th, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Hi,
My mate Nick Hydra is getting the word out about Gary. I sent Gary a selection of art supplies today and they should be there in the week. Hope there’s no problems receiving this stuff. If there’s any bits he particularly likes I can send occasional packages.
All the best to Gary, his family and friends. It feels sad to use the word justice in Gary’s case but I hope, like you all do, that this is the year he sees a bit of it.
Heido
April 25th, 2010 at 2:16 am
I would like to share my accidental connection with you all.
Whilst I was living in Brasilia, back in the 70′s, I was close friends with Renato Russo.
Below is a brief bio of his music career. You can find more about him on youtube.
He was not only an accomplished and iconic songwriter but a provocative poet, artist, as is Gary.
Renato, born in Rio de Janeiro, (March 27, 1960) grew up in Brasília and would have been fifty this year, as was the new capital (April 21, 1960).
His first punk band Aborto Elétrico (Electric Abortion) was conceived during the dictatorship of Geisel/Figueiredo.
His next band Legião Urbana (Urban Legion) became the most influential rock band in Brazil in the 1980s.
All his songs are still absolutely relevant today such as:
Que Pais é esse? (What kind of country is this?)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Po0999ztMR8&NR=1
Suor Sagrado (Holly Sweat)
Faroeste Caboclo (See Wikipidia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faroeste_Caboclo)
Legião Urbana released 7 records, as a solo artist Renato released Equilíbrio Distante (In Italian) and Stonewall (in English).
Sadly he left us in 1996.
April 25th, 2010 at 9:59 pm
Police to release secret report on the death of Blair Peach
From Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/apr/25/blair-peach-police-release-report
Blair Peach died after being struck on the head at a demonstration against the National Front.
A highly critical report into the death of Blair Peach, the anti-fascist campaigner widely believed to have been killed by police in 1979, is expected to be published on Tuesday.
Some 2,000 pages of documents will be released, including a previously secret police report. Peach, a 33-year-old teacher from New Zealand, died after being struck on the head at a demonstration against the National Front in Southall, west London. Witnesses said they saw him being attacked by police, but after an internal investigation no officers were charged.
It is understood the report has been redacted to protect the identities of individual officers. However, most interest is expected to focus on a report by commander John Cass, the Metropolitan police officer who investigated the death.
At the April 1979 demonstration, more than 40 people, including 21 police, were injured and 300 were arrested. A pathologist report said Peach died from injuries likely to have been caused by a lead-weighted rubber cosh or hosepipe filled with lead shot. When officers’ lockers were raided, unauthorised weapons including a metal cosh were found, but this was ruled out as the weapon that killed Peach.
From The Pop Group/ Justice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBWAUmTcHs4
I wake up every day
And look at my country
This is what the blind man sees
Does it look like justice to you
It doesn’t look like justice to me
They’ve got to protect their property
Better phone up the police
Call up corruption
Who killed Blair Peach?
Who guards the guards
Who polices the police
April 27th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
Here is a draft of a piece about Miscarriages of Justice/ Gary Critchley. How does it read?
http://www.scribd.com/doc/30566883/Miscarriage-of-Justice-2
April 27th, 2010 at 4:04 pm
Just stumbled upon this link. I saw GBH last Friday in Kettering and they were appealing for Garys release. They said that he was a friend of theirs who was wrongly convicted of murder and played `The Hunted` for him.
April 27th, 2010 at 7:33 pm
Nice post Justin and that’s some great info, maybe someone could organize getting an online petition together for a new trial and have GBH either announce it at shows or have their t-shirt person have it at the table. Does it make sense to add something like that to the website?
I’m sure the band would love to do it.
April 28th, 2010 at 2:52 am
Hi, sent Gary through amazon
Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Show your bones
Horrors- Primary colours
Mint Chicks- Crazy yes dumb no
and some chocolate. Should be despatched 30th April
If anyone has other suggestions to email for people living overseas I would love to see them, I have emailed the guardian, the home office and amnesty international.
April 28th, 2010 at 4:02 am
please don`t hesitate to send any suggestions to http://www.myspace.com/gbh
for what they could do to further publicize his case.i know they are putting out bulletins of this page and justiceforgarycritchley.org and on saturday night had cc,who posts on here,up on stage in birmingham giving the background of the case and what could be done to help.also waiting for some leaflets to be done that can be handed out here and there.the main thing is to email your parliamentary candidate if you live in the uk.theres a pre written letter and a form that sends emails to all your candidates on justiceforgarycritchley.org so no excuses kiddies!!!
April 28th, 2010 at 10:05 pm
Heido – Gary is stunned by the art materials you’ve sent to him he received them today. He said they’re beautiful, and something to really enjoy using.
He said he hopes you don’t mind but he’s sent a card to you at the postal address on the paperwork.
Great article, Alistair.
April 28th, 2010 at 10:10 pm
ps Cathe – which country are you / whoever in? that will make a difference also – Gary said thank you so much (he managed to read a bit on here today).
re: Yeah Yeah Yeahs- he heard their version of Sheena is a Punk Rocker years ago and loves it.
April 28th, 2010 at 11:21 pm
The Private Eye article is now up on the official justice website. The website is also included twice on the original post above.
http://www.justiceforgarycritchley.org/?page_id=2
Please start filling up that justice site with comments about this case as right now it is all ready to receive comments and could probably do with some more to get momentum moving with that official site. We got near on 150 on this one, plus a hatfull on the two other posts (G.B.H. and Campbell Buildings).
By all means add comments on KYPP but I feel the justice site should get equal or indeed more support right now.
There ws some talk of a site headed up with killing pet puppies as not a great host site for this important case to be propped up by and work further towards the cause, press and so forth.
Obviously Kill Your Pet Puppy is not meant literally but the real reason will probably be just as bad to explain to those in the media or officials anyway!
Read the meaning here on the front page:
http://www.killyourpetpuppy.co.uk/
April 29th, 2010 at 12:07 pm
Help needed. I have just made a wikipedia page for Gary.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Critchley
But it will need someone used to editing wiki to upgrade it or it could be deleted.
April 29th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
al , reads very well. someone on this site must know gareth pearce. has she been approached/or not political enough?
April 29th, 2010 at 5:01 pm
Gareth has been approached, as has Julian Young- no response yet from either.
April 29th, 2010 at 9:54 pm
I am in New Zealand.
Gary, No thanks needed, we wish we could do more. Please just enjoy them.
April 29th, 2010 at 10:20 pm
Hi,
I’m so glad you like the art supplies Gary. I think about you and your situation daily. I come across so many angry and bitter people, upset over the most trivial things and here you are. A man who has had his freedom taken, unable to access the truth surrounding the events that led to imprisonment yet you are creating art and sharing it with us. I hope that everyone’s combined attempts to make this better for you make a difference. Enjoy the art supplies and thank you for taking the time to send a card. I’ll get back to you when it arrives.
