June 1985, I was in Conwy Town Centre, just come out of the pub with a group of friends and we were stood around talking when The Mob came over and told us to move on, to get in a taxi and go home.
This is what The Mob were good at, bullying and pushing people around, an officer started pushing me around I told him ‘Don’t push me, I’m not a wheelbarrow’ and told him to Fuck Off.
I was then arrested, taken into the police station and charged with breach of the peace.
I then appeared at Llandudno Magistrates to answer the above charge, Don Roberts represented me and told me I should get a £50 -100 fine.
The magistrates sentenced me to 5 months in prison for this offence.
Don Roberts looked at me in court, his face was a picture and he came to see me in the cells before I was taken to prison, he couldn’t believe what had happened to me and said he was immediately lodging an appeal, I was then taken away to Walton Prison.
Appeals take time and I eventually went to Mold Crown Court, on September 13th 1985 to appeal my sentence. The Crown Court judge asked the prosecution ‘why was such a severe sentence given to this man?, the prosecution couldn’t answer, the judge ordered that the prosecution phone the magistrate court to find out the reason.
The clerk of the court came back with the most pathetic answer possible, they said ‘there had been a lot of affrays in the area at that time’.
The judge in court said to the prosecution ‘So Mr Creamer has been used to set an example for other people?’, so my Barrister stood up and said ‘Quite right Your Honour, he’s been punished for other people’s crimes of affray which are much more serious’.
The Judge spoke and said, ‘Magistrates do get things wrong from time to time and in this case they have got it wrong, the judge then said ‘I want Mr Creamer released from the dock immediately, as this sentence was O.T.T – over the top’.
I was released there and then but by then I had already served most of the sentence and spent my 21st birthday in Walton Prison.
I’ve done some research and not found anybody in Great Britain that was sentenced to 5 months for breach of the peace and I’d be interested to know what any former or serving magistrates think of this sentence?
JFT 96 – YNWA