THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH: An excerpt from the novel: The Snows of the Innocent
The nightmare has happened; you’ve been convicted. I’ve been sobbing my heart out and can’t sleep so I decided to do something productive and pen a letter to your trial judge.
Perhaps it’ll help you I don’t know and perhaps it’ll help me to maintain my sanity. The pen is mightier than the sword, and we’re both writers remember... maybe you could write a letter yourself? Surely the judge will realise there’s been a miscarriage of justice? Surely they will let you out jail in a few weeks when common sense prevails?
I need to relate my feelings to you
regarding the following matter and I hope you do not object to me doing
so, and that you will set aside a few minutes of your valuable time to
read to the end of this letter.
I know that a dreadful mistake has been made and I feel most strongly that the trial of ALLAN MARTIN EVANS which concluded on Friday February 9th was a complete travesty and miscarriage of justice due to inadequate defence as at least two important witnesses were not allowed to appear but were left waiting in the witness room outside. The legal system that is supposed to exist to protect the innocent has failed this man most dismally.
I was one of these witnesses present at the court on Thursday February 8th due to give evidence for the defence but I was not, however, called to the witness box as I had been led to believe. I know without a shadow of doubt that Allan Evans is innocent and I was prepared to swear on not only The Bible but on my own life and the lives of my four children in his defence. I have been a close friend of his since April 2000 and I am also the mother of Sam, the eleven year old boy who appeared as Allan’s only real defence witness on the fourth day of the proceedings.
In view of the fact that there were so many indictments against Allan’s good name, I gather the defence perceived it as a battle not worth pursuing. The outcome therefore was virtually a foregone conclusion. There were less than two hours, if that, devoted to his defence on Thursday morning although the prosecution had two to three days prior to that to state their case. It is my opinion that the Jury were more willing to accept the lies of many than the truth of one small child, my son Sam.
I came to court with my son as requested by
Alan’s solicitor Mr. Hagarth on Thursday and also Josie Wheeler, another witness for the defence. Sam appeared for the defence while we remained for over two hours in the witness waiting room - but no one ever came for us! I enquired repeatedly as to what was happening only to be told eventually that the defence were winding up. We would never have dared to enter the courtroom uninvited, although thoughts of walking in and and shouting: ‘WE KNOW THE TRUTH OF THIS MATTER, PLEASE LISTEN TO US!’ did cross our minds. We reasoned that perhaps our evidence had not been needed because Sam had swung the balance in Allan’s favour. But the outcome proved otherwise and I was appalled when I realised that the only person who actually knew Allan, who was allowed to speak in his defence, had been my eleven year old son.
Sam told the truth as he said he would be prepared to do in
his statement but it was not enough to counteract all the malicious lies
and pure inventions from both past and present which have amounted to
a complete character assassination for Allan.
HE IS NOT A PAEDOPHILE... HE IS A GIFTED ARTIST AND A TALENTED WRITER OF CHILDREN’S STORIES.
He has written three novels which will now sadly have little chance of publication due to this vicious defamation of his good name. There was no porn on his laptop… just several chapters of the novel he had been writing.
Concerning Josie Wheeler and myself; I cannot understand why neither of us was permitted to give evidence although we were both key witnesses for the defence. Dare I speak out and go as far as saying we were deliberately prevented from being heard? I apologize profusely if I am wrong, but it does seem this way to me. Josie and I have had six children between us who have all been in close contact with Allan over a period of many years, none of whom have suffered any ill effects from that contact and have only benefited positively from knowing him. Josie’s grown up son, Patrick Wheeler, now in his late twenties who Allan babysat many times also wrote an
extremely relevant statement that seems to have been completely overlooked. Both Josie and I spoke to the defence barrister about our feelings after the verdict was announced and told him that a gross miscarriage of justice had been done that day. An innocent man had been sent to prison at the expense of the tax payer because of the fabrications of the child, Dale and the collaboration between his parents and the Hugo family who most certainly do know each other and together have dredged up ridiculous, fictional accounts from the past to support their current lies. Allan has been ‘set up’ by these people who were once his friends purely because of a disagreement he had with Dale’s father over the child’s behaviour and upbringing.
I
should have been given an opportunity to speak the truth. Did anyone
perhaps wonder where Sam’s mother was? Did they think my child had
arrived in court all on his own?! I was sitting at the back directly
behind Allan at the summing up and at the verdict. There were many
questions I could have answered and many points I could have
clarified if anybody had bothered to ask! I sat there dumfounded, and
felt utterly powerless to defend my friend when he needed me most. I
wanted to blurt out the truth but managed to contain myself, not wishing
to be disrespectful in a court of law.
