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When you listen to the above video in which the Post Office officials speak, you come to a startling realization.
There are people who offer unbelievable explanations.
Of course, there is the undeniable history, how everything came about regarding the Horizon IT project. This can be expressed by the idiom ‘Out of the frying pan into the fire.’ It expresses the idea of moving from one difficult or undesirable situation to another that’s even worse.
Nick Wallis’s book is essential in conclusively demonstrating, across over 500 pages, that approximately 1000 innocent Subpostmasters were prosecuted and convicted based on an assumption for which there was no basis whatsoever.
We are dealing with a pattern that is found in thousands of individual cases of people ending up in an artificial context. Essentially, there’s a lack of any form of help to reach a resolution through normal human interaction. So to speak, by snapping one’s fingers or gradually, for something that is quite bizarre or something that cannot occur.
From the beginning of the book, Part 1, page 3, Nick Wallis describes what happened to 17-year-old recent graduate Tracy Felstead. It’s unbelievable how in a behemoth of a company with 20,000 Post Office locations, which has existed since 1660, employees are treated purely deceptively.
It’s a book that one should read.
Coincidence played a role, including the successful crowdfunding that enabled Nick Wallis, as an independent journalist, to witness the events and bring his book to fruition.
The intellect, experience, stubbornness, and so forth of Alan Bates, a subpostmaster from North Wales, who was only a postmaster for five and a half years but ultimately persevered for 23 years.
Lord James Arbuthnot, who, from his position in the establishment, could contact anyone directly, including CEO Paula Vennels, who played a conspicuously deceitful role.
Ultimately, Mr. Bates’s lawsuit, a class-action lawsuit involving 555 subpostmasters against the unlimited resources of the Post Office, funded by an investment company with unlimited financial resources.
This was the moment when the Post Office lost control, despite their attempt to challenge Lord Justice Fraizer, which ultimately failed.
The docudrama aired on ITV in early 2024, which led to the inquiry that brought the truth to light. As described in Nick Wallis’s book. He witnessed the events up close and knows the details of the affected subpostmasters he describes.
Justice is problematic because it’s a concept susceptible to manipulation and deceit.
Justice, while essential, can be unsettling or repellent because it relies on human interpretation and implementation, which can be flawed or subject to bias. It suggests that the concept of justice is not inherently stable or infallible, but rather susceptible to human error and manipulation.
It’s undeniable that The British Post Office Scandal brings to light abundantly that one cannot perceive justice as a perfectly smooth process where resolutions are always achieved. Even within the realm of justice, there exist individuals devoid of conscience, as elucidated in the excerpt at the outset of the webpage. ‘Is this still a society?‘
The dubious role played by lawyers in legal proceedings is a shocking reality in the British Post Office Scandal.
Notably, in a particular instance, the judge cautioned the jury, questioning whether theft was involved regardless. This subpostmaster was acquitted due to the fairness observed in the trial, unlike the refrain where the subpostmaster was coerced endlessly into confessing to what clearly hadn’t occurred.
Give it a chance to listen to Alan Bates in the inquiry. Please watch the videos on the webpage titled
Alan Bates Post Office Inquiry: Uncovering Insights.
Please listen also on the webpage Post Office Injustice: Human Stories Unveiled
to the video 1 of ‘Former Post Office boss Alan Cook challenged during inquiry over treatment of jailed sub-postmasters’
Please listen on the same webpage Post Office Injustice: Human Stories Unveiled
to video 4 of ‘Ex-Post Office boss cornered over possible cover-up of Horizon scandal in Inquiry hearing’
The same strong words are used to describe the essence and integrity of the Horizon IT Project, as well as the culture within the Post Office.
Wanneer je de bovenstaande video beluistert waarin de verantwoordelijken van Post Office aan het woord komen, kom je tot een onthutsende vaststelling. Je hebt mensen die een ongeloofwaardige uitleg verzinnen.
Er is natuurlijk de niet te negeren historie, hoe alles tot stand is gekomen met betrekking tot het Horizon IT-project. Dit kan worden uitgedrukt door het idioom “Van de regen in de drup.” Het drukt het idee uit van het verplaatsen van de ene moeilijke of ongewenste situatie naar een andere die nog erger is.
Het boek van Nick Wallis is een ‘conditio sine qua non’ om op overtuigende wijze in meer dan 500 pagina’s tot de vaststelling te komen dat op elk moment, op een voortdurende manier, onder andere in de werkwijze waarop ongeveer 1000 onschuldige Subpostmasters vervolgd en veroordeeld werden op basis van een veronderstelling waarvoor geen enkele basis was.
We hebben te maken met een patroon dat men terugvindt in duizenden individuele gevallen van mensen die in een kunstmatige context terechtkomen, waar in essentie elke vorm van hulp ontbreekt om op een normale wijze als mens via een vriendelijk woordje, bij wijze van spreken, door het knippen van de vingers of geleidelijk tot een normale oplossing te komen voor iets wat behoorlijk bizar is of iets wat zich niet kan voordoen.
