Anthony Bennett (English politician)

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Anthony Bennett
Born	7 September 1947 (1947-09-07) (age 60)
Nationality	British
Residence	Harlow, Essex
Occupation	Rights adviser, researcher and writer

Anthony John Stuart Bennett (commonly known as Tony Bennett, born 7 September 1947) is an English politician. He was a member of the British political party Veritas and was listed on the database of the Electoral Commission as official leader for three days, before the real leader was revealed as Robert Kilroy-Silk. He has also had political affiliations with ex-National Front leader Ian Anderson.^[1]

Bennett has campaigned on a variety of issues, including anti-metrication; against the United Kingdom (UK)'s membership of the European Union; against the proposed European Constitution; against the introduction of the euro in the UK, against militant Islamism; and in favour of the restoration of the historic counties of England and Wales.

In 2006, he attempted a private prosecution against Michael Barrymore for alleged drugs and drink offences committed on the night Stuart Lubbock was found dead at the entertainer's home. Bennett co-wrote a book with Terry Lubbock, the father of Stuart Lubbock, Not Awight: Getting Away With Murder, explaining their theory that Stuart Lubbock died as a result of a violent attack on him which Barrymore and his associates that night covered up.

In 2008, he attempted to bring a private prosecution against the parents of Madeleine McCann for alleged child neglect.^[2]

Contents 1 Background and family life 2 Political career 3 Removal of road signs 4 Stuart Lubbock 5 Notes 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Background and family life

Bennett was educated at Bournemouth School. He then attended Sheffield University where he was awarded a first class honours Bachelor of Arts degree in geography, and the London School of Economics where he received a Diploma in Social Administration. He also attended Nottingham University where he was awarded a Certificate of Qualification in Social Work (CQSW) and an M.A., and Hertfordshire University, where he received a Diploma in Management Studies. Bennett is married^[3] with two children.^[4]

He was employed as the Principal Welfare Rights Adviser for Harlow Council from 1978 to 1987. In 1987, he became Head of the Money Advice Unit for Hertfordshire County Council, a post he held until 1992, since when he has been a solicitor, including working as solicitor for UKIP.^[5] He is currently a self-employed rights adviser and writes for Christian newspapers ^[6]

[edit] Political career

Bennett became active in politics when he lived in Derbyshire from 1972 to 1978.^[3] In May 1976, he was voted onto North East Derbyshire District Council as an Independent Labour candidate for the Hasland Ward, where he served until 1978.^[3] In 1978, he moved to Harlow where, in 1985, he joined Harlow Constituency Labour Party.

Bennett founded two credit unions in the 1980s - the Harlow Community Credit Union in 1980 and, in 1988, the Harlow Council Employees Credit Union. They merged several years later to form Harlowsave Credit Union, one of the most successful credit unions in the country.^{[7][not in citation given]}

In the 1980s, Bennett was an active campaigner on parents' rights and wrote Guide for Families with Children in Care, now in its sixth edition under a new title: Your Child and Social Services: A Guide to Your Rights.^{[citation needed]}

In November 1997, Bennett left the Labour party and joined the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP).^[3] In April 1999, he became the Campaign Manager for UKIP's Eastern Region campaign and, in July 1999, he became Political Assistant to Jeffrey Titford, UKIP MEP, a post he held until February 2001.^[3] In January 2000, he co-founded the UKIP's Metric Martyrs Fund with Jeffrey Titford, and published leaflets encouraging traders to defy the new laws making it an offence to sell fruit, vegetables and other "loose goods" using weighing scales calibrated in pounds and ounces.^[8] He stood for UKIP in Harlow in the 2001 General Election, where he finished fifth with 1,223 votes (3%).^[9]

A Eurosceptic, Bennett was a member of The Drive the Flag campaign founded by Leeds businessman Peter Rogers, to allow national flags on vehicle number plates, in the face of proposed government legislation which would have only allowed the European Union (EU) symbol on the number plates. ^[10] In December 2001, the Government announced that the Union flag as well as the national flags of England, Scotland and Wales would be allowed on vehicles in the UK.^[11]

In early 2002, he was banned from holding office in the party in 2004 after he privately circulated a pamphlet in which he called the prophet Muhammad a paedophile for having consummated his marriage to his child bride Aisha when she was nine years old, which Bennett stated would have been prosecuted today as a case of child sexual abuse. The pamphlet also warned of the probable rise of militant Islam in the UK, which were later claimed to be part of a "reasoned, academic exposition" aimed at explaining the reasons behind the September 11 terrorist attacks. UKIP described Bennett as "an energetic campaigner, with some extremely eccentric and individualistic views".^[1]