I would also like to point out that I felt humiliated and intimidated on Thursday when members of the Hugo family were jeering at me in the lobby after the trial. One young man was right up close to my face, chanting ‘He’s going down! He’s going down!’ over and over. He had never set eyes on me before but must have realised I was a friend of Allan’s. They were also making cut-throat gestures during the court
proceedings and shouted ‘Justice has been done!’ at me in a savage fashion, after the verdict had been announced. I reported the incident to the court clerk and was shaken that these people could do such unkind things to someone they did not even know. I did not retaliate as I felt I could never reduce myself to their level, but when they revealed this disgraceful attitude towards me, I was hardly surprised that Allan had found himself in such a predicament.
With
allegations as serious as these happening all too frequently nowadays,
people will begin to think twice about having any form
of social interaction with young children who are not their
own. I feel it would be prudent for them to be wary or steer clear
altogether, purely for their own safety, if such dreadful accusations
can so easily lead to the destruction of someone’s whole life as is
happening with Allan.
I was Chairperson of my local playgroup for some seven years and attended for some eleven years in total and have always been in close contact with children since becoming a mother at twenty nine (I am now forty eight) so I realise how paranoid some people can be concerning sexual predators who make it their business to groom young children.
But this is not Allan; a horrendous error has been made here. Allan is a gentle, kindly man who would harm no one. He is caring, considerate and compassionate towards all living things. He will not mow the lawn for fear of killing the daisies or do damage to the spider’s web in the corner when cleaning the windows!
Allan knew me for over three years before he became acquainted with my children but he never asked once to meet them or come round to my house to see them during all that time. It was only at my invitation
that he began to call at my house on a regular basis and thus became a friend of the family and a constant companion to me. This suggestion of grooming is laughable to me as he always knew I had four children, two girls and two boys… had he been a paedophile he would have moved in on them straight away!
He has seen us all regularly since January 2003 and he has been more than a positive influence in their upbringing. Allan has helped Sam with his drawing and painting skills and he has encouraged them all to be creative and appreciative of the arts. I know the truth about this man but I cannot see how I can help now to convince anyone of his innocence. I can only endeavour to do my best to let as many people as possible know that he is not guilty and that twelve people in your courtroom clearly got the wrong impression last Friday because the evidence placed before them was far too one-sided for anyone to win.
I got the
impression that your summing up at the trial was very fair, but the jury
had little chance to gain any insight into the man Allan really is…
they were only presented with lies upon lies which only served to
convince them further that he is a sick pervert. I wholeheartedly feel
he has been made an example of, so that justice has been seen to be
done; so that anxious mothers can feel that little bit safer when their
children are walking home from school alone. ‘Oh, that’s good… another
one locked away!’ they will say to one another, as they read the
headlines. Do they ever stop and think for a moment that the poor fellow
on the front page could have been falsely accused?
I always hoped I might see Allan on the front page of a paper one day, perhaps photographed at a launch of one of his books, but I would never have imagined in a million years to have seen his photo beneath headlines as damming as those in The local paper of 10th February. And does that photo of him really strike you as being one of a sick pervert? Quite the contrary - he looks more like a clean-cut Mormon missionary, bless him. He neither smokes nor drinks and has been a respected member of a local writing group for some twenty years. Members of this group are devastated by
the way he has been treated and you may well receive several letters from them too.
I would trust Allan to take any of my four children anywhere in the world and I know he would never betray that trust. I am certain that they would be completely safe in his care, and that they would benefit from his company while away and return to me unharmed. These children who have each made statements on Allan’s behalf also trust him a hundred percent, and they always will. They are horrified at the outcome of this trial and it is them who will be the real victims if he is unable to remain part of their lives. These kids are his family and they already miss him dearly after only a few days. Had the verdict been ‘Not Guilty’ we would all have flown out to Spain for a half- term holiday.
I
have always held the justice system in this country in high regard but
can’t feel that way any more as this trial has been the modern-day
counterpart of a medieval witch hunt. No wonder our prisons are full to
overflowing if innocent people like Allan are being wrongfully
convicted, unable to shield themselves against the sheer volume of
allegations.
Do you have any helpful advice or suggestions which you can give me which might assist me to clear Allan’s good name? I would genuinely appreciate your comments. I don’t fully understand the finer points of the legal system and perhaps the general population should be better versed in such matters, but I would guess that this case should be declared a mistrial for lack of adequate and suitable defence.
I have just searched through my boxes of family photos and I can find no monster there, just Allan enjoying days out on family picnics down by the canal in our village and being good company for myself and my kids. This whole thing is crazy when you think about it - an innocent trip to the local swimming pool has led to all these lies and the possibility of long time imprisonment in a high security prison!