Vanaf het begin van het boek, Deel 1, pagina 3, beschrijft Nick Wallis wat de 17-jarige pas afgestudeerde Tracy Felstead overkwam. Het is ongelooflijk hoe in een mastodont van een bedrijf met 20.000 Post Office-locaties, dat al sinds 1660 bestaat, medewerkers puur op bedrieglijke wijze worden behandeld.
Het is een boek dat men zou moeten lezen.
Het toeval heeft gespeeld, onder andere de succesvolle crowdfunding die het Nick Wallis mogelijk heeft gemaakt om als onafhankelijk journalist het gebeuren mee te maken en zijn boek tot stand te laten komen.
Het intellect, de ervaring, de koppigheid, enzovoort van Alan Bates, een subpostmeester uit Noord-Wales, die slechts 5 jaar en een half postmeester was maar uiteindelijk 23 jaar heeft volgehouden.
Lord James Arbuthnot, die vanuit zijn positie in het establishment iedereen rechtstreeks kon contacteren, inclusief de CEO Paula Vennels, die een opvallend bedrieglijke rol heeft gespeeld.
Uiteindelijk de rechtszaak van Mr. Bates, een class action-rechtszaak met 555 subpostmeesters, tegen de onbeperkte middelen van de Post Office, gefinancierd door een investeringsmaatschappij met onbeperkte financiële middelen.
Dit was het moment waarop de Post Office de controle verloor, ondanks hun poging om Lord Justice Fraizer te wraken, wat uiteindelijk niet is gelukt.
De docudrama begin 2024 door ITV, wat heeft geleid tot de inquiry, die de werkelijkheid aan de oppervlakte brengt. Zoals beschreven in het boek van Nick Wallis. Hij heeft het gebeuren van nabij meegemaakt en kent de details van de getroffen subpostmeesters die hij beschrijft.
Justitie is verwerpelijk omdat het een fragiel menselijk concept is.
Justitie, hoewel essentieel, kan verontrustend of afstotelijk zijn omdat het afhankelijk is van menselijke interpretatie en implementatie, die gebrekkig of onderhevig kunnen zijn aan vooringenomenheid. Het suggereert dat het concept van justitie niet inherent stabiel of onfeilbaar is, maar eerder vatbaar is voor menselijke fouten en manipulatie.
Men kan niet ontkennen dat in The British Post Office Scandal overvloedig aan het licht komt dat men justitie niet kan voorstellen als een mooi gepolijst gebeuren waar men uiteindelijk tot een oplossing komt. Ook binnen justitie zijn er mensen zonder geweten, zoals toegelicht in het stukje aan het begin van de webpagina ‘Is this still a society?’
De bedenkelijke rol die advocaten spelen in rechtszaken is een schokkende werkelijkheid bij de British Post Office Scandal.
Opmerkelijk is dat bij een bepaalde kwestie de rechter de jury waarschuwde met de vraag of er hoe dan ook sprake was van diefstal. Deze subpostmaster werd vanwege de rechtvaardigheid die in de rechtbank werd betracht vrijgesproken, in tegenstelling tot het refrein waar de subpostmaster tot in het oneindige werd gedwongen om te bekennen wat duidelijk niet had plaatsgevonden.
Geef het een kans om naar Alan Bates te luisteren tijdens het onderzoek. Bekijk alstublieft de video’s op de webpagina met de titel.
Alan Bates Post Office Inquiry: Uncovering Insights.
Op volgende webpagina Post Office Injustice: Human Stories Unveiled
video 1 of ‘Former Post Office boss Alan Cook challenged during inquiry over treatment of jailed sub-postmasters’
OP dezelfde webpagina Post Office Injustice: Human Stories Unveiled
tvideo 4 of ‘Ex-Post Office boss cornered over possible cover-up of Horizon scandal in Inquiry hearing’
In dezelfde zin wordt met krachtig taalgebruik zowel de essentie als de integriteit van het Horizon IT Project, evenals de cultuur binnen het Postkantoor, beschreven.
As already explained.
Please click this link. namey under the title
“Justice fails catastrophically: out of the frying pan into the fire” (in English and in Dutch).
The video ‘Wrongful Convictions – A National Disgrace’ under explanation, applies convincingly. Please listen to the video.
Subpostmaster Alan Bates was a key figure in the Post Office scandal in the UK. He was one of hundreds of subpostmasters who were wrongly accused of theft, fraud, and false accounting due to issues with the Post Office’s Horizon IT system. Bates and others faced financial ruin, criminal convictions, and even imprisonment as a result of these wrongful accusations.
Alan Bates, along with many other subpostmasters, faced disciplinary actions from the Post Office, including termination of their contracts, due to discrepancies in their accounts that were attributed to issues with the Horizon IT system. However, despite being accused of theft, fraud, or false accounting, Bates was never prosecuted or convicted for any criminal offense related to these allegations.
10 The court
9 UK Supreme Court: The Highest Court in the Land – Documentary
17 okt 2012
They are the UK’s most powerful arbiters of justice and now, for the first time, four of the Justices of the Supreme Court talk frankly and openly about the nature of justice and how they make their decisions. The film offers a revealing glimpse of the human characters behind the judgments and explores why the Supreme Court and its members are fundamental to our democracy.