On 15 August 2004, Bennett began work as Robert Kilroy-Silk's researcher and became a founder member of the Veritas Party in January 2005. In February 2005, however, Bennett was involved in controversy when it was revealed that he had previously co-founded the People's Campaign to Keep the Pound with Ian Anderson, a former chairman of the far right, white nationalist party, the National Front.^[1] Bennett denied any knowledge of Anderson being chairman of the National Front at the time the two men formed the campaign, describing Anderson as an "English patriot".^[1]

Bennett was a co-founder of the Campaign for a Referendum on the European Constitution (CREC), which campaigned using purple pre-addressed postcards to send to Queen Elizabeth II, asking her to refuse Royal Assent to any Bill to adopt the EU constitution, until the British people had had the chance to accept or reject it in a referendum.^[12]

After Tony Blair agreed to a referendum in May 2004, CREC changed its name to the Campaign to Reject the European Constitution. The CREC maintained that the EU constitution was part of an attempt to create a European superstate.^[12]

Bennett stood for the Veritas party in Harlow in the 2005 General Election, securing 941 votes (2.4%) and finishing fifth just behind UKIP's John Felgate on 981 votes (2.5%).^[13] Nine days later Bennett resigned from the Veritas Party 2005^{[citation needed]}and stopped working for Kilroy-Silk on 31 August 2005. During 2006, Bennett became Acting Secretary of the new Popular Alliance party.

[edit] Removal of road signs

Whilst still a member of UKIP, Bennett co-founded the Active Resistance to Metrication (A.R.M.), a pressure group opposed to the metrication, in June 2001.^[14] In 2002, as part of a campaign by the group, Bennett removed various road and footpath signs in metres which the group claimed contravened the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002. ^[15] He was prosecuted for an action in Kent where he removed about 40 metric signs. He was found guilty in May 2002 of theft and criminal damage by Maidstone Magistrates' Court.^[4] In October 2002, his conviction for theft was overturned by Judge Keith Simpson at Maidstone Crown Court. Judge Simpson upheld the conviction for criminal damage but discharged the sentence, which had been 50 hours of community service.^[16] Up to September 2004, Bennett was arrested six times as part of the group's campaign to remove metric signs which they claim are illegal. He was charged three times, but received only the one conviction in 2002.^[14]

In February 2006, then Secretary of State for Transport Alistair Darling said on BBC's Question Time that the government would not embark, as they had planned, on a programme to metricate road signs, because it was "a waste of taxpayers' money". This followed years of campaigning by organisations such as the British Weights and Measures Association and A.R.M. pointing out that the conversion of road signs to metric was unwanted and would cost at least £1,000 million.^{[citation needed]}

Following A.R.M.'s direct action campaigns, some councils and authorities have reverted to using miles and yards only on their pedestrian signs. These include East Cambridgeshire, Portsmouth and Lee Valley Park.^{[citation needed]}

Bennett has since been actively involved in the direct action group CountyWatch, which has relocated road signs marking modern administrative county borders to historic county borders in a number of English counties, including Lancashire.^[17] These campaigns were justified by CountyWatch under section 131 of the Highways Act 1980, which allows members of the public to remove road signs which are "not lawfully placed on the highway".^[18] CountyWatch sees the abolition of democratically-elected county councils in the UK as part of a long-term project to weaken the constituent nations of Europe, notably the UK and to concentrate power at two levels - the European Commission in Brussels and the "regions" within countries. They state that they take direct action within the law to counter aspects of this project.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Stuart Lubbock

In January 2006, Bennett started a private prosecution against the entertainer Michael Barrymore over alleged offences involving drink and the possession and use of Class A and Class B drugs by Barrymore during the night when 31 year old Stuart Lubbock was found dead at Barrymore's house in March 2001. The prosecution was blocked by a District Judge (Magistrates' Court) at Southend-on-Sea Magistrates' Court on the grounds of insufficient evidence.^[19] After the decision was made, Bennett announced that he had been acting independently but that he had the support of the Lubbock family.^[19] Michael Barrymore released a statement in which he said, "Mr Bennett's motivation to seek the truth as to how Mr Stuart Lubbock received the injuries to his body is absolutely right. I remain totally committed, as I always have been, to continue to pursue the truth. Allegations about drugs on that night have always been a complete irrelevance as to how Stuart Lubbock suffered those injuries. The court held Mr Bennett's misguided application to prosecute me for drugs offences was an abuse of process."^[19]

Before the decision was made not to allow the prosecution, Terry Lubbock, the father of Stuart Lubbock, met with Michael Barrymore, when it was alleged that Terry Lubbock told Barrymore he did not blame him for his son's death. Bennett, though, maintained that the private prosecution would proceed, but that he would reconsider if asked to drop the case by the Lubbock family. He added that evidence from the night of Stuart Lubbock's death, made available at the inquest, had not been seen by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).^[20]

Bennett was secretary of The Lubbock Trust which was founded by Terry Lubbock in late January 2006. He was also Terry Lubbock's solicitor until The Lubbock Trust was formally wound up on 22 June 2007.^[21]

He is the co-author, with Terry Lubbock, of a book analysing the events which led to Stuart's violent death, published in June 2007: Not Awight: Getting Away With Murder. Bennett claims that Stuart Lubbock's death was caused by a violent attack on him and that there was an elaborate cover-up of the true circumstances of his death including a staged drowning.