Heido
April 29th, 2010 at 11:06 pm
Heido,
I am sure that Gary will produce some wonderful artwork with your very generous and thoughtful gift.
As more and more people pool their talents, generosity and time on this mission towards seeking justice for Gary, an enormous family of friends is forming. May this strength continue to grow and we need to be prepared to support him through all the coming stages of this process.
Heartfelt thanks to all as always!
Julie
May 1st, 2010 at 2:18 am
Saw Gary today with Carol. He looks the same, and still has that amazing sense of humour! What struck both myself and Carol was that he has this ability to almost be resigned to what has happened probably because he has had so many knockbacks, he has no bitterness at all. Yet, now he also has hope, and he seems to juggle these two contrasting emotions with ease and humour. I believe that the hope comes from all this……….Therefore,we cannot let him down and must perservere until his conviction is overturned.
Sharon
May 1st, 2010 at 10:39 pm
The Donny punkfest is putting on a series of gigs in support of Gary.
The title is great too ‘what justice system?’. This works really well: we always have to double check we’re not against anyone, or raging against any machines etc – this is not AGAINST anything – it’s FOR justice for Gary.
(We have to make sure we avoid cheesing anyone off unnecessarily, as this is literally someone’s life we’re dealing with).
We’re working on a link with some banner makers so venues etc can have their ‘justiceforgarycritchley.org’ banners as a backdrop at every gig, irrespective of who and when. If all who attend and take pics put them online and tag them to the fbook group, we can spread the word even more.
We’re aiming to have tshirts made soon with Gary’s ‘then and now’ pic on the front , with the justiceforgarycritchley.org address on the front, and one of pieces of art on the back. These will be on sale for c £12.00 – £15.00 dependent on printing etc costs (with all profits going into the’ JfGC’ fund) and a PayPal account is being opened to enable it.
Many of you have mailed us individually, asking where and how to donate money toward the cause. The PayPal account will be up and running soon – there are 683 fbook members as of today, and more on other sites. This membership is likely to more than double in the next few weeks, thanks largely to all your efforts.
If even a third of the members wanted to donate a regular £1 per week til he’s out, this will support initially the costs of printing his art cards, production of banners, t-shirts etc, as well as any other promotional work needed (fingers crossed- some of the legal costs now look like being met).
May 2nd, 2010 at 9:18 am
Hi,
Just a thought on the t shirts.
Although the picture your planning to use works very well on the website, I’m not sure it’ll work that well as a t-shirt. I only say this because I have some experience of designing t shirts.
Essentially the dimensions are wrong – most people’s torsos (and therefore t-shirts) are longer than they are wide (potrait format), while the picture is wider than it is long (landscape format). This just looks wrong on a t shirt.
It’s something to do with the human brains spatial awareness, which I don’t really understand, but there’s loads of art theories about proportion etc.
PLEASE NOTE: IT’S A LONG TIME SINCE I PRINTED ANY T SHIRTS SO TECHNOLOGY MAY HAVE LEAPED FORWARD WITHOUT ME NOTICING, IN WHICH CASE THE COMMENTS BELOW ABOUT THE PRINTING PROCESS CAN BE SAFELY IGNORED.
Also, in terms of the printing process, because it’s colour, screen printing it will be horribly expensive, so the only other option is to do a ‘heat transfer’ type thing (basically a flash version of an ‘iron-on transfer’).
This works OK but you get a very odd stiff effect as the transfer stops the material moving natuarlly. They are also prone to cracking and flaking.
I had been thinking about t shirts as well and had come up with an idea (which is obviously just that – feel free to ignore me), but if Gary were to do a self-portrait (maybe based on the ‘before and after’ pic), in stark black and white (as this works best with screen printing) in ‘portrait’ format, it would also have the advantage of being his work, so it kind of kills two birds with one stone, so to speak.
There’s a good site here: http://www.menmuir.org.uk/sunrise/ that specialises in screen printing who will probably be able to give technical advice.
Like I say – just a thought.
May 2nd, 2010 at 9:51 am
Good points: we were choosing a pic that’s longer than wide for that v reason, and your ideas and thoughts are good ones as you obviously know way more. Lots of people have suggested t shirts, so I think there’d be an audience / market, and the more people wearing them, the better.
I’ll speak to Gary later today re an image for the tshirts. I love the idea of a self portrait but I’m not sure it’ll be viable.
Tom had a great idea of aligning the shirts with the bands / gigs the band on the front, and Gary’s image on the back, with the web address. The potential challenge with those was logistical (timing, numbers for gigs, physically managing it etc).
(I wanted to see if we could get one to Russell Howard and Adrian Chiles and ask them to wear them)
Is anyone able / happy to spend time finding out what is viable, print wise, and we can make decisions from there??
Best.
C
May 2nd, 2010 at 12:28 pm
i used this place a while back to get some stickers done, they also do teeshirts, not sure what prices are like compared to other places but they did a good job on my stickers, you can find them here
http://www.phantomscreenprint.co.uk/phantomscreenprint/Welcome.html
cc – did you used to write for city fun magazine years ago?
May 8th, 2010 at 7:23 pm
I’m away from Monday eve to may 26, so will catch up the minute I get back (won’t have phone and v limited access to mail), but will be thinking of Gary and all of you, and looking forward to hearing all about the campaign when I’m back. I’ll (work out how pt) put a mail response on my mails letting anyone know to come through here / the justice site for anything connected with the campaign in my absence. You lot rock, as my kids would say!
Jock – nope, not me, I’m just an old Granny from Brum, but I’m assuming this person had typos littering all their input?
Nick – that cd player has made a huge difference.
Baron – great letter you sent to Gary – he read it to me last night – v heart-warming and lovely.
See / hear you all v soon.
Best.
C
May 13th, 2010 at 8:01 pm
Gary’s sister Michelle has organised local media coverage – (great stuff Michelle) – look out for it on Sunday.
Nationals are displaying lots of interest – this could be another thing that tilts the balance..
May 15th, 2010 at 12:30 am
Birmingham Punx Picnic organiser Luke has agreed that 2010 Picnic will be a fundraiser for Gary. This will raise a minimum of £1000. This is a 3 day event. Also an all dayer on July 31st at the Adam and Eve. Many thanks to Luke for agreeing to this. Hope to see as many people as possible there to have a great time, see great bands, and to raise money for Gary!!!!
May 15th, 2010 at 11:58 am
Heard back from the Ministry Of Justice this week – they just sent me a letter apologising for not replying to my letter sent last December! They are going to send me a detailed reply in the next 3 weeks though, so at least we can start to see what their opinions are to public letters.
