Gilbert Blades - The Scourge of UK MOD Courts Martial
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I was sitting in the mess at Uxbridge in 2004 ish and was joined by a dapper chap who engaged me in conversation. I was there to give a presentation to our PR bunch and he was defending someone at a CM. I was amazed when he told me who he was, I was expecting someone far older. Had a brilliant and very entertaining 1/2 hr with him and he truly is the intellect you would expect, but scourge - not sure, from his intimations, the Service(s) made it very easy for him to make his money because of their amateurism. As for our Legal Branch - you would not expect GB to say as much, but I sensed they were easy meat for him!
My Gilbert Blades Moment!!!
I was at Sleaford Tech in the early 80's and was 'invited' to defend SAC 'R'. R had maintained that he would plead not guilty and his brief would tear the air force to shreds etc etc. However, as the great day approached and he had made no effort to sort his defence out, he changed his mind with about 48 hours to go and decided to pled guilty.
I told the SWO to get R to come to my office at 0800 hours the following morning, so that I could sort out the plea in mitigation and at 0805, I called the SWO and asked where R was. Frantic search of barrack block revealed no R but the court martial assembled the following day with the Permanent President being briefed that we didn't have an accused. The Prosecuter and I then marched ourselves smartly in and the President looked at me as though I was a rather unpleasant smell and said: "What did R say to you, the last time you spoke to him"?
I drew myself up to my full 5 feet 5 inches and trying hard not to wet myself, replied, with as much dignity as could muster: "Sir, I have never met the accused"! At this point the whole farce collapsed and I was given the legal version of 'go forth and multiply'.
Some months later and after he had run out of money, R surrendered himself at the Brit embassy in a nearby country and was returned to the unit. OCPMS gleefully informed me that I could now get my chance to defend R but I countered that, on the contrary, I was first witness for the prosecution on a charge of absence without leave.
In the years which followed, I have always claimed that I defended an airman who intended to plead guilty but due to the power of my advocacy, the court did not find him so.
I think it's a good one - the current Mrs O-D, who knows about these things and was an OCPMS herself, thinks I'm being a plonker!
O-D
I told the SWO to get R to come to my office at 0800 hours the following morning, so that I could sort out the plea in mitigation and at 0805, I called the SWO and asked where R was. Frantic search of barrack block revealed no R but the court martial assembled the following day with the Permanent President being briefed that we didn't have an accused. The Prosecuter and I then marched ourselves smartly in and the President looked at me as though I was a rather unpleasant smell and said: "What did R say to you, the last time you spoke to him"?
I drew myself up to my full 5 feet 5 inches and trying hard not to wet myself, replied, with as much dignity as could muster: "Sir, I have never met the accused"! At this point the whole farce collapsed and I was given the legal version of 'go forth and multiply'.
Some months later and after he had run out of money, R surrendered himself at the Brit embassy in a nearby country and was returned to the unit. OCPMS gleefully informed me that I could now get my chance to defend R but I countered that, on the contrary, I was first witness for the prosecution on a charge of absence without leave.
In the years which followed, I have always claimed that I defended an airman who intended to plead guilty but due to the power of my advocacy, the court did not find him so.
I think it's a good one - the current Mrs O-D, who knows about these things and was an OCPMS herself, thinks I'm being a plonker!
O-D
Last edited by Old-Duffer; 3rd Aug 2012 at 12:55.
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STH - similar story
I was senior member of a district CM some few years ago.
The WRAF, Flt Lt, prosecutor (RAF Legal Branch) seemed to be having trouble understanding her brief and had made a number of obvious mistakes.
During a recess, the President of the Board advised her to get it together. He pointed out that the parents of the accused, sitting in the front row of the public gallery seemed to be very distressed.
"Oh no, sir" she said "they aren't his parents, they're mine - this my first case"
Bless!
Rgds SOS
The WRAF, Flt Lt, prosecutor (RAF Legal Branch) seemed to be having trouble understanding her brief and had made a number of obvious mistakes.
During a recess, the President of the Board advised her to get it together. He pointed out that the parents of the accused, sitting in the front row of the public gallery seemed to be very distressed.
"Oh no, sir" she said "they aren't his parents, they're mine - this my first case"
Bless!
Rgds SOS
Last edited by SOSL; 3rd Aug 2012 at 13:19.
