High profile Midlands criminal barrister and Judge specialising in prosecuting paedophiles suicided in stream in Norfolk over weekend.

Judge William "Willie" Everard, 59,who sat at Derby Crown Court has been suicided in a stream at South Creak(e) near his Fakenham, Norfolk holiday home. Local Plod describe it as a "tragic accident".(Derbyshire Evening Telegraph)

A spokesman said the death was not being treated as suspicious but investigations were continuing. A post-mortem examination carried out yesterday revealed the cause of death as drowning. The Daily Telegraph report that his death ..."was being treated as "unexplained".

His very dead body was discovered by a member of the public at about 8am on Sunday February 1st 2009 . Judge Everard (elected in 2004) was formerly a criminal lawyer with Nottingham-based KCH Barristers, which he joined in 1974. Julie Warburton carries on his work , with a key specialism in serious crimes against women, children and vulnerable adults.

After becoming a judge in 2004, he sat on the Midlands court circuit.

Judge Everard main home was in Willoughby-on-the-Wolds, near Loughborough, with wife Christine - they had no children. James Howlett, who succeeded Judge Everard as head of KCH Barristers in 2004, said he was head of the chambers for many years.

“He was an outstanding criminal lawyer, a good friend and a keen sportsman who enjoyed cricket, hockey and fishing,” he said.

Judge Everard practised almost exclusively in criminal law, said Mr Howlett, and was at the forefront of prosecuting serious sexual crimes against children.

One of Judge Everard’s most recent cases at Derby Crown Court involved gunman Shane Barke who was wearing a black balaclava when he shot blanks from a replica revolver into the property, in Morley Street, at about 1am on July 2 last year. There were five adults inside and three children asleep upstairs.

Judge Everard jailed Barker for three-and-a-half-years in October last year.

He also jailed paedophile James Swift for 15 months in October 2007 after he admitted two charges of sexual assault on boys.

As previously reported in the derby Evening Telegraph, Swift was arrested in April 2007 after residents living nearby gathered outside his home because they were suspicious about the number of youngsters visiting the house.

James Swift, 35, was sentenced to 15 months in prison at Derby Crown by Everard after admitting two charges of sexual assault on boys.

Caroline Bradley, prosecuting, told the court that young boys often visited Swift's house in Church Street, Normanton.

Two boys, aged nine and 10, were at Swift's home on March 3 when the assaults took place. He told one of them he would "hang him from a tree" if he told anyone about the assaults.

The Midlands criminal legal circles are a twitter with rumour, innuendo, suggestions, nods and winks but unless someone breaks cover this will be qietly filed away by Chief Constable Julia Hodson LL.B (Sheffield), an MA in Crime Deviance and Social Policy (J. Moores University, Lancaster) and a Post-Graduate Diploma in counselling and four years in the legal department of Derbyshire County Council ... passing through GMP in 1995 on her meteoric rise to the top.

In February 2005 she became the Acting Deputy Chief Constable of the Lancashire Constabulary where she is well remembered as very friendly = she was very much involved in the Morecambe Bay Cockle enquiry - which happened 5 years ago tonight. See BBC report of her role.

UPDATE Wed. 0930 GMT. Julia Hodson had working with her on Morecambe bay, DS Mick Gradwell who dealt with all the very unpleasant coroner's reports etc., and his team was awarded the Justice Shield, the highest national Criminal Justice award, in 2006, after the handling of this unpleasant task. He went some 4 months ago to send his last couple of years to final retiremement from Lancs Constabulary (who woud pick up his retirement pension plan after 28 years with Lancashire Constabulary a DS since 2000, and has been the head of CID in both Blackburn and Blackpool. ) . To ... Jersey to work as Senior Investigating Officer on the paedophile cases related to Haut de La Garennes.

He of course caused a sensation when he held a press conference with Deputy Chief Officer (and Acting CC) David Warcup, and in their briefing they made it clear that in their view there had never been any evidence that murders had taken place at Haut de la Garenne.

This was on the day Chief Constable Graham Power was sacked (see lengthy and full details here) and just as the Howard league for penal reform issued a damning report on Jersey Child care.

Metronet - CMT - Tube safety, PPP disaster and emergency services .. questions after Mile End still to be answered

Shortly after 09:00 hrs on 5th July 2007 a westbound Central Line train in the tunnel between Mile End and Bethnal Green hit a tarpaulin on the line. Five axles of the train derailed.

