Back in Black

Justice is Done: Victory for Michael Overd: Not Guilty

Well, as a political activist I'm acquainted with both justice and injustice: I've seen justice done, and I've also seen the innocent wrongfully convicted and the guilty getting away with it. Thankfully this blogpost is an occasion to celebrate justice being done!

I congratulate Michael Overd on his acquittal on both charges brought against him after his trial before Taunton Deane Magistrates. [And if you read this Michael, believe you me, you have much to thank barrister Paul Diamond for - who I hear was on excellent form in your defence.] Well done to Michael in his victory over Avon and Somerset Police and the Crown Prosecution Service on this occasion.

I believe Michael Overd was targeted and deliberately set up by LGBT activists and that the prosecution was brought by politicised police officers and prosecutors biased in favour of the LGBT agenda and against Christians. Michael Overd got justice and won the victory this time - and rightly so - however, as I speculated several days ago, the Overd trial could very easily have ended up as a miscarriage of justice.

There is a very important 'moral in the tale' of the Michael Overd case which all British Christians engaging in public preaching and evangelism in 2012 Britain need to heed. There are two important things to take note of as follows:

(1) Sadly, at the present time, you must be cautious and assume that any police officers or PCSO staff you encounter in public are against you and view you as a 'nutter' and as a 'hate speech' criminal - and don't forget that police officers are not always identifiable as such if they are working out of uniform; and

(2) Since public preachers and evangelists are being deliberately targeted by HP activists who try to get the police to arrest Christians for 'hate crimes' - when you preach or evangelise you should always have a trustworthy Christian friend with you (as a witness) and you should make [and keep] an audio recording of yourself the whole time you are speaking and keep a diary record of any incidents or suspicious persons.

This advice is for your own safety. Remember: militant HP activists are always looking for easy Christian targets - and the police cannot be trusted.

Well done Michael Overd; thanks be to God for justice done.

Elected Mayor contest: Will I run for Salford Mayor?

As I hinted in a blog-post last year, Labour Councillor (and former Leader of Salford City Council) Bill Hinds was taking a big risk when he told Salford's full council meeting last September that he thought Salfordians would not be stupid enough to vote for an elected Mayor in the Referendum which was held on 26th January of this year. Well, famous last words and all that.

I will leave you, the reader, to judge whether 10% of the City of Salford electorate voting for an elected Mayor (and 8% voting against, and the remaining 82% not voting at all) means that Salfordians were indeed so stupid that they voted for an elected Mayor. In fairness to Billy Hinds - ("Socialist Worker for inspiration, Financial Times for information") - it could credibly be argued that 90% of Salfordians were not so stupid as to vote for an elected Mayor, but it's no more than a moot point now because the 10% of Salfordians that did vote for an elected Mayor won the Referendum by a simple majority of the votes cast. That's democracy in action (allegedly).

Given that the people have spoken [well, 18% of them] and the majority called for an elected Mayor, the election of an elected Mayor for the City of Salford will now take place on Thursday 3rd May 2012. Salford Labour Boss John Merry has already said that he will run for elected Mayor, and I would not be surprised in the slightest if the Mayoral contest ends up with a long list of candidates. I am currently considering whether or not to throw my hat into the ring. I will be contacting several people in the next week and I will wait to see what responses they give before I make a final decision as to whether or not I will run for elected Mayor of Salford.

The exceedingly fishy case of Michael Overd (who I will bet my life has never said "Rot in Hell" or "Burn in Hell" to any gays in public)

This blog-post is an opinion piece: I have had no direct involvement in the ongoing case of Mr. Michael Overd upon which I am about to comment, I have never had any contact with Mr. Overd and I have never witnessed Mr. Overd preaching in public. That being clear...

In 2012 there is surely no intelligent and informed British person left in the UK who is not well aware that there is a 'war' going on between the militant HPs on the one hand and British Christians on the other. The militant HPs are waging an aggressive war against Christians as part of their quest to normalise homosexual-perversion in British society and to silence any dissenting voices which peacefully maintain the moral truth and the heterosexual reality of humanity. There are numerous examples of this escalating HP persecution of Christians in the UK in recent years; I might cite the recent case of Christian hoteliers Peter and Hazelmary Bull, or the recent case of Christian counsellor Lesley Pilkington - who was unquestionably set up by homosexual activist Patrick Strudwick. I myself was targeted by Greater Manchester Police in their attempted suppression of my perfectly legitimate free speech back in 2009 when, as a Parliamentary Candidate, I blogged about rival candidate Matthew Sephton [the head of LGBTory] and referred to him as a "homosexual pervert" - which was of course both a 100% factually accurate statement and a dictionary-definition-correct application of the English language. [See also the Heterophobia PDF dossier in the Carvath web archive.] The HPs want to silence any criticism of homosexual behaviour and they want to re-engineer the English language to normalise the homosexual-perversion. The most serious assault yet upon the English language is to come next month when Prime Minister David Cameron will attempt to legislate in order to re-define the word Marriage. Since time immemorial the word 'marriage' has only ever been applicable to that special heterosexual relationship which is the exclusive lifetime union of one man with one woman - but 'conservative' David Cameron has suddenly decided he knows better than God and the entire history of the human race and so he is hellbent on re-defining the word 'marriage' so that two men or two women can pretend to marry in what I will be describing as a Perviage if the madness actually comes to pass in Parliament this year.