At a time when a court martial was seen as an administrative mechanism to give "Guilty bastards" more than the 28 days available to a Station Commander
I recall a Colonel in AbbeyWood taking the same view. He told everyone who would listen that the Private would suffer for the inconvenience of him being dragged from Bristol to Colchester for a day. Last time I heard he was a Brigadier and still a wan*er. At least in the Services you’re allowed a Defence / representation! In the CS the man bringing the charge against you is also allowed to be judge and jury.
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I remember a case where some one always in trouble was charged and found guilty, he was told if he would appear in front of him again that in no uncertain terms he would have the book thrown at him, the guy was awarded a fine of something stupid like a fiver, and let out a loud snigger, he was promptly marched out, charged with sniggering and marched back in to a furious boss..... at the line will you accept my punishment or elect for a CM he chose the CM for sniggering and nothing anyone could do would sway him, 
he maintained he was trying to contain a sneeze as he was at attention... 
they had to throw it out in the end as no one was going to Court Marshal anyone for a snigger and how could you disprove him.
he maintained he was trying to contain a sneeze as he was at attention... they had to throw it out in the end as no one was going to Court Marshal anyone for a snigger and how could you disprove him.
Last edited by NutLoose; 3rd Aug 2012 at 14:27.
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When I started this thread, I was being a bit tongue-in-cheek and I hoped there would be some light-hearted replies and, bless you, there were.
Then we had a couple of sour-puss posts.
I had served on about a dozen, or more, CM and had encountered GB several times. He was quite a personable character and I admired his flair and, more importantly, his hatred of unfairness.
So, just now, I used all the resources of my Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo laptop, Google etcetera, to dig into his background.
The man spent at least 40 years defending service persons; he got a significant proportion of them off, not that they they were bad but because many of the cases against them were wrong or just lazy.
He gave written evidence to the house of lords and he appeared in person before the Defence Select Committee. He argued many cases in the European Court of Human Rights. He was not a lightweight and his essential position was that members of the armed forces should have the same rights as any civilian citizen of the UK.
If you disagree with him, I don't know what to say.
Rgds SOS
Then we had a couple of sour-puss posts.
I had served on about a dozen, or more, CM and had encountered GB several times. He was quite a personable character and I admired his flair and, more importantly, his hatred of unfairness.
So, just now, I used all the resources of my Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo laptop, Google etcetera, to dig into his background.
The man spent at least 40 years defending service persons; he got a significant proportion of them off, not that they they were bad but because many of the cases against them were wrong or just lazy.
He gave written evidence to the house of lords and he appeared in person before the Defence Select Committee. He argued many cases in the European Court of Human Rights. He was not a lightweight and his essential position was that members of the armed forces should have the same rights as any civilian citizen of the UK.
If you disagree with him, I don't know what to say.
Rgds SOS
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I wonder if he defended one of the Flems at Bruggen when several were arrested for drugs on the word of some cloggie many moons ago, it was a London Barrister one of the guys employed to defend him and he tore them to shreds, one of the plods when searching the rooms found a picture of one of the guys with his arm round another at a party, like you do when getting your pic taken at a party and jokingly asked is this your boyfriend? it came back to haunt him later...
Another swore they were released at XYZ from interrogation etc and it was in the logbook as such, however the OO on the night doing his rounds said the prisoners were still been interviewed well after the time entered as they were off the Squadron, so he recognised them.
I believe one SIB was returned to uniform over it all and the rest of the lads got off, the first had pleaded guilty if my memory serves me right.
You knew it was bad when RAFG called up the Squadron on Red Flag wind up at Lossie and said send SAC XYZ back to Bruggen.... Arrangements were being made to get him south and on the Brittania shuttle when RAFG said not quick enough, put him in the back of a Jag and fly him back!!!
The rest were met off the Herc as we returned and taken away for interviews.
They were immediately taken off aircraft work, so we were in effect 5 (i think) odd guys down, though the site was immaculate as they were put on gash jobs while the case went on.
Another swore they were released at XYZ from interrogation etc and it was in the logbook as such, however the OO on the night doing his rounds said the prisoners were still been interviewed well after the time entered as they were off the Squadron, so he recognised them.
I believe one SIB was returned to uniform over it all and the rest of the lads got off, the first had pleaded guilty if my memory serves me right.
You knew it was bad when RAFG called up the Squadron on Red Flag wind up at Lossie and said send SAC XYZ back to Bruggen.... Arrangements were being made to get him south and on the Brittania shuttle when RAFG said not quick enough, put him in the back of a Jag and fly him back!!!