Got a card from Gary today – he sounds quite chipper – he was writing from outdoors in the sunshine and managed to get a copy of “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” that was going to be thrown away. The woman who was throwing it out said “Oh, have you read this one then?”. “Yeah, 15 times”, Gary apparently replied, “And now I’m in it”.
Priceless!
@Sharon-> Where/when is the picnic? I may be able to make it along.
May 15th, 2010 at 12:07 pm
BTW – if anyone wants to write directly to the Ministry of Justice, the person to write to regarding Gary is:
Ms Brigid Edwards, Team B Team Leader
National Offender Management Service
Public Protection Casework Section
8th Floor, Cleland House
Page St
LONDON SW1P 4DF
You can bother her directly by telephone on 020 7217 6150
May 15th, 2010 at 12:10 pm
Was also thinking that maybe Tom Robinson might be prepared to lend a re-release of “I Shall Be Released”? He recorded it initially for the Free George Ince campaign, didn’t he? (George Ince was the one that actually *was* innocent, as opposed to George Davis).
Or just give permission for the original to be remixed (I’m sure there must be someone who knows their way deftly around a set of decks and a mixing desk on here, innit?) [hints broadly at Penguin
]
May 15th, 2010 at 11:11 pm
Birmingham based Sunday Mercury newspaper running a story on Gary’s case 16 May 2010 See
http://www.sundaymercury.net/news/midlands-news/2010/05/16/mercury-crime-study-was-birmingham-punk-rocker-locked-up-for-murder-he-didn-t-commit-66331-26453295/
May 16th, 2010 at 8:40 pm
There is now a ‘Donate’ button on the Justice for Gary site
http://www.justiceforgarycritchley.org/
The button is there so we can start raising funds to pay for an independent forensic pathologist (as seen on TV – CSI, NCIS etc ) to challenge the original pathologist’s evidence.
May 17th, 2010 at 10:42 am
Thanks for posting the Sunday Mercury story AL, it’s a very positive development and we can all copy and paste that everywhere.
May 17th, 2010 at 12:55 pm
Always good to get publicity, but I am a strong supporter of the European Human Rights Act. It would be an irony if Gary were eventually to be released as a result of an action under the Human rights act if people in his campaign were seen to be dismissing it as a piece of legislation which lets child rapists and murderers walk free from justice.
The Act simply establishes what we have a right to expect when dealing with Institutions and with other people. It’s a groundbreaking and forward thinking piece of law. I can’t help thinking that if there had been a human Rights Act in 1981 there would have been no need for this campaign because the Old Bill would have thought twice before fitting Gary up.
If this is a misquote in the article, or if it’s been selectively edited, then somebody should do something about that.
May 17th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
As an example of what the lack of human rights legislation can do, I notice that the founder of WikiLeaks.com has had his passport confiscated and cancelled by the Australian government. See http://www.tgdaily.com/business-and-law-features/49782-wikileaks-founder-told-his-passport-will-be-cancelled
They presumably don’t have a Human Rights Act in Oz, then. Mind you, I do remember that the recent Labour government over here were talking about confiscating the passports of people who were behind on their child support payments. We would have had a EHRA test case for that in the courts pretty quickly, I hope.
June 3rd, 2010 at 7:32 pm
Message for Nick – send me your address (inbox me, I don’t know how to do that,sorry) and I’ll post it to you
Hiya Nick
Thanks for all of the support help and kind gifts mate
I don’t have a billing address for you so I am going to get carol to post this online
It was great to receive the art materials from Heidi and the other CDs and chocolate too (from Cathe)
I’ve written to both of them to say thanks too
I heard what you put about no thanks being required, but I’d like to say it anyway. The CDs are great and the book and stereo- I appreciate it all very much
There are a few of my old favourites on there- particularly Orgasm Addict by the Buzzcocks and I love Devo
It’s good hearing some of the old reggae stuff too. I had a really good cd from a friends friend in Birmingham, called G-Corp and the Mighty Tree’ which is great- more like seventies reggae, not contemporary stuff
Anyway Nick, Thankyou for all your help/encouragement etc- take care mate
All the very best
Gary
June 3rd, 2010 at 7:33 pm
PS – Nick- that was posted on 6.5, just got it today- apologies.
June 21st, 2010 at 9:25 am
Hi Just to let you know I’ve been twittering Garys plight across the web. Fortunately I have built up a viral campaign already through my music. DeafboyOne. Yeah I’m a Deaf Punk Musician… dont go there. Suffice to say I’m a brit based downunder in Oz and I’ve commandeered the local Music Charts with a song entitled “NEVER MIND THE BOLLOCKS FREE GARY CRITCHLEY” you can hear it online at
http://www.nextunes.com.au/charts.php just click on the song at NUMBER 1 in the charts. The Chart is called NexTunes the Aussie equivalent of iTunes so pretty serious stuff. The more hits we can get on the song the longer it stays in the charts the more exposure we give to Gary. You can download it for free if you like it? But the main point is lets get Gary the hell out of there before hell freezes over! DeafboyOne
June 21st, 2010 at 9:29 am
http://www.nextunes.com.au/storage/photos/457/3140/main.jpg
June 21st, 2010 at 10:21 am
If anyone posts anything on here I will copy n paste on to my FaceBook sites DeafboyOne Pete Waller and Pete Waller DeafboyOne that way I can let people know how Gary is doing and how well his bid for freedom is going? I have suggested an “Escape Committee” based on the TV series Colditz where we could come up with suggestions as to how to get Gary out? I’m sure it would prod the consciences of those with the keys to his cell, so they might actually question why they have to lock him up when he’s blatantly innocent? Positive thinking
Pete DeafboyOne
June 22nd, 2010 at 3:04 pm
Dear Friends
Gary’s paintings have been accepted, amongst over 100 entries, to be displayed in the forthcoming Left in Vision 4 art exhibition from Thursday July 1 – Monday July 5th.
More information here: http://www.marxismfestival.org.uk/
The Left in Vision exhibition will be launched at 5.30pm on Friday, July 2nd, ULU (Torrington Place/Malet St.) and if free and open to the public throughout the conference.
The work ranges from the overtly political to the surreal, personal and abstract.
PLEASE SPREAD THE NEWS AND IF YOU CAN MAKE IT THERE WILL BE GREAT TO SEE YOU
Wendy & I will take Gary’s paintings and other campaign materials to London and we shall definitely be there on Friday and Saturday. Would be great to meet any of you who can get to or live in London and help passing out cards etc also appreciated.
If anyone would like to speak briefly at the launch please let me know as there is a possibility of a slot for this. Nicks film will also be shown and we hope to be wearing the tshirts by then?
(I’ve been told the SOAS union is a good bar to watch the footy???)
