‘Jodie became Travis’s drug: he very much recognised how bad she was for him, but she kept showing up in his life and just like a drug addict he kept letting her back in the door.’ Dateline: Jodie Arias, Jodie’s friend, Sky Crime 2020
Her trial riveted the country. Jodi Arias was facing a possible death sentence. It was a steamy story of sex – lots – and murder. ibid.
She was the one who shot, stabbed, and then stabbed some more her former boyfriend and secret sex partner. ibid.
What he didn’t keep secret were his concerns Jodi was stalking him. ibid.
Her hair and DNA at the scene … her bloody handprint on the wall … perhaps the most damning evidence came from this Sony camera found in the washing machine. ibid.
The trial tourists – the mostly women who travelled from around the country to witness the trial first hand. ibid.
In March this year former First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, left the High Court in Edinburgh cleared of all charges of sexual misconduct. The verdict concluded one of the most dramatic trials Britain has ever seen, and a tale of political intrigue and alleged crimes has gripped me since the story first hit the headlines. The Trial of Alex Salmond, Kirsty Wark reporting, BBC 2020
He had a kind of pugilist air about him. ibid. Alan Taylor, writer
The graphic testimony of Woman H has generated endless column inches in the press. ibid.
He announced he was suing the government he once led. ibid.
Fourteen criminal charges from ten women. ibid.
The following is a true story that gripped the world. In August 1980, Lindy, Michael and their 3 children were on a camping holiday at Uluru (Ayres Rock) in Australia. Their baby daughter, just two months old, disappeared. Lindy claimed a dingo took and killed the baby. The authorities claimed Lindy murdered her baby. It became the trial in the outback that gripped the world. Accused: Trial in the Outback I, captions, Channel 5 2020
Two weeks into her life sentence, Lindy went into labour. ibid.
Seventh-Day Adventist Pastor Michael Chamberlain and his wife Lindy took their young family for a camping holiday to central Australia. ibid.
All night long their was a frantic search. Aboriginal trackers, park rangers and searchers found dingo tracks. The next day Michael and Lindy gave their statements to the police. ibid.
[Dennis] Barritt was critical of the police and the inadequacy of its investigation. And the failure of the Northern Territory government to act on a warning that dingos posed at Uluru. ibid.
The first inquest found that Michael and Lindy Chamberlain had nothing to do with Azaria’s death but formally introduced the notion of human intervention. ibid.
The trial of Lindy Chamberlain for the murder of her daughter, and Michael Chamberlain as an accessory, was expected to run for six weeks. It was billed as the Trial of the Century. ibid.
The local Darwin jury was subjected to claim and counter-claim of forensic evidence. ibid.
‘A guilty verdict: I felt calm but numb.’ ibid. Lindy
Across the country a grass-roots movement took shape. Led by the Seventh Day Adventist community, the eyewitnesses and ordinary citizens who believed a grave miscarriage of justice had occurred. ibid.
Fuelled by sensational headlines the public rushed to judgment. The first Coronial inquest was held in Alice Springs. Accused: Trial in the Outback II
Lindy was allowed one precious hour with her new daughter Kahlia. ibid.
Over the next five months the Chamberlain defence team presented their case to the federal court. They tried to introduce new evidence from witnesses. ibid.
‘Get over yourself and take a stand. You’ve got to have balls to say this in Darwin – you’re wrong.’ ibid. Lindy
MPs seek release of Lindy on licence. ibid. newspaper article
The Northern Territory government took no action. ibid.
Channel 9 phone poll: Do you think Lindy Chamberlain should be released on compassionate grounds? Yes: 39.3%; No: 60.7%. ibid.
Searchers made a startling discovery … ‘The discovery of a baby’ matinee jacket has given new impetus today to calls for a federal government inquiry into the Azaria Chamberlain case’ … This new evidence forced the Northern Territory government to act. ibid. News
Lindy and Michael had their convictions quashed. ibid.
