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Cambridge two case is too close to home

Inside Housing
By Alexander Masters
Chair, Cambridge Two Campaign

In your article 'Wyner case is no cause for alarm' (Inside Housing, 23 June), drugs tsar Keith Hellawell is quoted as saying: 'To my knowledge, this is the only case of this nature - if there were similar cases, people would be worried.'

On the contrary, people around the country are already extremely worried because the convictions provide not just a precedent, but confusion. Nobody knows what will make them safe from similar prosecutions. As one homeless manager said to me: 'I am just as guilty as Ruth or John, because it's impossible to do my job - working with drug addicts - and not be. I've already committed their crime twice this morning.'

What's more, there are similar cases. Since I began chairing the campaign to free Ruth Wyner and John Brock, I have been told of several disturbing examples. In one incident, police raided a hostel and arrested a number of homeless people in their rooms for drug dealing and possession. They then informed the director that they were thinking of arresting him, too, under Section 8 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, the same law that was used against Ms Wyner and Mr Brock. The reason they eventually did not proceed was because of a technicality: the hostel happened to have a residency agreement that meant the director was not able to enter the bedrooms whenever he wanted to. However, he was convinced that had the police spotted anyone dealing in public places, he would have been brought to trial.

The case took place shortly before the arrests of Ms Wyner and Mr Brock, but I am not surprised that Mr Hellawell does not know about it. The organisation involved is, understandably, extremely scared about the details being made public (hence my not including names and places). When its press officer discovered my interest, she immediately refused to have anything more to do with me.

The second case concerns the highly respected Kaleidoscope project in London. The director there, Reverend Martin Blakeborough, is more courageous, and has spoken out about the convictions repeatedly. He knows from experience that he is also under considerable threat: at the trial of a drug dealer who had been caught on Kaleidoscope premises, the judge is alleged to have said: 'The next person I want to see in the dock is Reverend Martin Blakeborough'.

The law no longer provides security for charity workers who are struggling to fight the drugs epidemic among the homeless. In some regions, the constabulary has kindly made it clear to homelessness projects that they will not follow the Cambridge line. But it is best to be cautious even there.

Ms Wyner and Mr Brock thought they had a good relationship with the Cambridge constabulary; even while the undercover operation was going on, police officers continued to attend policy meetings at the centre, and beat officers regularly dropped by for a cup of tea.