Home -> Law Blog Directory -> International Law Blogs -> prisonlawinsideout

International Law

: prisonlawinsideout

Taping killer?s calls broke the rules, Jack Straw admits

By John Hirst

Taping killer?s calls broke the rules, Jack Straw admits

"Prison staff bugged conversations between a convicted killer and his solicitor without authorisation, Jack Straw admitted yesterday.

The privileged telephone calls made by Harry Roberts, 72, were recorded at Channings Wood prison in Devon in 2005 and 2006. The Times disclosed the extent of the bugging in February, reporting that the transcripts of the conversations came to light only because they were disclosed to Roberts?s solicitor, Simon Creighton, as part of his long battle to win parole".

I am surprised that a so-called inquiry has blamed Harry Roberts for not informing the prison authorities that the number he called is his solicitor's. Given that the Prison Service operates a pin number phone system, and that a prisoner has to submit a list of numbers to be authorised by the authorities, and they are categorised as friends and family and official numbers such as solicitors firms so as not to monitor legally privileged phone calls.

Full post as published by prisonlawinsideout on May 17, 2008 (boomark / email).