Friends of Ronnie Easterbrook picket of Ministry of Justice
Thursday 22nd January from 12:00 to 2:00 pm
Ministry of Justice
102 Petty France
London
SW1H 9AJ
78 year old Ronnie Easterbrook is in the 4 weeks of his hunger strike. He is still determined and in good spirits, despite his very weak condition but needs your help in his efforts to gain a retrial now before its too late.
Ronnie from South London was convicted of armed robbery and attempted murder in 1988 after a failed robbery on a supermarket wages van went horribly wrong. A police informant, Seamus Ray, set the job up and duly tipped off the police. As they made their getaway Easterbrook, Tony Ash and their driver Gary Wilson were ambushed by a Police team from PT17, the elite tactical firearms unit. A dramatic shoot-out ensued. Ash was shot dead by a Police marksman and Easterbrook, Wilson and a police inspector all suffered gunshot wounds. The shoot-out was captured by a Thames TV crew.
Ronnie maintains that he was a victim of a Metropolitan Police shoot-to-kill policy and that he was prevented from putting forward a defence based on this by both his own barrister's refusal to co-operate and by the trial judge's refusal to allow a political defence. He ended up having to represent himself and as he admits, made a lousy job of it. "I left school at the age of 14. I was totally out of my depth in the trial and didn't have the intellect to put forward a structured defence."
Initially sentenced to a whole life tariff, subsequently reduced to 12 and a half years, he says he won't apply for parole because he doesn't recognise the legality of his sentence and that until he gets a new trial justice will not have been done. Now after 20 years in prison (8 years beyond his tariff) and in a last desperate bid to draw attention to his case Ronnie has embarked on what is in effect a death fast if the authorities fail to act.
To show their solidarity, his friends and supporters will be holding a picket of the Ministry of Justice Thursday 22nd January from 12-2 pm. Please come along and show your support.
Or send a Email/fax/letter to Secretary of State for Justice , urging him to initiate a review of Ronnie's case (The Minister has the discretionary power to refer cases back to the Appeal Court):
Jack Straw
Secretary of State for Justice
Ministry of Justice
102 Petty France
London
SW1H 9AJ
Fax: 020 3334 4455
general.queries@justice.gsi.gov.uk / jack.straw@justice.gsi.gov.uk
Inquiries/further information:
friendsofronnieeasterbrook@gogglemail.com