Somerset street preacher Michael Overd will stand trial before Taunton Deane Magistrates next Thursday 9th February on two charges being brought against him under the Public Order Act. From what I know of the case [press reports], it is my belief that Michael Overd is innocent of the charges being brought against him. It is also my belief that Mr. Overd will probably be found guilty [wrongfully, as I believe] on both charges, as I will now explain...

I've been a political activist and a Christian for many years and I have been party to several miscarriage-of-justice cases in which innocent people have been set up. I consider it an uncontentious assertion that there is now ample evidence of militant homosexual activists having exploited various UK laws in recent years as part of organised and coordinated attempts to set up and attack British Christians - and moreover that these activists have picked their targets with an eye on the possibility of generating high-profile media coverage for their cause. As an experienced political activist I know very well that innocent people are set up all the time; it is not an uncommon abberation but a growing phenomenon in the UK. I would say it is certainly not unknown for British police officers to fabricate and testify to verbal statements they deliberately and falsely attribute to an innocent defendant, and I would say it is standard practice for British social workers (and similar, such as nurses and doctors working in mental health) to fabricate statements - and even actions - and falsely attribute them to innocent people caught in their grasp. Such acts of criminal malfeasance are not by any means uncommon in the UK today, and they typically take place when the perpetrators are confident that they will get away with setting up their victim at no risk to themselves. A typical scenario might be one in which one innocent man finds himself in a situation with two police officers and the police then cook up a story about what the man said: in court it is the word of one defendant against that of two police officers (and no prizes for guessing which way the verdict is likely to go in 9 out of 10 cases tried before lay magistrates). Another typical scenario might be that of any person who has a dispute with a social worker being virtually guaranteed to have a report written about them by that social worker littered with things they never said or did: as I've already opined, to lie about people in written reports and court appearances is standard practice for social workers, mental health workers and probation officers. It is very easy indeed for a person of perceived higher status and in a position of trust to fabricate for their own ends completely false statements/actions attributed to an innocent person of significantly lower social status and lacking the ability and money to defend himself against and to expose the lies in court or in the press. Such acts of malfeasance are often motivated by an ideological prejudice and hatred for the victim: for example, the atheist mental health nurse fabricating medical notes about a Christian; the pagan social worker fabricating a report about a Christian parent; the homosexual police officer giving false evidence against a Christian, etc.

Now, what happens when somebody makes up a false accusation against a Christian? Well, on the basis of my considerable experience as a political activist, I would say that most people of an anti-Christian disposition and attributing a false statement to a Christian will come out with one of several cliches which they think are how Christians speak and are thus plausible and therefore likely to be accepted by third parties as credible. I would say that one of the all-time classic cliche lies is that evangelical Christians go round saying to people 'You will rot in hell' and 'You will burn in hell.' And lo and behold, these phrases are exactly what Mr. Overd will be defending himself against next Thursday. At next Thursday's trial the prosecution will contend that Mr. Overd told the HP complainants that they would "Rot in Hell" and "Burn in Hell" - and not only that but also that Mr. Overd has a track record for coming out with such statements as alleged in previous complaints against him. Unsurprisingly, at his appearance before Taunton Deane Magistrates in September last year, Mr. Overd absolutely denied using any of the phrases like "Burn in Hell" attributed to him by Prosecutor Dean Lampard and categorically stated that he: "...did not say those words." Also unsurprisingly, when pervert-propaganda 'newspaper' Pink News reported Mr. Overd's September court appearance, it did so under the headline "Christian street preacher told gay couple to 'burn in hell'" I would be genuinely amazed if Mr. Overd had been spouting "Rot in Hell" and "Burn in Hell" phrases at HPs as he preached in the street - as is alleged. I'd be amazed as a political activist and I'd also be amazed as somebody who has been an evangelical Christian for 14 years.