June 24th, 2010 at 10:31 pm
Big meeting of http://www.justiceforgarycritchley.org in Birmingham today, during which I spoke to Gary on the phone and he asked me to be remembered to all the people on this thread and beyond.
In particular, if Tony (Robbo) reads this, we’d really appreciate you getting in touch mate, it could really help.
July 3rd, 2010 at 12:05 am
Haven’t been on here for ages, as I’m hoping all the input through fbook will come to here.. just in case it’s not: quick update here.
All is going v well in the areas we’ve prioritised: it’s 4 months today since the Brum lot found out about Gary. I’ve just got off the phone to him and he’s in (his usual) startlingly good form.
Quick update:
Legal:
Gary’s had advice from (one of the UK’s top) barrister(s) and will be meeting with him soon, hopefully, to go over Gary’s options so he can make a fully informed choice;(NB- the Barrister was not asked an opinion re miscarriage, but to find the most appropriate and effective way to get Gary home and free), and we then need to secure a lawyer who can help him with that, as this is not Glyn’s area of experience.
Gerry C’s hoping to come up with some thoughts/ links for this. .
Forensic:
we now have the list of the ‘retained items’ and a forensic unit is looking at them as I type, to see what contemporary forensics could come up with;
Profile Raising:
Gary’s own MP is championing the case and taking it to PQ’s anytime now, before recess, and as you all no doubt know, Gerry Conlon is back in the UK now from his trip and he, Paddy Hill and MOJO are prioritising Gary’s case. Gerry is brilliant, and full of ideas/ knowledge and experience. He spoke about Gary in Oz, and is doing so at the event tomorrow, (whilst hopefully wearing a t-shirt with the weblink on it) .
Gary’ll feature on BBC’s Inside Out in October, and the team there are doing all they can to promote his case, as are other mediums.
If you’ve not already done so, please join the fbook group and the cause page, as these give us some numbers to quote in correspondence, and most updates are going through there for speed and ease. (There are a number of gigs/ events lined up for Gary- details are on those pages)
It’s Gary’s birthday on Aug 13. One of the facebook members- Jayne – suggested we all send him cards, which would be fab for him, we have to send them to get there on c Aug 10 as they take a day or two to get to him once having arrived at his address. We’ll know by c July 19 if he’ll be staying where he is, or will be moved on
Gary can’t thank any of (all of) us enough for all that’s happening
July 12th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
Anybody fancy joining in a sponsored “Circle Line Pub Crawl” in aid of Gary’s lawyer fund? 27 stations in 12 hours; cheeky half in each pub. Get drunk, meet old friends and help the cause. Maybe even get some T-shirts done that we could sell?
July 12th, 2010 at 3:40 pm
JPP- great idea- I can’t do this / or hold my drink, so apologies. there will be a selection of Gary’ t shirts for sale through the website any time soon, plus the banners and car / window stickers. T shirts will be same as ones already made, plus some new stuff – hopefully in the next two weeks.
July 12th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
@CC -> I can’t hold my drink either, so it should be great fun
Anyone else fancies joining in / sponsoring, either post on here or get my email from Penguin and mail me.
July 13th, 2010 at 10:18 pm
@JPP > that’s the sort of protest I can understand. Did you have a day in mind? I’m free for this sort of thing on Sat Aug 21 or Sun Aug 22.
July 13th, 2010 at 10:49 pm
By a strange twist of fate I also should be free that same weekend.
Hope the crawl above will be better on my health than my own stag weekend in 2003.
PUB CRAWL ALONG THE LENGTH OF GREEN LANES FROM NEWINGTON GREEN TO WINCHMORE HILL:
SAT 15 MARCH 2003
STOKE NEWINGTON
11.00 – THE MONACH >>>>>BUS TO
12.00 – ROBINSON CRUSOE
12.45 – WHITE HORSE
13.30 – BROWNSWOOD TAVERN >>>>>BUS TO
HARINGAY
14.30 – FINSBURY PARK TAVERN
15.15 – BEACONSFIELD
16.00 – OLD ALE EMPORIUM
16.45 – OLD SUFFOLK PUNCH
17.30 – SALISBURY
18.15 – QUEENS HEAD >>>>>BUS TO
WOOD GREEN
19.15 – WEATHERSPOON
20.00 – CHICAGO ROCK CAFÉ
21.45 – YATES
22.30 – THE GOOSE
SUN 16 MARCH 2003
WOOD GREEN
12.00 – THE NELSON
12.45 – IRISH BAR
13.30 – O’RAFFERTYS
14.15 – CHARLIE BROWNS
PALMERS GREEN
15.00 – NIGHTINGALE >>>>>BUS TO
16.00 – OCCASIONAL HALF
16.45 – FALTERING FULLBACK
17.15 – INN ON THE GREEN
18.00 – O’ CONNELLS
18.45 – THE FOX
19.30 – WHOLE HOG >>>>>BUS TO
WINCHMORE HILL
20.30 – HALF MOON
21.15 – BROADWAY
22.00 – GREEN DRAGON
I was the only person to complete a pint in all the 28 pubs, along with as much percy as I could handle. It was my stag do after all! My best man only managed 27 pubs.
Keep us posted Pork on developments for the circle line crawl.
July 13th, 2010 at 11:34 pm
The Saturday would probably be better as there will probably be more pubs open in the City part of the Circle Line.
@Pengers… That iitinerary is worthy of much kudos, fella! Proper-stylee. Was reading a CLPC site where the bloke who runs the site decided to do the 27 pubs in 12 hours “under wine rules”. That’s to say, him and his mates tried to do the 27 pubs with a 250ml glass of wine in each pub. Didn’t make it.
It’ll be great to see you both for this one. Any other takers out there? If the Birmingham contingent fancy it, we could start and end at Euston Square station so it’d be easier access back to Euston main line when trolleyed. How about a £20 entry fee, going to Gary’s lawyer fund?
July 13th, 2010 at 11:47 pm
27 pubs in 12 hours is mental. 14 pubs each for both days of that weekend in 2003 was enough for me!
Cool with the entrance fee from my side.
You should try to get Sii Jake and Robbo involved as they were old muckers of yours and Garys.
July 16th, 2010 at 12:06 pm
I’m up for it though probably will not last more than half a dozen pubs/pints but I’ll do my best for the cause and will be fun to put faces to names. Once you’ve got the itinerary set up I’ll try and catch you up if I miss the start………seeing Gary tomorrow morning so will let him know if he doesn’t already that is!