The 11 men and one woman who make up the UK Supreme Court have the last say on the most controversial and difficult cases in the land. What they decide binds every citizen. But are their rulings always fair, do their feelings ever get in the way of their judgments and are they always right?
In the first 14 months of the court they have ruled on MPs’ expenses, which led to David Chaytor’s prosecution, changed the status of pre-nuptial agreements and battled with the government over control orders and the Human Rights Act.
They explain what happens when they cannot agree and there is a divided judgment, and how they avoid letting their personal feelings effect their interpretation of the law. And they face up to the difficult issue of diversity; there is only one woman on the court, and she is the only Justice who went to a non-fee-paying school.
10 The Crown Court
1 The whole story – the nature of life – where people can just be themselves
“Over the past few years, I have often told myself, ‘I don’t want to feel hatred towards anyone.’ But that doesn’t mean I don’t strive for justice. (…) I don’t want to sow hatred, and I also take full responsibility for this statement, but there is indeed class justice in Belgium. (…)
Ousmane Dia, father of Sanda”
Open Letter to the Convicted Members of Reuzegom
Gentlemen, I will not pass judgment on your actions. That is the court’s role, and I leave the discussion about the verdict to others. There is something else I want to address. Sanda’s father is asking you for the details of what exactly happened. He is not asking for these details to make you more guilty than you already are. He is asking for a different reason.
When you learn that your son has died, for years, it haunts your mind how it exactly happened. In the smallest details. This may sound strange to someone who hasn’t experienced it themselves, but it is true. As a parent, you want to know how your child suffered, if anything was said. Nights pass as you wander, trying to relive what your son experienced. The less you know, the more you start to fantasize. And that is hell. If you then feel that something is being withheld, it becomes even worse.
We were fortunate that all the young people who were at the party where our son fatally fell came to tell us what they saw. Some even years later. And each time, it brought relief. Each time, it eased the pain. It helped me form an image of how it was. Sharper than how I imagined it. It helped with acceptance. It healed what couldn’t be healed.
I know the whole world is watching you. That doesn’t make it easier. You are being attacked, and harshly. That strengthens the bond between you. Don’t use that bond to exclude Sanda’s parents from your story. It is their story too. You will carry this with you for the rest of your lives. Don’t carry it alone. Reach out to them, separate from the outside world. Tell them what you know. Tell them everything. It won’t bring back their son. But it will help them. You can help them. By setting aside your own misery for a moment and contemplating the misery of those people. When a father openly pleads for answers, give them to him. Without the press or lawyers present. Just. As human beings.
Guillaume Van der Stighelen
Father of Mattias, deceased in 2011
1 Het hele verhaal – de naturel van het leven – waar mensen heel gewoon kunnen zijn
‘Ik wil geen haat voelen tegenover niemand.’ Maar dat betekent niet dat ik niet naar gerechtigheid streef. (…) Ik wil geen haat zaaien, en ik neem ook de volle verantwoordelijkheid voor deze uitspraak, maar in België bestaat wel degelijk klassenjustitie. (…)
Ousmane Dia, vader van Sanda”
Open brief aan de veroordeelde leden van Reuzegom.
Heren, ik ga geen oordeel vellen over jullie daden. Dat heeft de rechtbank gedaan en de discussie over die uitspraak laat ik over aan anderen. Het is iets anders waarop ik wil wijzen. De vader van Sanda vraagt jullie de details over wat er precies gebeurd is. Hij vraagt die niet om jullie nog schuldiger te maken dan jullie al zijn. Hij vraagt het om een andere reden.
Als je verneemt dat je zoon is omgekomen, dan spookt het jaren door je hoofd hoe het precies is gebeurd. Tot in de kleinste details. Dat kan vreemd klinken voor iemand die het zelf niet heeft meegemaakt, maar het is zo. Als ouder wil je weten hoe je kind heeft geleden, of er nog iets gezegd werd. Nachten dwaal je rond, trachtend te herbeleven wat je zoon heeft beleefd. Hoe minder je weet, hoe meer je gaat fantaseren. En dat is een hel. Als je dan het gevoel hebt dat er iets wordt achtergehouden, wordt het nog erger.
Zelf hebben wij het geluk gehad dat alle jongeren die op het feestje waren waar onze zoon dodelijk ten val kwam ons zijn komen vertellen wat ze gezien hebben. Sommigen zelfs jaren later nog. En telkens deed het goed. Telkens verzachtte het de pijn. Mij hielp het een beeld te vormen over hoe het geweest is. Scherper dan hoe ik het mij inbeeldde. Het hielp te aanvaarden. Het heelde wat niet te helen was.