As an evangelical Christian of 14 years, I have never, ever heard any evangelical Christian in private conversation, at church or in the general public arena come out with a "Rot in Hell" or "Burn in Hell" phrase about HPs. It is a complete myth that Christians might speak in this way. As a Christian I am publically well known as a strident critic of the militant HP agenda on the internet, and I am well known for using potent satirical language in relation to LGBT issues, and even I have never come out with "Rot in Hell" or "Burn in Hell" phrases about HPs in satirical top gear! Assuming as I am that Mr. Overd is a genuine Christian, I have absolutely no doubt that he is telling the truth that he: "...did not say those words." I strongly suspect that Mr. Overd has been deliberately targeted and set up by a group of HP activists. It is clear that Mr. Overd was a regular street preacher on the same patch and presumably he would've been observed by HPs several times before the alleged incident with the complainants; indeed the Prosecutor's reported reference to previous complaints against Mr. Overd would tend to confirm the likelihood of such a supposition. As a regular street preacher Mr. Overd was clearly a potential target for HP activists - and if he was preaching alone and without recording himself then he was all the more vulnerable to attack. Whilst [on the basis of what I know of the case] I believe Mr. Overd to be innocent, my gut feeling is that there is a high risk of him being [wrongfully] convicted on both charges at his trial next week, mindful as I am of the following factors:

(1) The trial is at a Magistrates' Court (not a Crown Court). Lay Mags means amateur 'justice' on the cheap. Mags trials are generally hurried affairs and there are no verbatim transcripts taken or recordings made of proceedings, potentially handicapping the conduct of the defence during the trial and definitely detrimental to the pursuit by the defence of an appeal in the event of a wrongful conviction.

(2) To the best of my knowledge there will be only one principal witness for the defence, namely Mr. Overd himself, but two principal witnesses [the complainants] testifying against him for the prosecution. Two against one is an uphill struggle before amateur lay magistrates.

(3) I assume that Mr. Overd will choose to represent himself at his trial (as he did when he appeared in September). Not for nothing do they say 'The man who represents himself has a fool for a client.' Innocent as I believe him to be, Mr. Overd will have an uphill struggle defending himself against an experienced and professional Prosecutor - especially if the court staff take an unsympathetic view of him and the magistrates don't have a clue about either the law or trial procedure (as is not uncommon for lay magistrates).

God be with you Michael...

His way is not our way

After some consideration I've decided to write in public about some intimate moments I had with God in June 2010; I've decided that now is the time to blog a bit more about my rock-climbing accident and its deeper significance. I started rock-climbing when I was still a boy of 16. I'm a big believer in accepting the reality of gender, and people who know me well (or who have followed me for some time on the web) will know how keen I am that men live in authentic masculinity and women live in authentic femininity. There are far too many British men today leading feminised lives and this is not how it's meant to be. (There is also an increasing number of women undertaking what ought to be exclusively male roles in our society - to the detriment of their mothering potential and the welfare of their children.) Looking back on my teenage years, I can see that a significant element of rock-climbing's appeal to me was the opportunity the risk and adventure affords a teenage boy to 'test his balls' and explore his masculine nature and potential. Some of the greatest experiences of my life so far - both triumphs and failures - have been spent refining my character in the harsh and unrelenting furnace of the vertical world. At the peak of my ability as a rock-climber I could solo or lead traditional routes up to E6 extreme grade. I will never forget defining moments from my adolescence when I made successful on-sight lead ascents of classic routes including Vector (E2 5c ***) at Tremadog and Left Wall (E2 5c ***) at Dinas Cromlech in the Llanberis Pass (pictured above). Those were the days: precious memories - and defining moments on my journey of discovering who I really am and why I'm here.

After the 2010 General Election I decided that the time had come to go for a break. For me, my candidacy in the General Election was the culmination of a very long period of high stress and hard work and so I thought that a break in Borrowdale was well-deserved and just the thing I needed to recharge my batteries and to focus on God for a few days without life's usual distractions: in short, I was going on holiday. I was up in Borrowdale for a week before the fateful day (10th June) I had my big accident at Shepherd's Crag. I was having a great time: camping, walking, swimming, canoeing and climbing. I did several solo climbs in the week before my fall, including Troutdale Pinnacle on Black Crag - a favourite solo of mine which I've done many times - and an on-sight solo ascent of Mandrake (HVS 5a) on Quayfoot Buttress. The route Mandrake was the same grade (HVS 5a) as the next route - Finale - which I attempted and fell off. I can see how at the time I had no reason to doubt that I could make a successful solo ascent of Finale - because otherwise I would not have attempted it - and I can also see now, with the benefit of hindsight, that I was run down and not climbing well that week, being weakened as I was by months of stress and overwork - and not to mention that at the age I then was, namely 33, I was past my peak years of fitness and climbing activity.

