Heroin smuggler refused to leave his cell to appear in Crown Court

Daily Express Saturday January 5,2008

By Emma Bamford

A JUDGE yesterday blasted “barking mad” human rights rules which allowed a drug dealer to stay in his cosy cell rather than appear in court.

Heroin smuggler Amir Ali refused to leave his cell at HMP Camp Hill on the Isle of Wight for an appearance at Lewes Crown Court because he was afraid of losing it to another prisoner.

Judge Richard Hayward said: “I didn’t know prisoners could choose whether or not to come to court. I just assumed they would be scooped up by a burly prison warden and dumped in the back of a van.

“Now I hear this prisoner is refusing to leave his cell and no-one’s doing anything about it. Once again, it’s down to barking mad human rights rules.”

Ali, who was jailed for 45 months in September 2007, was due to appear before Judge Hayward for a confiscation hearing to be stripped of tens of thousands of pounds he made from dealing class A drugs.

But Julian Woodbridge, defending Ali, said: “Mr Ali refused to leave his cell this morning because he is comfortable there and doesn’t want to lose it.

“There is a shortage of comfortable prison cells in this country so he was obviously keen to hold on to his.”

A court insider said: “To claim your human rights are being infringed by being brought to court from your prison cell is really the final straw. If they make prison that easy then it is no surprise the jails are full up.”

NEED I SAY ANYTHING………………… EXCEPT, I THINK I NEED HELP