Census COs

IssueNovember 2012
News by PN staff

Two census resisters had their trials continued in early October, with Andy Manifold due to return to court on 19 October and Sarah Ledsom hoping to finish her trial on 23 November. Both are at Dale St magistrates' court in Liverpool.

400 people in Britain have been or are being prosecuted for failing to fill out the 2011 census. 

Among them are a number of peace activists who objected to the involvement in the census of military firms Lockheed Martin (processing the data for England and Wales) and CACI International (with the same role in Scotland). CACI International interrogators at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq have been accused of torture.

The case against Jane Howarth (see PN 2543) was dismissed in August, as she had been charged with not answering a question that she had answered, and time had run out for her to be correctly charged with refusing to complete the census.

Roger Grenville pleaded guilty on 2 March and was fined £65 with £190 costs – we believe he is refusing to pay this.

Cases which have been dropped include John Voysey, Judith Sambrook and Stroud mayor John Marjoram, whose proposed legal defence seems to have deterred the crown prosecution service.

Future hearings include: Mandy Woods' trial at Bury St Edmunds magistrates court on 20 November; Deborah Glass Woodin's appeal against her conviction at Oxford crown court on 7 December; Barbara Dowling's much-postponed case in Glasgow on 19 February 2013; and Steve Grieve's trial in Maidstone on 20 February 2013.