A speech given at the Third National Miscarriage of Justice Day public meeting, Conway Hall, London WC1, 9 October 2004 by Dr Bill Thompson

For most people, the realisation that we are living in a regime that can be as harsh as anything behind the iron curtain begins with a knock on the door at 6 o clock in the morning. BEGINS, because the odd thoughts that runs through your brain on the way to the source of the noise puts you on edge but does not prepare you for what the will find. And it doesn’t always sink in even as half a dozen thugs in blue, (‘thugs’ because that’s how they behave), start telling you what to do while others start ripping your home apart. The initial reaction is usually shock. It’s still not quite sinking in while – handcuffed more often than not – you’re whisked off to the station; or even when you sit there alone waiting and waiting in a cell. Shock plays funny games with your mind. It’s certainly not during the so called interview. At first, as they seek the background details, then a move towards the allegation, most people still believe they will clear it up; but they have been watched too many cop shows on TV.

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