The Cambridge Two Campaign official site

Hearing of 11th July 2000

This section details the events of the hearing for leave to appeal against the convictions of Ruth Wyner and John Brock which was heard at the Royal Courts of Justice on 11th July 2000 and at which Ruth and John were released on bail pending the appeal.

This section includes a message from the Cambridge Two Campaign Chairman to all supporters

Supporters and the media gathered at the Royal Courts of Justice in The Strand on Tuesday 11th July 2000 to show support for and await the outcome of a hearing for leave to appeal against the convictions of Ruth Wyner and John Brock, convictions which so far had seen them endure 208 days of imprisonment out of their five and four year sentences.

At the hearing Ruth and John were represented by the eminent barrister, Michael Mansfield QC who put their application for leave to appeal before Lord Justice Rose, Vice President of the Court of Appeal, Criminal Division, Mr Justice Holman and Mr Justice Moses.

The hearing, before a court packed with family, friends and supporters was detailed and protracted, and it became clear by lunch time that, if leave to appeal against conviction were to be granted, the appeal would not be heard that afternoon as had been hoped. At approximately 1.00pm when Michael Mansfield was concluding, it became apparent that there was a distinct possibility that Ruth and John could be returning to prison that afternoon.

The atmosphere quickly changed in the court room when, following his response to the appeal application, which allowed Ruth and John leave to appeal against their convictions, Lord Justice Rose invited Michael Mansfield to offer any further applications. The application for bail was made, and granted, and a cheer rang through the courtroom. Ruth and John were going home.

A gathering of the media waited outside the entrance to the Royal courts in expectation of Ruth and John's triumphant exit. It was some time later however, when, formalities finally over and done with, they walked down the front steps of the building to loud applause.

The appeal is expected to take place in September/October 2000, and the Court of Appeal has warned Ruth and John that they might have to return to prison if their challenge to their convictions is unsuccessful.

The campaign will, of course continue and, if anything gather pace, so please continue to show your support for Ruth and John in whatever way you can.

Please continue to visit this web site for the latest Campaign news, messages from Ruth and John and the appeal date announcement when it is made known.

Message from the Cambridge Two Campaign Chairman

The campaign wants to thank everybody who has helped to bring the case of Ruth Wyner and John Brock to public attention - it really has been a fantastic effort, involving thousands of people, from all walks of life, around the country. The campaign office has had so many phone calls and letters from people saying that they had never been involved in demonstrations or protests before but this time they just couldn't sit back and watch; it's because of people like this that the campaign has managed to get such widespread coverage. All our thanks to all of you.

Court 5 was packed on Tuesday, and the hearing was as tense as a Hollywood movie. When the leave to appeal against conviction was granted, the next step would have been to go directly to the appeal, but the prosecution immediately popped up and asked for more time to consider paperwork. This is not the first time this has happened; it was a standard prosecution tactic throughout the trial. It seems like Ruth and John were going to have to go back to Highpoint Prison, because the appeal against sentence can't be heard until the appeal against conviction has been dealt with. We had all been so distracted by this complicated procedure surrounding the appeals that we had forgotten about the possibility of bail.

When unconditional bail was granted, the public gallery erupted. There were cheers and shouting, whistling and hooting, and Judge Rose had to give us all a firm ticking off.

Yet just as we thought John and Ruth were out, there was another hold up. It turned out that the security man guarding Ruth and John had made an objection. Unconditional bail could not be awarded, he told the three senior judges, John and Ruth didn't have an address. You cannot grant unconditional bail unless the prisoner has an address, so at 2pm the court had to reconvene, and the judges, somewhat irritated, told the guard that they could grant bail to whoever they like, so there.

Half an hour later Ruth and John came out, and were immediately surrounded by shouting supporters and dozens of reporters.

Back in Cambridge, we held a welcome home party at the Fort St George pub. Both Ruth and John showed up with their families, did a few more interviews with the local press and sat talking to friends and supporters. A good many of them they had never met before; Emma Mount who had done excellent work gathering trade union support; Drew Park who arranged the London march and helped to get UNISON on board; Elizabeth Thoday who has got endless excellent campaigning letters into the local papers; Marie Archer who designed John's outsized 50th birthday card, and many more.

The campaign is not over however. We must keep fighting the issues until the appeals are heard and other people doing similar work to John and Ruth can once again feel safe in their jobs.

Please keep writing letters to the Home Office and Jack Straw and Tony Blair, and to your MPs. Write to your local paper, get on the local radio - do whatever you can.

Appeal date set

Ruth and John have been given a date for the appeal against their convictions. The appeal will take place at 10.00am on 1st December 2000 at the Court of Appeal in the Strand. Lord Justice Rose, who chaired the hearing on July 11th will again be presiding.

Ruth Wyner commented: "It's a bit later than we expected but it's good to have a date".

Ruth Wyner has written to supporters of the Cambridge Two Campaign web site following her release from prison.
Please click here for more details