Ik weet, de hele wereld kijkt naar jullie. Dat maakt het niet makkelijker. Jullie worden aangevallen, en hard. Dat versterkt de band tussen jullie. Gebruik die band niet om de ouders van Sanda uit te sluiten uit jullie verhaal. Het is ook hun verhaal. Jullie hele leven gaan jullie dit meedragen. Draag het niet alleen. Neem contact op met hen, los van de buitenwereld. Vertel hen wat jullie weten. Vertel hen alles. Het zal hun zoon niet terugbrengen. Maar het zal hen helpen. Jullie kunnen hen helpen. Door even jullie eigen ellende opzij te zetten en na te denken over de ellende van die mensen. Als een vader openlijk smeekt om antwoorden, geef hem die dan. Zonder pers of advocaten erbij. Gewoon. Onder mensen.
Guillaume Van der Stighelen
Vader van Mattias, overleden in 2011
From the glow of life to hell
In the justice system your life is over ‘in a blink of an eye’, ‘as quick as a snap of the fingers’. Of everything (including the examples in points 1, 2, and 9 on the home page), none of it could have occurred. Even not the British horror story of Jimmy Savile or the Sweet Deal of Jeffrey Epstein (Witness History on the homepage).
What is happening within the justice system: people who have been exonerated since 1989: 3 348 cases in the USA. But it takes an army to get out of prison as Ryan Ferguson, an exonerated one in the list in point 2, told.
Keep in mind the expressions from the bible; am I my brother’s keeper? In that moment someone has your life in his hands. In the justice system a small thing is enough to create a parallel world, abject, ruthless, pro forma, mandatory silence… cfr part 2 of the website (Are you faking data?).
In the above examples in the introduction from point A to L, it’s truly like in a caricature; you are not the person in the photo, you were not at that location, but at a sports event with more than 50,000 people, and your phone conversation was intercepted near this station. Yet, you find yourself in trouble until film footage emerges, recorded at the very place you were. Alternatively, the actual perpetrator could not be identified by a so-called witness because he was masked, so it is pointless to claim that a witness recognized you, and so on.
On the other hand, a decision cannot be made based on something one does not know, or creating an image of a person with an attitude and behavior that is not at all consistent with the person you are.
The reality we find ourselves in is a purely deceptive context that has nothing to do with justice. It’s what happened to John Bunn. He was at home sleeping at 4 o’clock in the morning, and, knowing he was innocent, he was imprisoned for 17 years as a result of corrupt cop Louis Scarcella (see the link to the first video: Top 7 Reactions Of INNOCENT Convicts Set Free). Similar incidents happened to the other 6 people in the video.
Four curious examples
it is the scope of an error event that occurs with the judiciary.
Sometimes it is the worst of all worlds.
In a weird event – one would imagine such a thing cannot happen – you can’t leave out wondering if there is eventually A Red Flag.
Intentionally using justice in the wrong way. Making pointless use of justice. A flaw in the justice system.
(cfr e.g. the Duke Lacrosse Case (2006) and The Post Office Wrongful Convictions Scandal (point 8 and 9 on the next page: An Undying Mystery).
Vier merkwaardige voorbeelden
Het is de strekking van een fout gebeuren die zich voordoet bij justitie.
This is ‘The End of Normal’. Justitie en de werkelijkheid komen tegenover elkaar te staan.
In een raar gebeuren – waarvan je kunt voorstellen dat zoiets niet kan gebeuren – kun je niet buiten beschouwing laten je af te vragen of er eventueel een rode vlag is.
Doelbewust justitie op een foute manier gebruiken. Het zinloos gebruik maken van justitie.
Een mankement in het justitie systeem.
99 – 13 LOST – The Untold Story of the Thai Cave Rescue
23 mrt 2020
Subtitles: Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Spanish, French, Dutch, Russian, Ukrainian, German, English…
THAI CAVE RESCUE:
Tham Luang caves, June 2018. The Wild Boars football team are cut off by flash floods and are trapped a thousand meters below the surface inside the mountains of Chiang Rai, northern Thailand. An unprecedented rescue mission commences, which will last eighteen days and will tragically claim the life of Saman Gunan, an experienced Thai Navy Seal diver.
This documentary is exclusive footage shot during the rescue period as seen through the eyes of our diving team, Ben Reymanents and Maksym Polyjeka.
Divers had to overcome not only physical but also huge psychological challenges, which is why most of them gave up. In the end only two teams remained, the British team of John Volanthen and Rick Stanton and our team, though the Brits had begun having second thoughts. While the British team were considering leaving, Ben and Max successfully navigated and laid guide lines through the most difficult passages, driving forward the rescue which ultimately led to all the children’s survival.
Skills, luck and their refusal to give up was what it took to succeed when others had failed.
THIS IS THEIR STORY
The Thai Cave Rescue lasted for 18 days.
Over 10.000 volunteers participated in the Thai Cave Rescue.
11 – Top 7 Reactions Of INNOCENT Convicts Set Free (Part 2)
2 The Life And Sad Ending Of Jeffrey Epstein
Back to menu IMPORTANT CONTENT Listening recommended Must ***
Rowing harder doesn’t help if the boat
is headed in the wrong direction.
