Plebgate To Be Concluded By 2017

[Gromit]

// Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe asks Greater Manchester police to review investigation into saga surrounding Andrew Mitchell.

A team from Manchester police is likely to come to London in the coming weeks to review the plebgate inquiry. 

The GMP team is likely to take a few weeks to produce a report for the Met on any areas of concern.

Hogan-Howe said the plebgate inquiry was ongoing and he had no timescale on when it would be completed. //

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/jan/24/plebgate-scotland-yard-inquiry

Is there a lack of urgency here?

[FredPuli43]

Lack of urgency? Lack of common sense, more like. A man insults a policeman and isn't even arrested. Yes, I can see a police investigation by another force into that, which happens every day. And if we're going to investigate why police evidence isn't consistent, that will happen in about 70 per cent of cases tried by a jury, at a reasonable estimate.

[emmie]

what about the fact that another off duty police officer lied, he wasn't on the scene at the time, but bore witness that he overheard comments by Mitchell,
also borne out by the cctv footage which showed no witness around when mitchell cycled out of the gates. No urgency because they were caught out lying

[DTCwordfan]

Nope

waste of money, just fire the officers as they lied.

the issue if there is one to be looked at is (i) did the Police Federation instruct the officers as to a potential take-down of Mitchell (ii) if so, did the Labour Party instruct the Police Federation?

[naomi24]

I still think this palaver should be called ‘Gategate’ as Ludwig suggested. :o)

[modeller]

A waste of money . Yes ! Stupidity on behalf of the police witness. Yes !
But Mitchell was arrogant in demanding they open the big gates when he could quite easily have used the side gate.

The use of the virtually unknown , unused word , pleb was unlikely to be made up by the police. The adjective that preceded the word pleb is also important as they emphasised the meaning of the word and the contempt that Andrew Mitchell felt for any 'pleb' who failed to tug their forelock.
Having said that when did the police actually know it was an insult ?

[Milvus]

You say that pleb was unlikely to have been made up by the police but on what basis do you trust that. There was a witness that wasn't there, later to be found out to be a policeman, who lied plus the fact that the transcript provided by the police of the exchange between them and Mitchell, does not fit the CCTV recording. The police version is too long. There was an altercation but what the truth was is unlikely to be discovered. The police did themselves a great disservice as did Mitchell. I don't think we should more time and money on it

[pdq1]

The whole saga has been taken out of proportion. Who hasn't sweared under their breath because of an incident ivoving others.

Even if he exonerated can you imagine Cameron admitting to his mistake in firing him and giving him a seat back in cabinet.

[jno]

did the Labour Party instruct the Police Federation?

Now there's a question on everybody's lips! It was all a plot by Miliband, fresh from faking the moon landings.

[modeller]

I explained that : I said that because it is not a word many ordinary people would know.
#The use of the virtually unknown , unused word , pleb #

I have never heard it used before and neither had those I spoke to.
For that matter how many people know the word 'plebeian from which it is derived. I'm pretty certain Toby Rowland wouldnt know it.
My guess is he was told later its meaning.

[Hopkirk]

Sir BHH probably wants to string it along until after he has left office.

It is just too difficult for him to say the truth.

[modeller]

I can imagine the police might claim any number of expletives were used but 'pleb' not very likely.

[Milvus]

I can't agree that pleb is a virtually unknown word. But my point is why hang your hat on that being true when the rest of the police report was fabricated

[DTCwordfan]

There was rumour out about that, jno, "no smoke without fire" is the expression, I believe.

Mate of mine who is a lawyer thinks he used the word "Plod" and that was misheard.....could be the case? Yes, it was rather pathetic that he reacted that way, but he is known to have a heck of a temper - his nickname at school was "Thrasher"....

[Gromit]

DTCrosswordfan

// Did the Labour Party instruct the Police Federation? //

Most observers believe that if there was a political plot to oust Mitchell, it came from his own side.
It does seem rather fishy that the man who brought the fake emails to the Prime Ministers attention and who got Mitchells job when he resigned, was the man who the bogus witness first contacted. A fellow Conservative.

[emmie]

the police lied, and from the footage it looked as though the minister was going out the small gate..

[DTCwordfan]

Doesn't matter gromit, it needs unearthing. The original rumour (in the newspapers) was that it was Millband House.

And the two police feel the full weight of the law.

[emmie]

to say you witnessed an event when not actually present is a base lie, and if in court would be perjury. This case isn't over by a long way, may seem petty, but the officers won't be getting off from this

[Davethedog]

You do realise that this is far deeper than you saying. At the orginal charge Mitchell said he "he never said it" he gets sacked and that should have been the end of it.

Weeks later "the tape" appears but from Mitchell, and the witness isn't there, however the police contend its not the right tape and the Tory cabinet office state that Mitchells conduct in the whole affair has "not been correct"

So the investigation isn't simply into police conduct, its also into if there was a subversion with intent to get Mitchell his job back and if so by whom?

To say who lied police or not or to make such an assertion, is not only wrong, it is yet again a prime example of how the right wing media properganderise the public in the Tory's favour.

I truely believe that Andrew Mitchell is going to end up in prison over this.

[modeller]

milvus The word 'pleb' is fundemental to the whole affair. It changed what would have been a bad tempered exchange into one of contempt and arrogance. According to various reports he was well known for that type of behaviour. I doubt if the truth will ever be known but AM is unlikely to come back into favour for some time.

I can't imagine Labour would be involved it's too petty even for them.

[emmie]

did you see the channel four footage, it was cctv showing inside the gates, Andrew Mitchell and another, do you really think his party would go to the trouble of doctoring the footage.