July 17th, 2010 at 2:10 am
Don’t forget it’s only a half in each pub… a pint would be teetering on that thin line between graphic novel heroism and grand old stupidity! 12 hours is enough time to fit in plenty of stomach-lining burgers/tofu, depending on preference, too. Anyone who can make it along and get sponsored for a few quid for a few sociable halves is gonna be chipping in to help Gary. Don’t have to have a drink in every juicer – the more soberish ones left to direct traffic at the end of the day the better, really! If anyone wants me to send them a sponsorship form, let me know. Julie: I guess it’s best if we send the money to Glyn – it’d just look more official on the form, so could you email me his details please? Anyway, I’m gonna get back into my disciplined training routine with this rather nice Aussie Chardonnay – 12 quid for 3 bottles form Sainsbury’s whilst stocks last, all you prospective sponsored crawlers – so take care and keep the faith in getting Gary home soon.
July 17th, 2010 at 5:31 am
@Pengers and Baron… Si is doing stuff in a cool and balanced way out in Arizona Bay I think. I miss him. He had an eye for the one lucrative score round about ’80. No more details. If you could track Big Randy down, I’m sure he’d tell you the same story. His girlfriend of the time Millie was nice too. As was their mate Sophie, at whose parents’ place I made the crucial teenage Holsten Pils to wine move. Happily, I later developed a taste for Red Stripe Crucial Brew and a nice draw. And that’s why South London remains God’s Country. As for Robbo: he doesn’t seem to pop up on here any more. Which is a shame… I think he could help us. He’s pretty busy with his thing though, as far as I know. And my mate Sam is a long way away but I couldn’t be prouder of him. He’s done what we all wanted to do 81-ish. Still love him. Baron… what about you? No alcohol needed on your part dude: we could do with a good PR man to hand out flyers and motivational speeches for Gary’s cause. My lovely Chels will be along too and she will be abstaining in a Dharma way too.
July 27th, 2010 at 4:12 am
All you guys: Circle Line Pub Crawl for Gary Critchley Fighting Fund…
Saturday August 21st. Starts at the Wetherspoons Pub in Victoria Station. 10.00 in the morning. £20 to participate -buy a T-shirt for another tenner if you like. Beer should cost about fifty quid. Factor in food for another tenner or so (unless you’re particularly posh, in which case bring a butler, hamper and a rack of Waitrose organic marching powder for the rest of us).
Continues around the Circle Line quite literally ad nauseam a half pint at a time until we get to Sloane Square around about 11pm, at which point anyone who is completely compost mentis (sic – check your “Jah Porg is quide liderally shit at Ladin, made” textbook) is welcome to pile down the King’s Road shouting at all the shops that used to be like magnets to us when we were children.
I think that in between, we could have rather a good time. I’m planning to, anyway!
Can I remind you all that it is only a half pint in each boozer. Everyone who does any of the pubs is making money for Gary if they get sponsored. Let’s face it, all your friends have an idea about how much you can drink. If that idea is three halves and you manage six, then we’re that much nearer to getting Gary a walk.
Please, all of you guys who know me and are still in the UK, come along. If you can’t make it, then get in touch with Tony or Penguin and stick a few quid in (if you’re betting, my tip is Porky Boy to go a bit green around High Street Ken).
Gary’s team need the money. He’s one of us. Don’t let the man down. Even if you’re not going to have a drink, please come along and support the day – dish out some flyers, talk in a sober way to some people who do’t know about Gary’s plight.
Please come along, or sort out some way of sponsoring your favourite drunk per pub via Pengers or Tony if you really can’t make it. Don’t let us down: I’m risking a lower intestine for this
August 1st, 2010 at 2:32 am
Does my butler also have to pay the £20?
August 1st, 2010 at 11:10 pm
@Tony and Penguin->
Sorry chaps, but I’m not gonna bother with the pub crawl thing. I can foresee myself getting a load of T-shirts and sponsorship forms printed at my own expense and spending time organising all this and it’s going to be just the three of us who turn up. No point at all. I’d hoped we could get a lot of us from this site along and make plenty of money for Gary’s lawyer fund from entry fees and sponsorship.
Apathy rules. I’ll put the £20 that I was going to use for my entry fee into Gary’s fund anyway.
August 2nd, 2010 at 9:11 am
Hi JPP- we have t shirts, banners and car/wndow stickers good to go- they should be online this week, and are available at gigs etc -if you can encourage people to buy these , this will be a great addition to Gary’s fund
August 2nd, 2010 at 9:38 am
@cc-> thanks – I’ll try and get some people interested in the shirts/stickers. Sounds more rewarding than spending £30 on the train fare to London and then £50 on beer, a tenner on food and £20 on a t-shirt just so that I can have a drink with 2 mates. If I stay in and post on here for a night, that’s £80 I can spend on vintage claret and a curry and still (a) send Gary’s fund £20, and (b) talk nonsense with 2 mates. Epic!
August 2nd, 2010 at 10:09 pm
Fair enough Pork, maybe another time for a quieter meet up when you are down here in the smoke rather than the pub crawl. I must admit I am not sure how much drink I would have stuffed down me as I barely drink much anymore and grade As are a no no nowadays. I would have probably been arrested, beaten up by Chelsea bootboys on the way back from Wigan, died or possibly a mixture of all three.
August 7th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
damn shame i mised that art exb.
August 7th, 2010 at 12:22 pm
how ‘d it go?
August 12th, 2010 at 4:27 am
Recent pics from Rebellion Festival featuring the new Justice For Gary Critchley t-shirt:
http://www.justiceforgarycritchley.org/?page_id=111
August 12th, 2010 at 8:11 am
Are these going to be available via the website?
August 12th, 2010 at 9:18 am
shortly, plus banners and car and wndow stickers.
August 13th, 2010 at 9:33 am
I have arranged a benefit gig for the Justice for Gary Critchley Campaign:
TV Smith
Advanced Idea Mechanics
P.I.G. – to be confirmed
Shocks of Mighty
The Montague Arms
289 Queens Road Peckham (corner of Kender Street)
Peckham SE15 2PA
Friday the 1st of October 2010
8.30 – 12.00 pm
£5.00/ £3.00 (concessions)
Train: New Cross Gate/ Queens Road (Peckham)
Bus: 53, 453, 177, 225, 171, 172, 136, 321, 21, 436
TV Smith will be going on somewhere in the middle as he has a gig in Paris the next day and has to get up early. I’ll confirm ‘on stage’ times when I have them.
AIM are a Hydra side-project featuring me and Raye Caluori (ex Leech Woman/ Third Door from the Left), we may be doing it as Hydra rather than AIM, but this depends on various factors too dull to go into here.
P.I.G. are John Clifford’s (ex Conflict/ Fear of Fear) new band.
Shocks of Mighty are Veg’s (ex Hagar the Womb) new band.
I kind of let the side down by not be ‘ex’ anyone – do Adrian and his Anal Birth Complex count?