KENICHI OHMAE
So often it happens that something that should not have happened,
and indeed could not have happened, such as the examples in this point G. and in previous points,
the seriousness of the incident is sought to be minimized by portraying it as an exception.
However, when there is a pattern of negligence, repeated mistakes, or a lack of taking responsibility,
leading to something going wrong, becoming a direct disaster or a personal drama,
in such cases, as a human being, you cannot wash your hands like Pilate.
You cannot say it’s an exception. If one does so,
they are resorting to a cliché.
Can we empathize with the excruciating pain of 7 teenagers and young people and understand them?
- shouldering the daunting challenge of being unjustly in prison,
- for reasons they had nothing to do with,
- due to a poor and unreliable justice system…
- grappling with the incomprehensibility of this egregious miscarriage of justice orchestrated by a corrupt cop,
- the depth and severity of the negative spiral of what innocents endure is simply unimaginable. It is beyond human comprehension. No words can encapsulate the unfathomable anguish and injustice they faced.
- It is a perversion of justice, according the description in the Cambridge Dictionary. It is modern-day slavery.
Cherry-picking
- Notice the wrongful prosecution against Liam Allan, the 19-year-old criminology student in Great Britain in 2016, based on cherry-picking of a ridiculous false accusation.
- Although the police couldn’t ignore the irrefutable evidence, stemming from the complete download of messages from a former girlfriend 7 months prior, which they possessed.
- In other words, this is a serious systemic flaw within the judicial system.
Cherry-picking
- Bemerk de oneigenlijke vervolging tegen Liam Allan, de 19-jarige criminologiestudent in Groot-Brittannië in 2016, berustend op cherry-picking van een idiote valse beschuldiging.
- Hoewel de politie niet om het onweerlegbare bewijs heen kon, afkomstig uit de volledige download van berichten van een vroegere vriendin 7 maanden daarvoor, waarover ze beschikten.
- Met andere woorden, dit is een ernstige systeemfout binnen het justitiële systeem.
‘It wasn’t against my will or anything’: How a rape case built over two years fell apart with a single text
Glynn Simmons took a long glance out the window of the car passenger seat as he drove with a friend along the freeway to Tulsa, Oklahoma. His gaze was fixated on the night sky, lit up with stars.
It was a sight the 70-year-old had not been able to witness for nearly half a century, after spending most of his life in prison for a murder he did not commit.
“It’s things like that … watching the seasons change, the foliage, simple things that you couldn’t do in prison. You couldn’t enjoy it. You couldn’t see it,” Mr Simmons told the BBC. “It’s exhilarating.”
Mr Simmons was released from prison in July 2023. In December he was declared innocent in the 1974 murder of Carolyn Sue Rogers. His is the longest known wrongful conviction in the US.
His sentence was vacated after a district court found that prosecutors had not turned over all evidence to defence lawyers, including that a witness had identified other suspects.
He was 22 when he and a co-defendant, Don Roberts, were convicted and sentenced to death in 1975, a punishment that was later reduced to life in prison.
Mr Simmons spoke to the BBC this week about his newfound freedom, his current battle with Stage 4 cancer and the hope that carried him through 48 years behind bars.
“Being innocent, it helps you to keep your faith,” he said. “I would be lying if I said I didn’t lose my faith, lots of times. But it’s like a rubber band – you expand and you return.”
A ‘conscious disregard of justice’
In January 1975 Mr Simmons was one of several people arrested at a party on separate “bogus robbery charges”, he said.
He was brought into a police station, where officers asked him to participate in a line-up for the murder of Rogers the month before, in a liquor store robbery in an Oklahoma City suburb. The murder of Rogers – who was working as a store clerk when she was shot in the head – has yet to be solved.
“I had just turned 21. I had no previous experience with the criminal justice system,” Mr Simmons said. “I didn’t know I had a right to an attorney, a right to refuse. I had no clue.”
Glynn Simmons wants to fight for criminal justice reform
A customer who was shot in the head during the incident was asked to pick out the murder suspect from the line-up just days after getting out of the hospital, Mr Simmons said.
She never identified Mr Simmons, he said. Instead, she pointed to different characteristics of at least three others in the line-up, according to Mr Simmons’ lawyer, Joe Norwood.
Still, Mr Simmons – who said he was in Louisiana at the time of the murder – was convicted and given the death penalty.
“I don’t call it a miscarriage of justice. It wasn’t a mistake. It was a deliberate act,” Mr Simmons said. “It was a conscious disregard of justice.”
It was 1975 in Oklahoma, when an atmosphere of racism was still palpable, said Mr Simmons, a black man.
Police “had a whole lot of cases on the books that weren’t solved, and there was a whole lot of pressure”, he added.
Black people are about 7.5 times more likely to be wrongfully convicted of murder in the US than white people, according to the National Registry of Exonerations.
There were days in prison when he “lost his mind”, he said. He had anxiety attacks, and as he grew older, it was hard sometimes to hold onto hope that his name would be cleared, he said.
“When you watch guys dying all around you all the time, you do the math,” he said.
There would be even more bad news for Mr Simmons. He was diagnosed with liver cancer just a year before being freed, his second battle with the disease.