Allan poses no threat to anyone, but nevertheless has been imprisoned for crimes he has not committed and his family want him back.
Thank you for taking the time to read this long letter.
The nightmare has happened; you’ve been convicted. I’ve been sobbing my heart out and can’t sleep so I decided to do something productive and pen a letter to your trial judge.
Perhaps it’ll help you I don’t know and perhaps it’ll help me to maintain my sanity. The pen is mightier than the sword, and we’re both writers remember... maybe you could write a letter yourself? Surely the judge will realise there’s been a miscarriage of justice? Surely they will let you out jail in a few weeks when common sense prevails?
Your Honour,
I know that a dreadful mistake has been made and I feel most strongly that the trial of ALLAN MARTIN EVANS which concluded on Friday February 9th was a complete travesty and miscarriage of justice due to inadequate defence as at least two important witnesses were not allowed to appear but were left waiting in the witness room outside. The legal system that is supposed to exist to protect the innocent has failed this man most dismally.
I was one of these witnesses present at the court on Thursday February 8th due to give evidence for the defence but I was not, however, called to the witness box as I had been led to believe. I know without a shadow of doubt that Allan Evans is innocent and I was prepared to swear on not only The Bible but on my own life and the lives of my four children in his defence. I have been a close friend of his since April 2000 and I am also the mother of Sam, the eleven year old boy who appeared as Allan’s only real defence witness on the fourth day of the proceedings.
In view of the fact that there were so many indictments against Allan’s good name, I gather the defence perceived it as a battle not worth pursuing. The outcome therefore was virtually a foregone conclusion. There were less than two hours, if that, devoted to his defence on Thursday morning although the prosecution had two to three days prior to that to state their case. It is my opinion that the Jury were more willing to accept the lies of many than the truth of one small child, my son Sam.
I came to court with my son as requested by
Alan’s solicitor Mr. Hagarth on Thursday and also Josie Wheeler, another witness for the defence. Sam appeared for the defence while we remained for over two hours in the witness waiting room - but no one ever came for us! I enquired repeatedly as to what was happening only to be told eventually that the defence were winding up. We would never have dared to enter the courtroom uninvited, although thoughts of walking in and and shouting: ‘WE KNOW THE TRUTH OF THIS MATTER, PLEASE LISTEN TO US!’ did cross our minds. We reasoned that perhaps our evidence had not been needed because Sam had swung the balance in Allan’s favour. But the outcome proved otherwise and I was appalled when I realised that the only person who actually knew Allan, who was allowed to speak in his defence, had been my eleven year old son.
There could have been two adults there to back him up - why
were our voices not heard? How can this possibly be considered a fair
trial when the whole defence rested purely on the shoulders of my young
son?
HE IS NOT A PAEDOPHILE... HE IS A GIFTED ARTIST AND A TALENTED WRITER OF CHILDREN’S STORIES.
He has written three novels which will now sadly have little chance of publication due to this vicious defamation of his good name. There was no porn on his laptop… just several chapters of the novel he had been writing.
Concerning Josie Wheeler and myself; I cannot understand why neither of us was permitted to give evidence although we were both key witnesses for the defence. Dare I speak out and go as far as saying we were deliberately prevented from being heard? I apologize profusely if I am wrong, but it does seem this way to me. Josie and I have had six children between us who have all been in close contact with Allan over a period of many years, none of whom have suffered any ill effects from that contact and have only benefited positively from knowing him. Josie’s grown up son, Patrick Wheeler, now in his late twenties who Allan babysat many times also wrote an
extremely relevant statement that seems to have been completely overlooked. Both Josie and I spoke to the defence barrister about our feelings after the verdict was announced and told him that a gross miscarriage of justice had been done that day. An innocent man had been sent to prison at the expense of the tax payer because of the fabrications of the child, Dale and the collaboration between his parents and the Hugo family who most certainly do know each other and together have dredged up ridiculous, fictional accounts from the past to support their current lies. Allan has been ‘set up’ by these people who were once his friends purely because of a disagreement he had with Dale’s father over the child’s behaviour and upbringing.
If at all possible, I would like the members of the jury to
be made aware of my feelings. I would also like to talk personally with
you if I am permitted as there are many more points I would like to
raise regarding this matter, things that just do not add up... the most
obvious one being this: Why was Allan still blamed for showing Dale
pornography when there was proven to be no such material on his
computer?! I feel that Allan has been badly let down by the people who
were supposed to give him the best representation possible and as a
consequence he has been led like a lamb to the slaughter.