August 13th, 2010 at 12:35 pm
thankyou everyone for your presents and support – gary
August 13th, 2010 at 3:16 pm
“Are these going to be available via the website?”
Yes I’m hoping so, but not as yet – I’ll put something here when they are.
Happy Birthday Gary!
August 14th, 2010 at 12:58 am
alright gary,happy birthday mate,we`re all thinking of you,and doing what we can.hope to see you soon,one way or another,keep the faith!you`ve never let them grind you down,thats the main thing.one love and respect jock and crew,brum
August 14th, 2010 at 11:05 pm
I didn’t notice the thankyou message Gary put on here (Aug 13) til he mentioned it!
August 15th, 2010 at 4:59 pm
thanks to everyone for the cards, visits ssupport, love you all – would be especially nice to buy you all a pint or something. ruth king, robbo, beano or richard morgan – any contact from you would be particularly welcome…
…don’t let them fuck me anymore than they already have.
August 15th, 2010 at 8:49 pm
im sure you still owe me a pint or two from 1980!ill be collecting those soon chap,just been to america,loads of people know about your case there,yer a star,stay srong,see you soon!!!
August 21st, 2010 at 12:44 pm
Gary Critchley says; would very much appreciate any contact from the old school lot, but also any of the new people who have been so supportive. But contrary to my last message it would be a far better idea if anyone who has any helpful info/evidence to first contact my solicitors [which isn't as simple as it sounds at the moment] probably better via Carol (granny) Coombes. Thanks again everyone for making it a birthday to remember for a change – the cards and everything, blinding! Even this place were extra nice to me (“gimme gimme shock treatment”). On a more serious note with regards to Jocks last comment -I cannot get my stinking dinosaur breath…owe you a pint?…you should have been paying me royalties for my “plastic muscles” comments on your first few taped gigs at the eagle! That’s what got you so many fans in the first place!
anyway all take good care and please try and get to the punky-reggae party and particularly the meeting beforehand with regards to tactics. Bye love and respect – destroy power-not people – Gary x
September 2nd, 2010 at 3:05 pm
Punx picnic this weekend so everyone is tied up and can’t get down x x
September 2nd, 2010 at 3:50 pm
Don’t look like email addresses showed up so here they are again
t.mcdermott@threewhitewalls.com
http://www.washingtongreen.co.uk.
or
artreview@washingtongreen.co.uk.
September 10th, 2010 at 8:33 am
BENEFIT GIG 1st OCTOBER
TV Smith
Hydra (Leech Woman/ Third Door from the Left)
P.I.G. (Conflict/ Fear of Fear)
Shocks of Mighty (Hagar the Womb)
The Montague Arms
289 Queens Road Peckham (corner of Kender Street)
Peckham SE15 2PA
Friday the 1st of October 2010
8.30 – 12.00 pm
£5.00/ £3.00 (concessions)
Train: New Cross Gate/ Queens Road (Peckham)
Bus: 53, 453, 177, 225, 171, 172, 136, 321, 21, 436
Running time as follows:
8.00 DOORS
8.30 – 9.00 SHOCKS OF MIGHTY
9.15 – 10.15 TV SMITH
10.30 – 11.00 P.I.G.
11.15 – 11.45 HYDRA
http://www.justiceforgarycritchley.org
September 10th, 2010 at 6:59 pm
Looks good, might cross the river for this one.
September 11th, 2010 at 8:05 am
Now they’ve finished mucking about with the East London line, it’s actually quite easy to get to New Cross Gate from North London, so no excuses to miss it really.
September 13th, 2010 at 4:58 pm
alright crap
great to talk to you the other night.we had a great weekend in your honour.we`re having another one in london dec 4th,will keep you posted,have a great week,make some great art and speak to you soon,all the best,jock
September 17th, 2010 at 5:06 pm
good on yer nick. i was just thinking it would be good to have one in the south. now i actually have to venture out in s ldn after dark. jah Pork u up for that?
erm, kylle , grannie or anyone, did robbo get on contact. if not I’ll hassle some more. cheers j
September 17th, 2010 at 6:44 pm
With any luck I’ll have some badges with the new logo ready in time for the gig.
September 19th, 2010 at 5:23 pm
THANKS EVERYONE FOR ALL THE SUPPORT IN THE MIDLANDS AND THE SOUTH, ESPECIALLY “CHARLIES ANGELS”…YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE…C’MON ROBBO WHERE ARE YOU? IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HEAR FROM YOU AGAIN.
September 25th, 2010 at 7:02 am
Crap… We’re on it like a tramp on chips! PRP 2, http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=149757958391298&ref=share 2 weeks and counting… BIG LOVE kidda… TTFN, PAPA(razzi)SMURF!
September 26th, 2010 at 10:33 pm
oi GC- all going well- speak soon x
September 29th, 2010 at 6:15 pm
Hi all,
It would be good if people who are coming to the gig on Friday the 1st of October could come with cameras and either take pictures of all the bands or video stuff (even if it’s only one song). I want to get a lot of footage/ photos to edit together to publicise the campaign.
September 30th, 2010 at 10:47 pm
@ Nick-fantastic- have a great one! can’t wait to see the pics and hear all about it
October 2nd, 2010 at 9:18 am
P
Guilty for not making the 2 hour + hike in the rain to London.
I fear that the only Campbell Buildings representative was Del?
Good on yer mate.
Did Mr Smith do a rendition of Gary Critchley’s eyes?
Or is that bad taste?
As Sam said, it could have been any of us really, thus poignant, nyet?
Can’t wait to hear about it.
Hats off to all those who went.
October 2nd, 2010 at 12:02 pm
Shame you couldn’t make it, was a good night although thought the punters took a bit too long getting into T.V. Smith. Bit of a flat atmosphere for first half of his set. Was hoping he’d re-write Gary Critchley’s Eyes myself but he stuck to the original. Don’t know why I’ve never got around to seeing him since The Adverts.
Was great to see him, can’t think of anyone else from back in the day still writing good, relevant songs.
Nice to see Del again, don’t think there were any other Campbell Buildings peeps lurking unless they were on Tuinal down the back!
October 2nd, 2010 at 5:25 pm
£369.00 raised yesterday.
October 3rd, 2010 at 10:00 pm
good result. tuinol, phenabarbitol, secanol. omg, when god was alive. not.
October 4th, 2010 at 9:19 am
dont forget my once fave ‘nembutal’, not that i would advocate the consumption of said little yellow n black thingymebobs!
saw igs gig on friday, between each song was heard shouted, “FREE GARY CRITCHLEY”.