I fell 45 feet (at least) to the rocks below when I fell off a solo attempt of the route Finale on Shepherd's Crag on the 10th June 2010. I suppose it would be fair to say that this incident counts as one of the defining moments of my life! I realised there was a problem about a couple of feet before the point from which I actually fell. I realised that my muscles were stiffening up badly and getting 'pumped' with lactic acid and I knew then that there was a serious and imminent danger of my grip giving out on me. Despite knowing I was well beyond the height zone within which I might have a reasonable prospect of surviving a fall - whether accidental or 'controlled departure' - I was not afraid of falling as such, firstly because I was a very experienced climber, and also because of being a Christian. The last thing I wanted to happen was to fall off, but as a Christian I was not afraid of death (if that was to be my time), and as an experienced climber I had the maturity not only to know that such 'do-or-die' situations are not the time to panic or to let emotions take over but also I had the ability to control myself and 'hold my nerve.' Despite facing imminent death, though the moment was intense to say the least, I was calm and in control. I knew that the seconds were ticking down to when my grip was likely to give out and so I calmly assessed the situation to see if I had any escape options. Reversing my moves and attempting to climb back down was not an option; similarly there were no escape options available in attempting to traverse either to the right or the left. There was nobody I could call to for help (and then try to hang on and wait whilst they might try to get a rope down to me). I didn't have a skyhook or any other equipment on me with which I could've attempted to belay myself to the rock-face. Ruling out a 'controlled fall' as 'suicidal' and reckoning that to fall off would mean certain death, I knew I had only one option: I had to carry on climbing up and make it to the top or else fall off.

Having assessed my predicament, it was at this moment that I said a very brief prayer to God. As a Christian it was not surprising that I might pray to God, but I daresay that most people, Christian or not, might well call out to God in similar circumstances staring death in the face. When I used to solo rock-climb I would generally be in a state of continual prayer from bottom to top and I experienced intense communion with God and the spiritual realm: my unsuccessful ascent of Finale was no exception - indeed God had been very much in my consciousness from when I started my ascent of Finale until the point of crisis. Having quickly assessed my situation and having decided my only option was to attempt to make it to the top, in the moment of crisis I simply said to God, "I always trust you to get me to the top. I thought you promised to get me up?" Well, God made no reply at that time, and I continued to climb upwards for a couple of moves before I slipped and fell off.

If you're wondering what it feels like to be in freefall well I'd have to say it feels great. I know no other feeling to compare with being in freefall. Falling is fine, no problem at all - it's only when you hit the bottom that you have a problem. I distinctly remember the moment I fell off and I remember being in the air as I fell. The whole fall happened in the twinkling of an eye; from the moment I fell off to the moment my body came to rest on the ground was just a few seconds. On impact needless to say I was knocked out. Surprisingly I was not killed instantly and I came round at the bottom of Shepherd's Crag to find myself surrounded by members of the Keswick Mountain Rescue Team. I remember being stretchered on to the North West Air Ambulance helicopter by the MRT volunteers and the beginning of the flight to hospital in Carlisle.

In Carlisle I was scanned and checked all over and miraculously the brain scan revealed that there had been no brain damage whatsoever, despite there being serious external head wounds which were bleeding heavily. I was severely bruised and cut all over my body and I had fractures in three of my four limbs and two spinal fractures, in the neck and upper back. Miraculously there was no damage to the spinal cord itself and so I was not paralysed. Carlisle decided to transfer me the same day to the nearest specialist neuro-surgical unit at [the old] Newcastle General Hospital. It was whilst I was flat on my back on a hospital bed a couple of days after the accident that I heard from God. After my arrival at hospital - in my times of consciousness - I would pray and (struggle to) read from a Gideons New Testament with the help of one of the nursing staff who happened to be a Christian, a Filipino man by the name of Pepe de la Cruz. A couple of days after the accident, God spoke to me through the inner stillness and I 'heard' His voice speak to my heart: God said, "Richard, do you remember saying, 'I always trust you to get me to the top. I thought you promised to get me up?' ?" I replied to God that I did indeed remember. It was then that God said, "I never promised to get you up, I just promised to keep you safe."

Truly, His ways are not our ways. God's promise has preserved my life. He has a good plan and purpose for my life, just as He has for each one of us: it's up to us to seek after His plan for our lives and to walk His way. Learning to walk again after the accident was a hard and painful process, as well as regaining strength and movement throughout my body. I've come a long way but I still have some way to go. I believe I can and will fully recover my former strength and I am training towards that goal. Most importantly though, I have learned that no matter what happens, God is always faithful and true, and He is always sovereign in every situation. To God be the glory!