Earlier, on 31 August 2006, Bennett had written to Essex Police suggesting that there was evidence that Stuart Lubbock had never been in Michael Barrymore's pool as was claimed - and that there had been a cover-up that night by at least six of the witnesses present, including Barrymore.^{[citation needed]} As a result of his letter^{[citation needed]}, Essex Police carried out a thorough review of the original investigation and on 2 December 2006 announced that the death of Stuart Lubbock would be re-investigated.^[22]

Bennett also succeeded in obtaining the agreement of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) to conduct a managed investigation - the strongest possible investigation into complaints about police forces - into 38 separate complaints about the conduct of the original £8 million Essex Police investigation into Stuart Lubbock's death, which Bennett says may have been corrupted.^{[citation needed]} The IPCC investigation was temporarily suspended when Michael Barrymore, Jonathan Kenney and Justin Merritt were arrested on 14 June 2007 on suspicion of the rape and murder of Stuart Lubbock.^[23]

On 20 June 2007, Bennett learnt from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) that he had succeeded in his attempt to persuade the CICA to review its decision in April 2003 to refuse a payment to Stuart's father Terry Lubbock. Under the current scheme, each parent of a person who has been murdered is awarded the sum of £5,500 as part of the scheme for compensating victims of crimes of violence and their families. A decision on whether, on the balance of probabilities, Stuart's death was a murder, is now awaited from Essex Police. But the CICA has already indicated that it will waive the normal two year rule which otherwise would have prevented Terry Lubbock making a successful claim, and have in the special circumstance of the case set aside their normal rule that only one claim may ever be made in respect of a death.^{[citation needed]}

On 10 July, Bennett was informed by the Hate Crime Unit at Harlow police station that they had received a complaint about comments attributed to him about the practice of fisting on the Lubbock Trust website. The police said that as someone had accused him of a homophobic hate crime, they were investigating him over a hate crime. Bennett immediately complained to the Chief Constable of Essex, stating that there was no such thing in British Law as a homophobic hate crime, and that only racist hate crimes exist. He stated further that, "There is material on the website which is critical of the lifestyle of homosexuals which activists might take exception to, but I don't have a problem with people from gay lobbies contacting us." Bennett however believed the complaint was made because of the forthcoming release of the Not Awight book.^[24]

The police stated that they had received an allegation about homophobic comments being published on the website, and that Essex Police has to investigate all reports of hate crime. They continued that a full investigation was currently being conducted to identify whether offences had been committed.^[25] The next day, 11 July, Essex Police Professional Standards Department referred his complaint to the IPCC to investigate.^[25]

In a statement on 13 July 2007, which appeared on the Lubbock Trust website, Bennett said that the contents of the site had been agreed by all members of The Trust 13 months earlier, and that the reason for including the information was because it related directly to the probable cause of Stuart Lubbock's death. He added that due to concerns expressed by Lubbock Trust Chairman Harry Cichy that some of the material might be seen as ‘homophobic’, and following a complaint to the website's server, NetPivotal, and a request from them, some of that page had been removed.^[21]

Terry Lubbock responded by distancing himself from the controversy saying, "This is a diversion from the campaign which I don't want to take any part in. My aim is as it has always been, to get justice for my son Stuart and that is the only thing in my life now. I'm not going to let anything distract me from that. This latest episode is not doing the campaign a lot of good."^[24]

On 22 July, Essex Police announced that they had consulted with the CPS and that there would be no further police action. Bennet himself had been informed of the decision by e-mail on 20 July. Bennett however, responded by saying that he wanted an outside police force to investigate Essex police's handling of the complaint and the actions of the Essex Police Hate Crimes Unit. He continued, "I have had to endure among other things headlines such as "Gay Hate of Barrymore Accuser" in the Daily Express. I need a full, fair and impartial enquiry by the IPCC into what Essex Police thought they were doing investigating something they must have known from the word go could never have been a crime."^[26]

On the same day that Terry Lubbock announced the split with Tony Bennett, Bennett announced that the Lubbock Trust had been wound up on 22 June, and that neither Terry Lubbock nor Harry Cichy had any control over the website. He then added that the website would continue under the guise of a different Trust, the Alec Barrack Trust. This trust had been set up together with Mrs Doris Barrack, the mother of Alec Barrack who died in 1996 where homosexual activities are alleged to have led to his death.

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Lubbock, Terry; Bennett, Tony (2006). Not Awight: Getting away with murder, Harry E Cichy, ISBN 978-0954694913

[edit] External links