October 24th, 2010 at 2:47 pm
Well done Jock mate. Say hello and thanks to everyone for me as per usual. Which igs are you on about by the way…not the legend? And Nick you really are a diamond mate, not to mention T.V. Smith and the others….see you all later hopefully…although this sometimes feels like “the story that doesn’t want to be heard… or told!” thanks to everyone globally for trying anyway.
October 25th, 2010 at 7:43 am
Just thought you may like to know I saw GBH play a blinding show at the Shinkjuku Loft last night and they dedicated their song “The Prisoner” to Gary which was great to hear. So, the word is spreading even to Tokyo
October 25th, 2010 at 8:09 am
GBH blew Austalia away, as expected, and gathered lots of support for you on the way.The Rumjacks, support band for the tour, have said they will carry on getting the message out there as will Leprosy and Gold Coast punx want to do a benefit gig in the near future,also lots of Perth bands spreading the word.
Catch up with you at the pub in Brum next year, alright!!
November 9th, 2010 at 10:34 pm
i think gary is a good man and not bad he is a grat artist he fantacit at it 7 yr old eve : )
November 9th, 2010 at 10:42 pm
hi its eve agin i sent a letter to gary iv got everthink of it i like gary because he is very nice.
November 9th, 2010 at 10:48 pm
Eve is my 7 year old daughter. She googled Gary, found this and left her comments. Called me when it was all done! Proud of her, a young radical in the making! X
November 11th, 2010 at 6:52 pm
good on you eve !
January 1st, 2011 at 2:57 pm
Happy New Year and my eternal thanks to all and everyone of you! For some reason as soon as I put comments/thankyous on any of the other sites, they are almost immediately censored/cancelled out or whatever, which is a shame – but please don’t for a second think that I am ungrateful for the support and particularly for the mail and art materials/books. Love you all and hope that this year will turn out to be the one that not only am I freed to demonstrate my gratitude but also the year that this (bag of shit) government are forced to overtyurn this conviction which has become cause celebre (I think that is how you spell it?…but somewhat of an embarassment to them anyway, and might I add it couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of “people” – using the term very loosely. Anyway thanks to everyone – NO SURRENDER – Gary (gonewrong) critchley
January 3rd, 2011 at 1:05 pm
happy new year gary,sorry not wrote for a long time,too long,aint forgotten ya,will post in near future,all the best.
January 12th, 2011 at 2:43 pm
Alright Nick – cheers for the stations album!…brought back a few memories that – especially of Digbeth…I was thrown on stage over peoples heads a couple of times by Graham (Dread Messiah) – who I saw on the scumfest site where he looked like a big lanky version of Iggy Pop in the tight bright yellow trousers – anyway I remember on the one occasion crashing into Penny Rimbauld and I think it was the guitarist and drunkenly trying to wrestle the guitar off him!
Anyway back to your letter, thanks as I said for the album, and I never know what to say either so that makes two of us! Although I usually just say the first thing that comes into my head < which don't go down to well when you are writing to the Home Sec. or the Ministry of J. and telling them that "…if they had the ballls they would do something about the whole poxy farce that this has become, but then why really give a shit when it is them that are mainly responsible for the non-disclosure of the 'missing evidence' …they are all 'just Pinheads in business suits' as Devo used to say. well anyway Nick I have asked LeeAnn to do the wish-list thing which Virginia suggested, but I will see what I can get together anyway, okay Nick. I really appreciate you all being there and all the support…say hello to your family for me…and hope to see you sometime in the future (maybe we can arrange something with Gerard – the Web-designer or some of the others (maybe even Julie and Wendy when they come sometime?). Anyway, keep in touch with the site (that goes for everyone else from Campbell Buildings or wherever too!) and with me, and take care mate – Be lucky – Gary C.
January 13th, 2011 at 5:05 pm
Hi Gary,
No problem, I’ll put the other stuff on the wishlist as soon as I get the info from Sharnay.
Nick
January 13th, 2011 at 5:06 pm
Gary now has an Amazon wishlist at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/registry/wishlist/225C0MGRZSKRB/ref=cm_wl_search_1 for anyone who wants to send him stuff.
There’s not much on there at the moment, but I should be adding stuff in the next few weeks.
January 17th, 2011 at 9:21 am
I’ve just put loads of stuff on it, but don’t go mad otherwise he’ll get everything all at the same time. It’s probably better to do it gradually so he’s got something to look forward to.
January 17th, 2011 at 9:53 am
Thanks Nick, spoke to Gerard about maybe coming up with you sometime if that’s okay. Thanks for talking to LeeAnn and sorting the wishlist out. I will keep adding stuff when I have had a look at what is available on some of the other sites. Have you spoken to Julie and Wendy lately? Wendy phoned me yesterday and seems okay. Hope to see you b4 too long. Take Care – Gary
January 18th, 2011 at 2:51 pm
Nick regarding the wishlist…how does the prospective buyer know that an item is not already sold and being sent out? Do the items come off the list after one person has bought the item for Gary? I am sure he would not like four or five Congos CD’s great as the Congos are…
January 19th, 2011 at 7:45 am
When people buy stuff it automatically comes off the wishlist as long as it’s bought directly from Amazon . If you buy it from ‘other sellers’ VIA Amazon it SHOULD come off the list, but doesn’t always
I have put a message on all the items that are not direct from Amazon to contact me if anyone buys them so I can make sure they’ve been removed.
February 17th, 2011 at 3:56 pm
Thanks Nick for the book which was great, although it wasn’t on the list, that doesn’t really matter as I am grateful for anything what anyone wants to send and sometimes it is better as a suprize anyway, so thanks.
February 17th, 2011 at 4:24 pm
Alright Doughnut, I hope you read this…I love you and hope you have been using your new frying pan!
April 28th, 2011 at 9:45 am
Hiya sweetheart
May 14th, 2011 at 2:52 pm
Idon’t know whether anyone even bothers using this thread anymore, it doesn’t seem like it, but just incase I want to let you know that there is a large outdoor festival (all-day and all-nighter, with more to follow) being held on the 30th of July in Redditch near Birmingham to mark the opening of a new site called ‘F3GC’. There will be at least ten bands playing including the ‘cracked actors’, and local reggae artist – ‘Sledge ‘Ammer’ (who is currently reecording a single to be released simultaneously about my case). The concert is to be held on Adams farm – directions to follow later – and is in conjunction with ‘Hedgerow productions’ and others. There will be camping facilities, food, drink,…etc also provided by the landowners. Tickets will be available nearer the date, but you will also be able to pay on the door. ‘Hedgerow productions’ are responsible for running a number of other festivals annually, and have a Licence to run this and a number of other events. Look out for further updates on this and the other sites soon. Gary
The F3GC site will be a sister site to the J4GC site, but will be a mainly merchandising site, where tickets to events, prints, paintings, and a numbeer of other items will be available. Both J4GC on facebook and the J4GC.Org sites will carry on as normal.
