3rd September 1998.
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Duncan Campbell has covered the story in Guardian Wednesday
2nd September 1998, (Page 6). "Police settle photographer's claim over drug falsehood".
He outlined the main elements in the case, earlier, on Thursday
30th December 1991, (Page 4). The police were also operating a huge `stop and search' operation. I was stopped and searched without good cause and on complaint, officers were abusive. It appears that officers thought that they were supposed to be stopping people at large on their Superintendents authority, rather than on individual grounds for suspicion, as the law requires.
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I was there in my capacity as a Trustee of the Festival Welfare Services
and the Travellers Aid Trust. On arrival on site, I was approached by a number
who were most concerned at the police attention the event received. Contacted
friendly solicitor firms for advice and to arrange a legal advice presence
`in the field'.
Following day, was prevented from photographing the police operations under
threat of arrest and intimidation. All my activities were on the road, in
a public place. My photography was intended to show evidence of a number of
aspects of illegality in the way the police were behaving.
I had later, successfully, complained to the Police Complains Authority
about the conduct of the officers concerned at these incidents.
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So much for my complaint being upheld, an apology and being told that the police acted unlawfully. All this seemed a little hollow when, latter the following year (in 1992), I was anonymously sent a copy of a restricted document titled `Operation Nomad Bulletin'. Operation Nomad was a surveillance and information gathering exercise looking into the activities of New Age Travellers and now `raves' such as Castlemorton. In this document, officers are instructed to beware of my activities and that I photograph and tape record police operations. Further mention is made of my involvement in photographing and the bringing of civil actions after the `Battle of the Beanfield' incident near Stonehenge in 1985. Yet further, it goes on to say that I am a drug dealer. As I am not!!, I believe that this information was inserted so as to make my work as jobbing photo journalist, more difficult. It was also calculated to undermine my position with Festival Welfare Services and the Travellers Aid Trust in liaison with various authorities. |
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All this showed that they had not considered the original complaint at all
seriously and that I was now viewed as a troublemaker.
Against this background, I brought an action against the Chief Constable of
Avon and Somerset Police in the High Court in Bristol for Malicious Falsehood.
I had been granted legal aid (no aid being available for anyone to bring an
action for libel).
Actions for Malicious Falsehood are extremely rare. Only been about seven
this century. The last case had been bought by Rupert Alison MP about two
years ago against the Daily Mirror and he lost.
The entire process has taken over 6 years to get some kind of redress for
the wrong done to me by the award of substantial sum.
It is worth mentioning that this tale should not be viewed in isolation. Police are increasingly using various legal `devices' to remove photographers from the scene of actions were the police feel that they may be portrayed in a less than flattering light!!
I think that there is a developing pattern here that we should all be concerned about.
A freelance photographer wrongly accused in an internal police document of supplying drugs at free festivals has been paid substantial undisclosed damages by the Avon & Somerset Police for malicious falsehood.
Alan Lodge, 45, has been covering music festivals and the activities of New
Age travellers for years. In 1992 he was anonymously sent an internal police
document entitled Nomad Bulletin 4. Operation Nomad was a surveillance and
information gathering exercise looking into the activities of travellers and
rave culture.
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He was listed as someone who should be 'handled with care' and one paragraph stated that he was one of a group of four who are 'instrumental in arranging the supply of controlled drugs at festivals.' Lodge launched an action for malicious falsehood (BJP, 6 January, 1994) which was settled last week. Lodge said the document had damaged his reputation as a negotiator between the police and New Age Travellers and affected his work as a freelance photographer. Mr Lodge has worked for the Guardian, The Independent, I-D Magazine and Radio Times. |
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Mr Lodge says: `The entire process has taken over six years to get
some kind of redress for the wrong done to me by the award of a substantial
sum. The tale should not be viewed in isolation. Police are increasingly using
various legal `devices' to remove photographers from the scene of actions
where the police feel that they may be portrayed in a less flattering light.
I think that there is a developing pattern here that we should all be concerned
about.'
Please take time to look through my Police Surveillance Gallery!! I have included pictures of the many styles of equipment being used to watch, gain intelligence and, they hope, utimatly subvert the intentions of people involved in dissent.
I think that they also may give you an idea of what it is like being me!! This is the kind of scutiny that many of us have to live our lives under
Alan
Lodge / Tash: ... tash@gn.apc.org