A long time ago there was a company that made lots of money selling bits of meat between two bits of bread. Many people were employed to put the meat between the bread and many animals were killed to be the meat. A friendly clown persuaded children to love the company. Some decades passed and all was well. The company became very very rich. Richer even than many countries. And then some people wrote in their newspapers that eating lots of meat and bread could make people ill. Other people said on television that too many trees had been cut down and that the workers were unhappy. This made the company very angry. The company looked around the world and saw that in England there existed a special law that could stop people saying things the company didn’t like. And make them say sorry. McLibel (Two People Who Wouldn’t Say Sorry) 1997 ***** starring Helen Steel & David Morris & Eric Schlosser & Morgan Spurlock & Oliver Ford Davies, directors Franny Armstrong & Ken Loach, opening credits
19th June 1997: the Royal Courts of Justice. ibid.
One of the spies ... stole letters, broke into the office to take photographs, followed people home; we were infiltrated for about eighteen months by seven different spies. ibid. Dave Morris
At some meetings there were as many spies as campaigners. ibid. Dave Morris
Five of us in the group have received libel writs over the What’s Wrong With McDonald’s leaflets. ibid.
The world’s largest fast food business McDonald’s has begun a libel action at the high court against two environmental campaigners. ibid. BBC News 28th June 1994
We were defending ourselves. ibid. Helen Steel
Their own expert was saying, It’s a very reasonable thing to say. ibid.
The entire ad campaign ... was intrinsically deceptive. ibid. Stephen Gardner, Assistant US Attorney General
McDonald’s to try to justify themselves have had to bring all their big guns into the witness box. ibid. Dave Morris
One of the biggest battles we had throughout the trial was getting McDonald’s to hand over the relevant documents. ibid. Helen Steel
They flew over to have secret talks with me and Helen. ibid. Dave Morris
They just couldn’t bear to accept any of our demands really, and so it was back to court. ibid.
They would not be allowed to carry out any overt union activity on McDonald’s premises. ibid. trial judge
Key practices that they’ve pioneered over the last fifty years are spreading throughout society. ibid. Dave Morris
McLibel is now the longest trial ever in English history. ibid. Helen Steel
Libel laws are being used in this country as a draconian form of mass censorship. ibid. Dave Morris, day 309
Judgment Day: It has not been proved that a diet high in fat and animal products and low in fibre leads to a very real risk of cancer. ibid. trial judge
McDonald’s are culpably responsible for cruel practices in the rearing and slaughter of some of the animals which are used in their food. ibid.
Two days later, 21st June 1997: today is mass defiance day. There’s going to be protests outside 500 of McDonald’s UK store, and lots around the world too. They haven’t seen the last of the leaflet. ibid. Helen Steel
Most so-called anti-social behaviour is actually people fighting over the crumbs that are thrown from the table. The real people who are behaving antisocially are those who control all of the resources. ibid.
Having largely beaten McDonald’s ... we have now exposed the notoriously oppressive and unfair UK laws. As a result of the ... ruling today, the government may be forced to amend or scrap some of the existing UK laws. We hope that this will result in greater public scrutiny and criticism of powerful organisations whose practices have a detrimental effect on society and the environment. The McLibel campaign has already proved that determined and widespread grass-roots protests and defiance can undermine those who try to silence their critics, and also render oppressive laws unworkable. The continually growing opposition to McDonald’s and all it stands for is a vindication of all the efforts of those around the world who have been exposing and challenging the corporation’s business practices. Steel & Morris press release
Almost 25 year ago a young British au pair in America was charged with murdering the baby in her care. The trial of teenager Louise Woodward became one of the biggest ever courtroom battles. At its heart a debate around the controversial issue of shaken baby syndrome. It’s a case that split opinion on both sides of the Atlantic. The Trial of Louise Woodward, ITV 2021
6th March 1997: A Grand Jury indicts Louise on a charge of first degree murder. If convicted, she could face life in prison without parole. ibid. captions