He was put on a treatment waitlist but was not able to receive chemotherapy before he got out of prison. In that time, the cancer metastasized, he said.
“My struggle to be released intensified more than it had all the years before,” he said.
“You begin to lose faith. But for me it never lasts long.”
A bittersweet freedom
Since leaving prison and being declared innocent, Mr Simmons has experienced a whirlwind of emotions, the most powerful being gratitude, he said.
He spent Christmas with his son, three grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
“It was beautiful. I had a ball. Everything we’ve been doing is a first,” he said.
Crystal Chatmon Glynn SimmonsCrystal Chatmon
Mr Simmons said knowledge of his own innocence helped get him through time behind bars
Still, his gratitude has been punctuated by feelings of bitterness over the decades of life he lost.
Mr Simmons said he had received no apology from the state of Oklahoma.
He left prison with no personal belongings or money for his basic needs and medical treatments.
Wrongfully convicted people who serve time in Oklahoma are eligible for up to $175,000 (£138,000) in compensation – about $3,600 for each year he served in prison, Mr Simmons noted.
He believes any compensation likely won’t arrive for years.
In the meanwhile, a fundraiser for Mr Simmons has raised $326,000, including anonymous donations as high as $30,000.
Mr Simmons wants to spend his new life of freedom sharing his story and working to reform a criminal justice system that saw an innocent man spend most of his life behind bars.
“That’s my inspiration for the future, trying to reach back and help some of the guys who are in the same position I was in,” he said. “We’ve got to do something on criminal justice reform. We need to really rethink how we do this.”
He plans to take time for himself too. Mr Simmons has already been to an Oklahoma City Thunder NBA game. He wants to travel the world.
“I’ve been to one extreme of incarceration,” he said. “Now I want to go to the other extreme of liberation.”
He is also trying to let go of resentments over his wrongful incarceration in order to make the most of his freedom.
“There’s been anger there for almost 50 years – anger, bitterness,” he said. “But you have to regulate it or it’ll eat you up.”
“What’s been done can’t be undone, so I don’t wallow in it.”
BBC – Glynn Simmons: Freedom ‘exhilarating’ for man exonerated after 48 years
Glynn Simmons took a long glance out the window of the car passenger seat as he drove with a friend along the freeway to Tulsa, Oklahoma. His gaze was fixated on the night sky, lit up with stars.
It was a sight the 70-year-old had not been able to witness for nearly half a century, after spending most of his life in prison for a murder he did not commit.
“It’s things like that … watching the seasons change, the foliage, simple things that you couldn’t do in prison. You couldn’t enjoy it. You couldn’t see it,” Mr Simmons told the BBC. “It’s exhilarating.”
Mr Simmons was released from prison in July 2023. In December he was declared innocent in the 1974 murder of Carolyn Sue Rogers. His is the longest known wrongful conviction in the US.
His sentence was vacated after a district court found that prosecutors had not turned over all evidence to defence lawyers, including that a witness had identified other suspects.
He was 22 when he and a co-defendant, Don Roberts, were convicted and sentenced to death in 1975, a punishment that was later reduced to life in prison.
Mr Simmons spoke to the BBC this week about his newfound freedom, his current battle with Stage 4 cancer and the hope that carried him through 48 years behind bars.
“Being innocent, it helps you to keep your faith,” he said. “I would be lying if I said I didn’t lose my faith, lots of times. But it’s like a rubber band – you expand and you return.”
A ‘conscious disregard of justice’
In January 1975 Mr Simmons was one of several people arrested at a party on separate “bogus robbery charges”, he said.
He was brought into a police station, where officers asked him to participate in a line-up for the murder of Rogers the month before, in a liquor store robbery in an Oklahoma City suburb. The murder of Rogers – who was working as a store clerk when she was shot in the head – has yet to be solved.
“I had just turned 21. I had no previous experience with the criminal justice system,” Mr Simmons said. “I didn’t know I had a right to an attorney, a right to refuse. I had no clue.”
Glynn Simmons wants to fight for criminal justice reform
A customer who was shot in the head during the incident was asked to pick out the murder suspect from the line-up just days after getting out of the hospital, Mr Simmons said.
She never identified Mr Simmons, he said. Instead, she pointed to different characteristics of at least three others in the line-up, according to Mr Simmons’ lawyer, Joe Norwood.
Still, Mr Simmons – who said he was in Louisiana at the time of the murder – was convicted and given the death penalty.
“I don’t call it a miscarriage of justice. It wasn’t a mistake. It was a deliberate act,” Mr Simmons said. “It was a conscious disregard of justice.”
It was 1975 in Oklahoma, when an atmosphere of racism was still palpable, said Mr Simmons, a black man.
Police “had a whole lot of cases on the books that weren’t solved, and there was a whole lot of pressure”, he added.
Black people are about 7.5 times more likely to be wrongfully convicted of murder in the US than white people, according to the National Registry of Exonerations.
