Det Sgt Challenor
Sep 18 2008
Older comrades, and younger comrades too, will be pleased to hear of the death of Detective Sergeant Challenor who planted a half brick on the anarchist Donald Rooum in 1963, during a demonstration against the visit of the King and Queen of Greece. When the case against Donald collapsed, Challenor and several other pigs were investigated. All of a sudden, Challenor started having mental problems, and was put in a psychiatric hospital, making him unfit to plead. Three co-accused got 3 years.. He made a rapid and miraculous recovery but had to leave the police all the same.
see here http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/sep/18/police
Sep 18 2008
#2
Funny, I found a copy of Mary Grigg's book "The Challenor Case" and read it a couple of weeks ago. Emmett Grogan, of 1960s San Francisco Diggers fame, claimed in his classic 'Ringolevio' that he was one of the people released as a result of Donald Rooum's contesting Challenor's fit-up.
Grogan - who was facing serious charges - says of Rooum that "he never saw a newspaper photo of that young student and he wasn't even able to pronounce his name but by Jesus he loved him for having the tenacity and the smarts to get himself cut loose from that phony beef. Thanks to him for having saved his life and the same goes for a lot of other dudes who owe their liberty to that quick-witted young man. "Thanks and have a nice life, fella!""
Sep 19 2008
#3
I did a video interview with Donald where he talked quite a bit about this case while I was in London. Was very interesting!
I'd never heard that story about Rooum
Tanky went well beyond the normal level of cop thuggishness, good on Rooum for ending his reign.