Over eight hundred passengers were evacuated from the train in the accident and the one following, (in temperatures up to 100 F). A small number of minor injuries and one more serious injuries resulted not from the accident but during the evacuation of the passengers along the tunnel - which took over two hours. Eleven peope attended hospital. The train, track and signalling equipment all suffered damage. See Daily Mail report

Brian Cooke, chairman of London TravelWatch, wrote to Metronet CEO Andrew Lezala accusing him of being in charge of "continued incompetence and failures" that could lead to "further safety-related incidents" and called for them to resign and "London would be better served by your terminating the contacts you have and allowing them to be re-let". See full text of letter here.

The maintenance and upgrading of London Underground is a responsibility of the now crisis-hit and bankrupt (from July 18th) Metronet consortium / PPP.

The RMT Union warned London Underground in October and November 2006, and in May this year that materials stored in a bolt-hole between Mile End and Bethnal Green were not secure which had resulted in several rported accidents where trains were striking obstructions on the track.

London Underground claimed they had investigated the warnings about the storage. But no safety reps were present during this. Metronet at the time offered London Underground assurances and this was accepted. The letter sent in May, Metronet promised it would "physically inspect all storage areas", saying any items too close to the tracks or not stored properly would be "removed or secured for future removal". (In January 2004 both Metronet Rail's companies, Metronet Rail BCV Ltd and Metronet Rail SSL Ltd, obtained ISO 9001:2000 certification for its Quality Management System. )

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said at the time, that it was the fourth incident in 18 months in the same area where private contractors were operating.

He said, “This union has raised concerns over the bad storage of equipment by contractors in this area and wrote to London Underground back in April demanding an investigation, yet nothing has been done.

George Galloway, Respect MP for Bethnal Green & Bow, said, “This incident should underscore to the government, the Greater London Authority (GLA) and the management of the emergency services that our transport system and fire and ambulance services require proper levels of staffing."

“There should be no more talk of running down staffing levels on the tube or of ‘reorganising’ fire services by cutting appliances—as the GLA did at Bethnal Green station, which was central to the emergency response. "

“It is also apparent that this incident is connected to the chaos wrought by the part-privatisation of the tube under Gordon Brown’s PPP scheme. "

“I join RMT general secretary Bob Crow in calling on Ken Livingstone to immediately bring the contracts to maintain and renew the tube’s infrastructure back in house.” george also raised an Early Day Motion (EDM 1862) which was signed by a total of 16 MPs and has been suspended. (presumably whilst the Rail Accident Investgation Branch investigate the accident)

"Don't say we didn't warn you" says Bob in Railnews in August (pic cick to enlarge) - Metronet's shareholders staked £350 Mn. which was dwarfed by public expenditure of £3.3 BILLION in the first 3 years (Some £7 billion is due to be spent over the first 7.5 years alone - on new trains, track, signalling and refurbished and modernised stations. ) - now the public purse is left with £2 Billion debt, racking up interest and have to fun d the administration at a cost of at least £30 Mn. a week.

Shareholders Atkins, Balfour Beatty, Bombardier, French State owned EDF Energy, and RWE Thames Water gave all the contracts to themselves, ( and were given £275 Mn. start up costs) waltzed off with £157 Mn. profits and now wait whilst someone else picks up the pieces. God knows what the lawyers who spent over £500Mn drawing up the PPP did to protect the public interest and ensure the "transfer of risk".

Well we do know - they simply ignored it.... however if you read the Transport for London notice issued about the Metronet Administration in the form of FAQ's youwill find two interesting and important details..

2. How is the Administration being funded?
Sufficient funds have been made available to enable the Administrators to ensure that Metronet continues to operate throughout the period of its administration. (Note : No mention whether it's from the Tooth Fairy or the tax-payer)

14. Does the Metronet Administration affect the arrangements for safety?
No, the Metronet Administration does not affect this. Metronet will continue to operate entirely as normal and all safety protocols and procedures will continue.

Certain individuals within Metronet are allocated specific roles as part of the safety management system. These individuals will continue to operate as normal to ensure safety standards are maintained as normal.

So, that's alright then.


Interesting FACTOID from Metronet Matters Issue 17 June 2007

London has always been difficult terrain for tunnellers,with so many buried rivers and the awkward nature of clay. It’s been made a lot more difficult by the rising water-table, caused by the closure of almost every borehole following the collapse of manufacturing. The consequences for the London Underground is that the pumps which keep the tunnels dry have to work longer and harder, and their monitoring becomes even more vital – if the pumps stopped at Victoria services on several lines could be lost.