There were days in prison when he “lost his mind”, he said. He had anxiety attacks, and as he grew older, it was hard sometimes to hold onto hope that his name would be cleared, he said.
“When you watch guys dying all around you all the time, you do the math,” he said.
There would be even more bad news for Mr Simmons. He was diagnosed with liver cancer just a year before being freed, his second battle with the disease.
He was put on a treatment waitlist but was not able to receive chemotherapy before he got out of prison. In that time, the cancer metastasized, he said.
“My struggle to be released intensified more than it had all the years before,” he said.
“You begin to lose faith. But for me it never lasts long.”
A bittersweet freedom
Since leaving prison and being declared innocent, Mr Simmons has experienced a whirlwind of emotions, the most powerful being gratitude, he said.
He spent Christmas with his son, three grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
“It was beautiful. I had a ball. Everything we’ve been doing is a first,” he said.
Crystal Chatmon Glynn SimmonsCrystal Chatmon
Mr Simmons said knowledge of his own innocence helped get him through time behind bars
Still, his gratitude has been punctuated by feelings of bitterness over the decades of life he lost.
Mr Simmons said he had received no apology from the state of Oklahoma.
He left prison with no personal belongings or money for his basic needs and medical treatments.
Wrongfully convicted people who serve time in Oklahoma are eligible for up to $175,000 (£138,000) in compensation – about $3,600 for each year he served in prison, Mr Simmons noted.
He believes any compensation likely won’t arrive for years.
In the meanwhile, a fundraiser for Mr Simmons has raised $326,000, including anonymous donations as high as $30,000.
Mr Simmons wants to spend his new life of freedom sharing his story and working to reform a criminal justice system that saw an innocent man spend most of his life behind bars.
“That’s my inspiration for the future, trying to reach back and help some of the guys who are in the same position I was in,” he said. “We’ve got to do something on criminal justice reform. We need to really rethink how we do this.”
He plans to take time for himself too. Mr Simmons has already been to an Oklahoma City Thunder NBA game. He wants to travel the world.
“I’ve been to one extreme of incarceration,” he said. “Now I want to go to the other extreme of liberation.”
He is also trying to let go of resentments over his wrongful incarceration in order to make the most of his freedom.
“There’s been anger there for almost 50 years – anger, bitterness,” he said. “But you have to regulate it or it’ll eat you up.”
“What’s been done can’t be undone, so I don’t wallow in it.”
BBC – Glynn Simmons: Freedom ‘exhilarating’ for man exonerated after 48 years
“Glynn Simmons wierp een lange blik uit het raam van de passagiersstoel van de auto terwijl hij met een vriend over de snelweg naar Tulsa, Oklahoma reed. Zijn blik was gefixeerd op de nachtelijke hemel, verlicht door sterren.
Het was een gezicht dat de 70-jarige bijna een halve eeuw niet had kunnen aanschouwen, nadat hij het grootste deel van zijn leven in de gevangenis had doorgebracht voor een moord die hij niet had gepleegd.
“Dingen zoals dat … het zien van de seizoenen veranderen, het gebladerte, simpele dingen die je niet kon doen in de gevangenis. Je kon er niet van genieten. Je kon het niet zien,” vertelde meneer Simmons aan de BBC. “Het is opwindend.”
Meneer Simmons werd in juli 2023 vrijgelaten uit de gevangenis. In december werd hij onschuldig verklaard aan de moord op Carolyn Sue Rogers in 1974. Zijn zaak is de langst bekende onterechte veroordeling in de VS.
Zijn straf werd nietig verklaard nadat een districtsrechtbank had vastgesteld dat aanklagers niet alle bewijsstukken aan de verdediging hadden overhandigd, waaronder dat een getuige andere verdachten had geïdentificeerd.
Hij was 22 toen hij samen met een medeverdachte, Don Roberts, werd veroordeeld en ter dood veroordeeld in 1975, een straf die later werd omgezet in levenslang.
Meneer Simmons sprak deze week met de BBC over zijn nieuwe vrijheid, zijn huidige strijd tegen stadium 4 kanker en de hoop die hem 48 jaar lang achter de tralies heeft gedragen.
“Onschuldig zijn, helpt je om je geloof te behouden,” zei hij. “Ik zou liegen als ik zei dat ik mijn geloof niet meerdere keren verloor. Maar het is als een rubberen band – je rekt uit en keert terug.”
Een ‘bewuste veronachtzaming van gerechtigheid’
In januari 1975 werd meneer Simmons samen met enkele anderen gearresteerd op een feestje voor afzonderlijke “valse berovingen”, zei hij.
Hij werd naar een politiebureau gebracht, waar agenten hem vroegen deel te nemen aan een line-up voor de moord op Rogers de maand ervoor, bij een overval op een slijterij in een voorstad van Oklahoma City. De moord op Rogers – die als winkelbediende werkte toen ze in het hoofd werd geschoten – is nog steeds onopgelost.
“Ik was net 21 geworden. Ik had geen eerdere ervaring met het strafrechtelijk systeem,” zei meneer Simmons. “Ik wist niet dat ik recht had op een advocaat, het recht om te weigeren. Ik had geen idee.”