June 15th, 2011 at 12:19 pm
Dont worry Gaz people still come here but use the FB pages for case info , i think.
June 27th, 2011 at 4:04 pm
Alright Baron, If you or anyone else get the chance try to get along to the festival on the 30th of july at Adams…details on the new site…http://garycritchleyart.co.uk If any of the people that wanted prints read this then they are also available there at last. love gary
August 25th, 2011 at 7:07 pm
Hello? Is there anybody still out there?…If so please join my new page on F.Book just called Gary Critchley. If Robbo or Sue are reading this then please come forward as you really are needed and could make a difference to my ongoing purgatory…I need you now. I’m not interested in what has transpired before and all I am interested in is what is going on now with the innocence project, etc…So remember what you said earlier on in this thread before you decided to go A.W.O.L. again about helping me…well better late than never mate and I really would be made up to hear from you. You can remain as confidential or anonymous as you want Okay. Gary C.
September 13th, 2011 at 7:34 pm
An update for the folk commenting on this KYPP post; one little tiny step nearer for Crap AKA Gary Critchley: http://www.sundaymercury.net/news/midlands-news/2011/09/11/birmimgham-murder-appeal-man-gary-critchley-allowed-home-visit-66331-29398962/ as he is allowed the first in hopefully many home visits…
September 24th, 2011 at 11:50 am
Thanks Penguin, hopefully Charlie will have gotten your friends request and Robbo’s E-mail address by now. I will tell him to look out for it and to answer you a.s.a.p. Thanks again, I will let you know if I have any luck
October 9th, 2011 at 1:19 am
i remember gary well i was in a remand home in kings norton with him Forhill house in the late 70s we were both punks he wasnt a murderer he was a nice guy fun but not loud , i was shocked when i heard what has happend to him ,i hope he gets justice and is out soon ,keep your chin up cocker ,and the paintings are great
February 25th, 2012 at 8:49 pm
Gary will be free on Monday!!
Out on parole!
I’d like to think this thread helped – now to clear his name
March 5th, 2012 at 1:29 pm
This is a story from the sunday mercury (birmingham)
Gary Critchley enjoys his first day of freedom after being in jail for 30 years
Mar 4 2012 by Adam Aspinall, Sunday Mercury
A FORMER punk rocker jailed for over three decades for a crime he insists he did not commit has shared his first taste of freedom with the Sunday Mercury.
Gary Critchley, 49, from Birmingham, has been released from prison on parole after 31 years behind bars.
And he is currently learning how to deal with a very different world to the one he has been forbidden from seeing since he was locked up at the age of 17 in 1981.
Gary said: “It feels great to be out, it really does. But it is so strange getting to grips with everything because so much has changed.
“It is like the whole of Birmingham has gone up a gear. Everything is so much busier to how I remember it and there are so many more people about.
“Certain neighbourhoods I knew when I was younger have completely changed their character.
“I could not believe what I was seeing when I saw that the Longbridge factory had gone.
“It was very sad.
“Birmingham is also so much noisier then it used to be but it also looks much more modern in the city centre.
“There is so much for me to see and do, and there is so much for me to learn, that it is going to take time.
“I am just so happy to be out. I am enjoying every minute of it.”
Gary was jailed for the murder Edward McNeill, who was found bludgeoned to death in a London squat in 1980. There were no forensics to tie him to the crime and witness statements blaming someone else were never heard in court.
To everyone’s disbelief Gary was convicted of murder and ‘detained at Her Majesty’s Pleasure’, the juvenile equivalent of a life sentence with a recommendation that he should serve ‘no more than nine years’.
Gary has since lost multiple appeals and the Criminal Cases Review Commission has, so far, refused to re-open his case.
But the Miscarriages of Justice Organisation and The Innocence Project UK have taken up the fight to overturn his conviction.
Meanwhile, Gary said he was relieved to be finally a free man once more and says he hopes to try to make money by selling his paintings.
While in prison he became a prolific painter and won a Koestler award for some of his works.
He has also been encouraged by staff of Cambridge University, who exhibited several of his paintings in their library.
He even sent a painting to Nelson Mandela, who wrote a thank you letter to him and wished him luck with his bid to clear his name.
He said: “I am really keen to work. But I will not be able to do that for a while due to the demands of my parole conditions.
“As I wait for these to work out I think I am going to try to make some money by selling some of my paintings.
“I have had a lot of praise for them in the past and think if I could set myself up in a studio or something like that I could make a good effort trying to make a living out of it.
“So I am going to focus on enjoying my life and clearing my name.
“It is extremely important for me to do that, not just for myself but also for my long-suffering mum.
“My brother Alan was murdered in 1987 and my dad John was killed by a drink driver so I cannot be the only male left in my family with the tag of a murderer. I will not let that happen and I will clear my name.
l For more information visit http://www.justiceforgarycritchley.org
adam.aspinall@sundaymercury.net
March 6th, 2012 at 11:52 pm
Great news indeed Gary, hope things work out for you with your family and friends along side. All the best for the future.
March 9th, 2012 at 6:18 pm
I just read this whole thread, after seeing a link on the UK Decay site. Nice way to end the thread, now hopefully to clear your name Gary. You sure don’t seem like the loony type, and plenty of testimonies that you’re not. Just shows something like that could have happened to any of us in our younger days. All the best mate.
March 15th, 2012 at 7:23 pm
just brilliant news. heared 2 mins ago
best way to start the year
WICKED
March 21st, 2012 at 7:09 pm
And of course MR P give yourself a pat on the back for your part in it.
Good on yer mate.
May 15th, 2012 at 5:44 pm
Message from freedom…ey up this ain’t half bad…on the other hand i’m still convicted and will never be truly free until this conviction is over-turned.
May 18th, 2012 at 3:59 pm
Yep thats the next stage mate. It will happen, all the best
June 10th, 2012 at 4:29 am
Oh I have no doubt whatsoever it will happen Baron, it’s just a question of when not if, but it doesn’t wrankle any less because of that fact. 32 F***ing years is quite a long wait mate and I’m not getting any younger, although that does not matter much as just before the mental health board re-classified me and said that I did not satisfy the mental health act,I had just discovered that I am immortal.
October 19th, 2012 at 1:13 am
http://www.cambridgeartsalon.org.uk/2012/10/gary-critchley-his-life-and-painting/ art expedition 9th of november
Gary Critchley – His Life and Painting | A Cambridge Art Space
http://www.cambridgeartsalon.org.uk
October 27th, 2012 at 4:37 am
Whatever happened to you then Robbo? It might be important, you just never know.
Gary, I haven’t been well mate so haven’t been on here but it’s so good to hear you’re free. Peace and love my friend.