Saturday, July 08, 2006

An oral parole hearing - 16.06.2006.

Report of Oral Parole Hearing of Franklyn Wilkinson 16.06.2006. held at

The Sentence management Unit of Whitemore Prison, Cambridgeshire.

Chairman: His Honour Judge Bing.

Also Present Two Panel Members
Board Secretary
ASO S.Wright, Acting Life Manager
(representing the Prison and the and the Home Secretary)
Officer Paul Marson, Personal Officer.
Mr Mike Pemberton of Stephensons Solicitors
(10 - 14 Library Street, Wigan WN1 1NN representing Frank Wilkinson)
Frank Wilkinson

No other witnesses ordered by the Board had turned up.

__________________

In the ante room prior to entry to the Boardroom the Board Secretary came to see myself and Mike Pemberton and informed us that none of the witnesses had bothered to turn up. Given that, then the whole proceedings were seen as totally unfair to me. The discussion between my solicitor and the Board Secretary was then centered on the need to seek a deferral and I agreed to this.
Once in the room Pemberton made the application for deferral and the Chairman agreed instantly. It was then discussed as to when the new hearing would be scheduled and the Chairman ordered that this was a complicated case and as such should not be scheduled for a day when any other cases are heard; this case had to be allocated a full day.
The witnesses were then discussed and the judge ordered the following:

Fiona Lloyd, Prison Psychologist
Mike Harding, Prison Senior Probation Officer
FCApps or someone in his place
Independent Psychology Assessment
Paul Marson, Personal Officer

Mike Pemberton then brought up the subject of independent observers and said that Hilary Hinchliffe had desired to attend but had been refused permission. He was asked what she could contribute and Pemberton said that Hilary Hinchliffe was a long-standing friend who could tell the board about the changes in me if the board so desired, but, more importantly, she also had a background in Psychiatric Nursing and as such the Board may want to ask questions of her. The chairman agreed and ordered that Hilary Hinchliffe be cleared by security to be allowed further into the environs of the prison beyond the visiting area which was as far as she had previously been allowed. This was an instruction by the Chairman.

Pemberton then raised the matter of Dr Mike Naughton also being allowed in as an independent observer and the Chairman also agreed to this.

Pemberton then applied to the Chair to have the current Cat A review halted until after the Board had re-sat and made its decisions, because the comments and decisions of the Board would affect the Cat A decision.

The chairman agreed to everything and said that this was a complicated and unusual case and needed proper consideration.

I was then asked if I was happy with the proceedings and I could only agree. Then we all said "Good Afternoon", I said "Thankyou" and everyone went home.

________________

One thing was clear: the Board could not reconcile the fact that I had done so much and yet apparently had so little recognition of it from the Prison Service. The chairman wants to see the witnesses and he wants to know why not.

The Voice In The Wilderness

1 comment:

Susan said...

Frank's situation highlights just how biased the prison system is against those who have been wrongly convicted. It is absolutely disgusting that he remains in jail, worse still that he is STILL a Cat A prisoner. I know how damaged I am from my time in prison and it concerns me greatly how difficult Frank will find it once he is released. So please lobby the Home Office, CCRC and the Government to put this wrong right before more years pass by.