Glynn Simmons wil vechten voor hervorming van het strafrecht
Een klant die tijdens het incident in het hoofd was geschoten, werd gevraagd de moordverdachte aan te wijzen uit de line-up slechts enkele dagen nadat ze uit het ziekenhuis was ontslagen, zei meneer Simmons.
Ze heeft meneer Simmons nooit geïdentificeerd, zei hij. In plaats daarvan wees ze op verschillende kenmerken van minstens drie anderen in de line-up, volgens de advocaat van meneer Simmons, Joe Norwood.
Toch werd meneer Simmons – die naar eigen zeggen in Louisiana was op het moment van de moord – veroordeeld en ter dood veroordeeld.
“Ik noem het geen gerechtelijke dwaling. Het was geen vergissing. Het was een bewuste daad,” zei meneer Simmons. “Het was een bewuste veronachtzaming van gerechtigheid.”
Het was 1975 in Oklahoma, toen een sfeer van racisme nog tastbaar was, zei meneer Simmons, een zwarte man.
De politie “had veel onopgeloste zaken op de plank liggen en er was veel druk”, voegde hij eraan toe.
Zwarte mensen hebben in de VS ongeveer 7,5 keer meer kans om ten onrechte te worden veroordeeld voor moord dan blanke mensen, volgens het National Registry of Exonerations.
Er waren dagen in de gevangenis dat hij “zijn verstand verloor”, zei hij. Hij kreeg angstaanvallen en naarmate hij ouder werd, was het soms moeilijk om hoop te koesteren dat zijn naam gezuiverd zou worden, zei hij.
“Als je constant mensen om je heen ziet sterven, maak je de rekensom wel,” zei hij.
Er zouden nog meer slechte nieuws komen voor meneer Simmons. Hij kreeg een jaar voor zijn vrijlating de diagnose leverkanker, zijn tweede gevecht met de ziekte.
Hij stond op een wachtlijst voor behandeling maar kon geen chemotherapie krijgen voordat hij uit de gevangenis kwam. In die tijd was de kanker uitgezaaid, zei hij.
“Mijn strijd om vrijgelaten te worden werd intenser dan ooit tevoren,” zei hij.
“Je begint je geloof te verliezen. Maar voor mij duurt het nooit lang.”
Een bitterzoete vrijheid
Sinds hij de gevangenis heeft verlaten en onschuldig is verklaard, heeft meneer Simmons een achtbaan van emoties ervaren, waarvan de krachtigste dankbaarheid is, zei hij.
Hij heeft kerst gevierd met zijn zoon, drie kleinkinderen en zeven achterkleinkinderen.
“Het was prachtig. Ik heb me geweldig vermaakt. Alles wat we hebben gedaan, is voor het eerst,” zei hij.
Toch is zijn dankbaarheid onderbroken door gevoelens van bitterheid over de decennia van leven die hij heeft verloren.
Meneer Simmons zei dat hij geen excuses heeft ontvangen van de staat Oklahoma.
Hij verliet de gevangenis zonder persoonlijke bezittingen of geld voor zijn basisbehoeften en medische behandelingen.
Onschuldig veroordeelde mensen die tijd uitzitten in Oklahoma hebben recht op maximaal $175.000 (£ 138.000) aan compensatie – ongeveer $3.600 voor elk jaar dat hij in de gevangenis heeft gezeten, merkte meneer Simmons op.
Hij gelooft dat enige compensatie waarschijnlijk pas over jaren zal komen.
Intussen heeft een inzamelingsactie voor meneer Simmons $ 326.000 opgehaald, inclusief anonieme donaties tot wel $30.000.
Meneer Simmons wil zijn nieuwe leven van vrijheid besteden aan het delen van zijn verhaal en het werken aan hervorming van een strafrechtelijk systeem dat een onschuldige man het grootste deel van zijn leven achter de tralies heeft laten doorbrengen.
“Dat is mijn inspiratie voor de toekomst, proberen terug te reiken en wat van de jongens te helpen die in dezelfde positie zitten als ik destijds,” zei hij. “We moeten iets doen aan hervorming van het strafrecht. We moeten echt nadenken over hoe we dit aanpakken.”
Hij wil ook tijd voor zichzelf nemen. Meneer Simmons is al naar een wedstrijd van de Oklahoma City Thunder NBA geweest. Hij wil de wereld rondreizen.
“Ik ben aan het ene uiterste van opsluiting geweest,” zei hij. “Nu wil ik naar het andere uiterste van bevrijding.”
Hij probeert ook wrokgevoelens over zijn onterechte gevangenschap los te laten om optimaal van zijn vrijheid te kunnen genieten.
“Er is bijna 50 jaar lang woede geweest – woede, bitterheid,” zei hij. “Maar je moet het reguleren anders verteert het je.”
“Wat is gebeurd, kan niet ongedaan worden gemaakt, dus ik blijf er niet in hangen.”
BBC – Glynn Simmons: Freedom ‘exhilarating’ for man exonerated after 48 years