Copyright © Erkin Guney 2008-
Case History 3: Paying For My Own Trial?
Erkin Guney: Having to pay for his own trial at the
Old Bailey? Is this British Justice?
Having been found not guilty by the jury at his trial at the Old Bailey on 22 May 2009 (see Case 2), the trial Judge, the Recorder of London, Peter Beaumont QC, has ordered Erkin Guney to pay legal costs of £90,000.
The Recorder of London believes Erkin Guney “brought the inevitable prosecution upon himself” by “leading on” undercover police officers from Surrey Police. Therefore, in his view, Mr Guney should pay the costs of his own trial.
Is this British Justice or British Injustice?
Acquitted defendants are always allowed costs, save for “exceptional” circumstances.
However this explanation for imposing costs ignores the fact it was Surrey Police who first approached Erkin Guney, and it was Surrey Police who faked an “accident” or “incident” staged to give the impression Diane Holliday had been murdered.
All this was covered during the Old Bailey trial and the jury remained unconvinced by the prosecution case thereby finding Erkin Guney innocent of the charges laid against him.
An appeal against these costs reached the High Court in March 2011 and you can read a report of this hearing on the BBC South website.
Judgment was reserved until the end of March when the appeal judges -
You can read reports of this on the BBC South Website and in the Surrey Advertiser.
Following this appeal, total costs have risen by £27,000 to nearly £120,000.
