sadoldgit

They would get guidance in points of law from the Clerk of the Court, but at the end of the day the bench, three ordinary people, will make a decision in the Magistrate's court. The CPS give pre charge advice to the police and recommend charges based on the evidence and the likelyhood of conviction. The police can, and do, bring their own charges without using or taking CPS advice. The CPS cannot second guess what a Magistrate's bench, a judge or a jury will conclude, hence a number of "failed" prosecutions. I don't know the facts in this case and even if I did, am not allow to divulge them, but I have seen the CCTV footage like everyone else. There doesn't seem to be any direct evidence that BWP went through people's bags and stole anything, but he was standing in the doorway whilst it was going on and I guess you could argure that he might have been part of the robbery in that he could have been acting as a lookout? There are bound to be black spots (no pun intended) in the film, perhaps he did do something that was not recorded but suggested? Who really knows apart from BWP and his friends? The Barry George case was very different. Again it was obviously decided that there was enough evidence to bring a prosecution and it was successful in that he was found guilty. That in itself should tell you that there was a case to answer. The fact that he was cleared on appeal is another matter, but his actions since still cast doubts over his behaviour. We shall probably never know the truth, but as far as the law is concerned, his name has now been cleared so that is that. Maybe he was innocent? Plenty of guilty people have walked free on points of law. Some innocent people do get convicted. No legal system is perfect but our system is vigorous and in any failed prosecution there is a thorough case review. Bringing prosecutions is a long winded and costly process and they are not brought lightly. Like anything, in hindsight different decisions might be made, but as I have said, the CPS cannot possibly be certain that every prosecution will be successful, but do not proceed unless it is believed that there is a strong case to answer. It is up to others in the criminal justice system to make the final decisions. What is certain is that both Dyer and BWP behaved very badly that night. These are not street thugs, these are very well paid young professionals who have let their profession, their club, their families and their fans down big time.

I work for the CPS. They would not have brought the prosecution if they did not think that there was enough evidence to convict. If the bench thought otherwise that is down to them (and they are not legally trained remember).

Alpine in negative post shock! As if we have never bought another club's promising youngster. He will stay or he will go, but guess what, life will go on.

You don't hear him complaining about the money he has been given which enabled him to finally get some success in football do you? When he was with us an actually had to use his skill and wits to manage cos there was not any cash, guess what, he failed big time.

Pessimistic camp I would say. It is still way too early to make a call either way, but the signs are postive and that is good enough to me. We have won three competative matches remember, and are making good progress in the cup. This team can win football matches, something we stryuggled to do at the tail end of last season. There is a long way to go, but three wins out of six should not mean that the wrist slitters should be sharpening their knives already.

Yep, worst player on the field all season. If you feel that way about Lowe, how do you feel about Bates/McMenemy when we went down the first time?

We have an Olympic team who have done their best for 100 years and Woodward is a part of that set up, therefore a part of the success.

Typical Brit, we really do not like people to succeed do we? And when they do we knock them down. You can either nit pick of enjoy the fact that we have finally something to be happy about in sport. I know which I would rather do.

A hugely wasted opportunity for us I think. And as for all of the posters on here who, in their great wisdom, questioned how someone from rubgy could ever make a difference at a football club, just go take a look at our medals haul this Olympics. Still, we couldn't upset 'Arry could we? So Woodward was kept away from the 1st team (despite the fact that we neded all the help we could get). And as for Mr Redknapp, I was amused to read that his missus could manage ManU or Chelsea because of the money they have to spend. He reckons he is a real manager. Funny that 'Arry, I though you only achieved some real success when you had a blank cheque book to play with. Or did all those players sign for Portsmouth in order to be managed by the great Harry Redknapp rather than a massive salary? Woodward's CV continues to grow at the highest level but we didn't need him did we Mr Wilde? Still, at least we got our club back (without any "toffs" on the Board).

No Pongo, you have got me there....

Alpine in totally misses the point again shocker! I don't suppose you get to read English newspapers over there Alpine, but here there have been lots of articles about how his influence with the British team has created a more "winning" attitude. Not that we have ever needed that at St Marys of course because what could an "egg chaser" ever teach us??? We won the Rugby World Cup under Woodward, we are having our most successful Games in eons under Woodward, are you really telling me that, if he had been given full reign, he would not have had a positive result at our club too? Hmmm.......

Perhaps things would have been better in we had kept Clive Woodward on board and used his skills. For all of the talk on here that he could not transfer his skills to another sport our athletics team have not been doing too bad in a little competition called the Olympics have they?

Whilst you feel free to use them against anyone with a different view to you on internet forums?

Not really entirely true is it?

Congratulations Alpine, you have finally made it into the Guinness Book of Records as the most depressive,negative,ignorant man on the planet. Who let this bloke back on the forum? Are his rants worth 5p, let alone £5??? Feel free to provide evidence that Lowe is not interested in the team. And while you are at it, some evidence that George Burley is a "drunken f*ckwit". Your pathetic rants are wearing a bit thin. If you are so bothered about what is happening at St Marys why have you moved so far away? Don't the Austrians have things you can vent your enormous amount of pent up anger on? Attitudes are changing but you my friend are a Dodo and thankfully a dying breed. Michael Wilde showed you up as the the knee jerk reactionary you really are. Even when it was obvious that Lowe was on holiday in Canada you kept harping on about how poor it was that he hadn't made the trip to Exeter. You show your self up in every post you make. You are an embarrassment to SFC and the best thing you ever did was to b*gger off to Austria. Thank God that the true Saints fans are seeing he light and posting more and more on this forum. You and your ilk are a dying breed here and than goodness for that.

For God's sake man. get a life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Times must be hard if Michael Wilde has to appear to do his own PR spin!! (wink wink) But nice to see you here Michael and great that you put Alpine firmly in his place! I must also apologise about being so mean and unsupportive of your takeover stance, but that "Evolution not Revolution" thing did rankle a bit. Anyways, fair play to coming out to play with the riff-raff. SOG

If that was the case why did they turn up at pre season friendlies? Maybe there was a good reason they were not there, but that would not fit in with your agenda would it? We won a match and all you can do it bleat on about Lowe again Alpine, give it a rest and enjoy the fact we are through to the next round (or are you gutted that we won?)

We actually stayed in the Prem for many more years than perhaps we should. We also made the cup final. Failure?

If things go well for the club this season would you still feel the same? Did you "hate" him at Cardiff at the Cup Final? At the end of the day the bloke is just someone who runs a football club. I can understand people not liking him but hating someone you have never met is a bit strange.

These people are supposed to be professionals and are paid to go out on the pitch and play to the managers instructions. If they don't do that they are more damaging to SFC than all the negative posters here put together.

At the end of the day his points haul was not that great was it? Not trying to knock him, but he hardly set the world alight did he? You would think we finished in the top six the way some people go on about him. The truth is that we stayed up by the skin of our teeth. I hope he does well in his new job, but I hope our new guys do better.

Feel free to find a quote from me where I said that he was God's gift to management. I merely said that I thought he wasn't as bad as a lot of people here thought (check out his record against other managers) and that we did okay in his first full season. We were inconstistant but much closer to the play offs than relegation when he left and after he left we fell like a stone. It is all very well harping on about Pearson but he only won 3 games and nearly took us down. I don't know Burley personally but can imagine that any manager worth his salt would have been well hacked off by Hone's statement and by having his better players sold from under him when the expectations were so high. Good luck to him if he found a better job. Who here would not do the same? Anyway, he is history now so I am waiting to see how the Dutch Duo do as they are running things now and not Burley.

How many managers did we have last season? Who were the people in charge?