The rest were met off the Herc as we returned and taken away for interviews.
They were immediately taken off aircraft work, so we were in effect 5 (i think) odd guys down, though the site was immaculate as they were put on gash jobs while the case went on.
Last edited by NutLoose; 4th Aug 2012 at 11:56.
GB was called upon to defend an airman from a Lincolnshire station some years ago 197? The charge was theft, and DLS failed to convince the CM of the accuseds guilt resulting in him walking free from court.
Prior to the CM the co accused, charged with aiding and abetting in the theft, had entered a guilty plea when up before the staish. He was offered a 28 day holiday in Essex.
Having returned from his hols, and attending the CM, he was rather peeved to see his co accused "walk". It then dawned upon him that if his partner was not guilty of theft, how could he be guilty of aiding and abetting him? After a lot of admin toing and froing, he had his 28 days pay restored and his conduct sheet wiped clean.
Prior to the CM the co accused, charged with aiding and abetting in the theft, had entered a guilty plea when up before the staish. He was offered a 28 day holiday in Essex.
Having returned from his hols, and attending the CM, he was rather peeved to see his co accused "walk". It then dawned upon him that if his partner was not guilty of theft, how could he be guilty of aiding and abetting him? After a lot of admin toing and froing, he had his 28 days pay restored and his conduct sheet wiped clean.
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Called his office once to ask for advice on a minor legal issue, and spent a good half-hour chatting amiably about stuff. Came away with some advice on documentation which subsequently proved valuable when making a War Pension claim.
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abetting him? After a lot of admin toing and froing, he had his 28 days pay restored and his conduct sheet wiped clean.
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dkh....
Good for him! That was a consequence of the law.
The law may not be just, in the ethical sense of the word; but it's all we've got to regulate public behaviour.
The law in UK is, I believe, a set of codes set out by government officials, sponsored and then agreed, or amended, by democratically elected representatives. It includes both criminal and disciplinary (e.g. military discipline, etc) law.
There is also common law, which I don't understand and case law which seems to gradually add to the body of laws, but again I don't understand it.
As for civil law ...?
I'm not sure how Magna Carta and Habeus Corpus fit into the above, or how they were enacted, but I do know that they are still the core of our legal system in the uk and we owe all our precious freedoms to these ancient codes.
Gilbert Blades was not on the same plane as king John and Magna Carta but he seems to have spent his entire professional life (40ish years) looking after squaddies (of all uniform shades and sexes) while still finding time to help improve the application of military law at quite a high level.
But now I would really value some funny stories about him!!
Rgds SOS
The law may not be just, in the ethical sense of the word; but it's all we've got to regulate public behaviour.
The law in UK is, I believe, a set of codes set out by government officials, sponsored and then agreed, or amended, by democratically elected representatives. It includes both criminal and disciplinary (e.g. military discipline, etc) law.
There is also common law, which I don't understand and case law which seems to gradually add to the body of laws, but again I don't understand it.
As for civil law ...?
I'm not sure how Magna Carta and Habeus Corpus fit into the above, or how they were enacted, but I do know that they are still the core of our legal system in the uk and we owe all our precious freedoms to these ancient codes.
Gilbert Blades was not on the same plane as king John and Magna Carta but he seems to have spent his entire professional life (40ish years) looking after squaddies (of all uniform shades and sexes) while still finding time to help improve the application of military law at quite a high level.
But now I would really value some funny stories about him!!
Rgds SOS
Last edited by SOSL; 6th Aug 2012 at 16:41.
Then surely he could also be in for compensation for wrongful imprisonment.
His plea of guilty to aiding and abetting had been accepted by staish. However, once his compadre was found not guilty there was nothing for him to aid and abet. I do not know about compo, I do know that he received restoration of lost pay for his time in Essex. Perhaps a compo case may be something GB would care to look into?
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I suppose his guilty plea could be put down to his belief he may have been in the wrong, a fact that was later found to be not the case. Hence a chance to claim for his unlawful Holiday, somewhere I always felt sorry for the poor buggers going to.
Last edited by NutLoose; 4th Aug 2012 at 18:18.
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At the CM did they find him not guilty because there was no proof or not guilty because there was no theft? Agree if there was no theft then he pleaded guilty to an offence which did not occur. However if there was a theft then he can still be guilty of aiding. After all he must have believed he was guilty to plead as such....