Will fewer cannabis users be arrested under the new rulesYes Stevens had previously been arrested and charged with child sex and computer pornography offences, but the case against him collapsed at Snaresbrook Crown Court in London last month. West Midlands Police said in a statement: "Brian Stevens has been charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice which is contrary to the Criminal Law Act of 1977. The detective who acted as liaison officer to the family of Soham murder victim Jessica Chapman, and a Crown Prosecution Service worker, were charged today with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, police said. Det Con Brian Stevens, 42, was arrested yesterday, along with 32-year-old Louise Austin, an administrator with the CPS. I want to be recognised as the father of my children and I want to bring them up equal to their mother.". The judiciary finds it almost impossible to take on the notion I should be with my children 50 per cent of the time."Speaking about the law governing a father's access to his children he added: "This law ridiculed me. Its implementor humiliated and belittled me and would not accept I was as capable of bringing up my children as a woman. The courts granted him full custody of Fifi Trixibelle, now 20, Peaches, 14, and Pixie, 13 in 1998, but it was something he never wanted or asked for, as the decision penalised his former wife. Bob Geldof made an impassioned plea last night for fathers to be given equal access to their children when a marriage breaks down. Speaking at the launch of a book examining the subject, the rock star and businessman said he had been "unfairly" treated by the judicial system when he separated from his wife, the late Paula Yates.The couple had three daughters but Mr Geldof said that following the break-up he was told "how lucky I was to see them two hours a f****** week".Geldof fought a bitter custody battle with Yates after she left him in 1995 for the Australian rock singer Michael Hutchence. She is said to have told police that she was with DC Stevens, who worked with the family of the murdered schoolgirl Jessica Chapman, on the night he was alleged to have downloaded child pornography from the internet.Louise Austin, 32, and DC Stevens, 42, both of whom have been suspended, were questioned yesterday by police from the West Midlands force on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.Charges against DC Stevens were dropped at Southwark Crown Court last month. A police officer from Soham who was cleared of child pornography charges was rearrested yesterday on suspicion of lying about his alibi. The main aim of the guidelines is to free up police time spent on cannabis in order to concentrate on the problems caused by harder drugs..
If caught the police would normally issue a warning and confiscate the drug.Will fewer cannabis users be arrested under the new rules?Yes. Police chiefs argues that it would be difficult for officers to weigh and determine exact quantities on the beat, and is reluctant to state exact amounts in case dealers carry smaller amounts in order to continue trading.Is it legal to smoke cannabis at home?No. Cannabis has been re-classified, not decriminalised, so smoking in public is still illegal. Some users may be given a warning and their drugs confiscated.What amount is considered suitable for 'personal use' and how much will lead to an arrest?This remains unspecified. In practice, this means that in the majority of cases officers will issue a warning and confiscate the drug."Danny Kushlick, director of Transform, a drugs reform group, described the proposed changes on cannabis as a "fiasco" and argued that the because the police were "hanging on to the arrest powers" little would change."Your chances of being arrested and prosecuted remain a lottery and continue to depend on which police force is involved," he said.CANNABIS: THE KEY QUESTIONSWill cannabis users who smoke in the street be arrested?Probably. |
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