Salsa dancing gay lover gets pokey for betrayal of ... er secrets and a very user friendly Welsh Judge

The Mills of the Law grind find ... and it appears mighty fast. The Jury found Iranian-born Army interpreter Daniel James of spying yesterday but couldn't agree on verdicts to charges of collecting documents useful to an enemy (namely Mohammad Hossein Heydari, an Iranian military assistant based at Tehran's embassy in Kabul) and wilful misconduct in public office (offering salsa lessons to a General whilst in uniform).

As a consequence and without further delay or deliberation 62 year old Mr Justice Roderick Evans discharged them and the CPS will "consult" glass tirling and colour co-ordinated Attorney General Baroness Scotland on whether James should be re-tried.Mr Justice Rod Evans is one of Wales' most senior judges and is famous (?) for freeing a Rapist as the victime, a girl, aged 10, 'looked older' (reported in Apr 5 2007 Western Mail ***)

Gen David Richards, who is so dumb that the exotic gay, salsa dancing polylingual elderly but surprisingly athletic sergeant was behaving in a rather unsoldierly fashion has been appointed head of the British Army by the deeply Christian General Dannatt.

A discreet veil will now be drawn over the activities of General Richards and Sergeant James.

*** A 20-year old who had sex with a girl of 10 was yesterday spared jail after a High Court judge agreed his victim looked older.Mr Justice Roderick Evans said he understood why Liam Edgecombe, of Haverfordwest, thought the girl was 16.Taking that into account, he granted Edgecombe a conditional discharge despite him having admitted rape - an automatic charge for anyone who has sex with a child under 13. See here

The judge, Mr Justice Roderick Evans sentenced Edgecombe to a conditional discharge.

He said he had considered ordering Edgecombe to do unpaid community work but he already had a full-time job. Edgecombe was also made to sign the sex offenders' register.

Passing sentence at Swansea crown court, Judge Evans said it was a "wholly" exceptional case and he had to balance the need to protect young girls with the need to punish Edgecombe.

He told Edgecombe: "She was a girl of 10 and you are a man of 20. Those bald facts do not properly represent the true facts of this case.

"The prosecution accepts that you believed she was 16 and that that belief was reasonable. "She was looking for a man and got what she wanted."

Daily Mirror 5th April 2007

Why does a Welsh Judge get called to the Old Bailey for such a major Official Secrets Trial ?