I would also like to point out that I felt humiliated and intimidated on Thursday when members of the Hugo family were jeering at me in the lobby after the trial. One young man was right up close to my face, chanting ‘He’s going down! He’s going down!’ over and over. He had never set eyes on me before but must have realised I was a friend of Allan’s. They were also making cut-throat gestures during the court
proceedings and shouted ‘Justice has been done!’ at me in a savage fashion, after the verdict had been announced. I reported the incident to the court clerk and was shaken that these people could do such unkind things to someone they did not even know. I did not retaliate as I felt I could never reduce myself to their level, but when they revealed this disgraceful attitude towards me, I was hardly surprised that Allan had found himself in such a predicament.
I know for a fact that no indecent acts went on in Allan’s
parents` house because I was there myself with my son Sam at the
times when the alleged events were supposed to have happened. Allan’s
parents and his brother were also resident at the house when I was
visiting there with my son. I wonder if perhaps my statement outlining
these salient points has actually been examined in any depth. Allan’s
parents, not being as young as they once were, did not feel able to
appear in court, as the strain would have been too much for them, but
they know that no child sexual abuse has ever happened under their roof.
I was Chairperson of my local playgroup for some seven years and attended for some eleven years in total and have always been in close contact with children since becoming a mother at twenty nine (I am now forty eight) so I realise how paranoid some people can be concerning sexual predators who make it their business to groom young children.
But this is not Allan; a horrendous error has been made here. Allan is a gentle, kindly man who would harm no one. He is caring, considerate and compassionate towards all living things. He will not mow the lawn for fear of killing the daisies or do damage to the spider’s web in the corner when cleaning the windows!
Allan knew me for over three years before he became acquainted with my children but he never asked once to meet them or come round to my house to see them during all that time. It was only at my invitation
that he began to call at my house on a regular basis and thus became a friend of the family and a constant companion to me. This suggestion of grooming is laughable to me as he always knew I had four children, two girls and two boys… had he been a paedophile he would have moved in on them straight away!
He has seen us all regularly since January 2003 and he has been more than a positive influence in their upbringing. Allan has helped Sam with his drawing and painting skills and he has encouraged them all to be creative and appreciative of the arts. I know the truth about this man but I cannot see how I can help now to convince anyone of his innocence. I can only endeavour to do my best to let as many people as possible know that he is not guilty and that twelve people in your courtroom clearly got the wrong impression last Friday because the evidence placed before them was far too one-sided for anyone to win.
Thankfully, there are many more people than just twelve who
know him to be an honest and upright citizen, not a sexual predator of
young children. Many of these people would have appeared at his trial in
his defence if he had been allowed to present them.
I always hoped I might see Allan on the front page of a paper one day, perhaps photographed at a launch of one of his books, but I would never have imagined in a million years to have seen his photo beneath headlines as damming as those in The local paper of 10th February. And does that photo of him really strike you as being one of a sick pervert? Quite the contrary - he looks more like a clean-cut Mormon missionary, bless him. He neither smokes nor drinks and has been a respected member of a local writing group for some twenty years. Members of this group are devastated by
the way he has been treated and you may well receive several letters from them too.
I would trust Allan to take any of my four children anywhere in the world and I know he would never betray that trust. I am certain that they would be completely safe in his care, and that they would benefit from his company while away and return to me unharmed. These children who have each made statements on Allan’s behalf also trust him a hundred percent, and they always will. They are horrified at the outcome of this trial and it is them who will be the real victims if he is unable to remain part of their lives. These kids are his family and they already miss him dearly after only a few days. Had the verdict been ‘Not Guilty’ we would all have flown out to Spain for a half- term holiday.
I am first and foremost a mother and feel it is my duty to
protect the next generation and would never compromise their safety. I
can only conclude that it is a sad world we live in if an innocent
person such as Allan can so easily be branded a paedophile purely on
grounds of conjecture, speculation, hearsay and blatant lies.
Do you have any helpful advice or suggestions which you can give me which might assist me to clear Allan’s good name? I would genuinely appreciate your comments. I don’t fully understand the finer points of the legal system and perhaps the general population should be better versed in such matters, but I would guess that this case should be declared a mistrial for lack of adequate and suitable defence.
I have just searched through my boxes of family photos and I can find no monster there, just Allan enjoying days out on family picnics down by the canal in our village and being good company for myself and my kids. This whole thing is crazy when you think about it - an innocent trip to the local swimming pool has led to all these lies and the possibility of long time imprisonment in a high security prison!
Allan poses no threat to anyone, but nevertheless has been imprisoned for crimes he has not committed and his family want him back.
Thank you for taking the time to read this long letter.
