Wanted – Help us help Michael Stainer.

Like all law-abiding citizens, we are firm believers in the rule of law.  People who commit crimes should be apprehended, charged, prosecuted and if found guilty, sentenced appropriately.  Likewise, all law-abiding citizens have a duty to assist the police in fighting crime, so this article sets out to do just that. If you know these men pictured below please do contact Kent Police as soon as possible, as it is alleged they attacked Michael Stainer.

This report appeared in KentOnline on January 30^th

• ““Dangerous” hooligans smashed into an elderly hotelier’s home and attacked him, causing numerous fractures to the face and fleeing with bottles of alcohol.”

The “hotelier” was of course Mr Michael Stainer, currently a director of the company that owns the Grand and of various other companies currently facing liquidation, courtesy of HMRC.  This particular crime took place on January 26^thand the date is significant as this was in the middle of a three day Tribunal case over unpaid service charges that left Mr and Mrs Stainer (pictured) with a judgement debt of over £250,000 and possible costs of over £35,000.

““They didn’t have to beat him. The level of violence was hugely disproportionate.”  Mr Stainer has described his injuries as “fractured skull bones, brain concussion and extensive bruising”.  Subsequently it was reported that Police had arrested one man after the attack.

 The report mentions Mr Stainer’s hospitalisation, of which no evidence has been provided to the various Courts and Tribunals with which Mr Stainer is currently engaged.  The report goes on to say that Mr Richardson “forwarded the CCTV stills to a significant number of hotels, pubs and eateries in Folkestone and Kent to sound the warning.” This is a reference to the Folkestone Area Partnership Against Crime (FAPAC), a membership organisation which in its own words is a Crime Reduction Partnership operating for the benefit of local retailers, licensed premises and the public of Shepway.”

So why is this of such interest to us?  Because according to Mr Stainer’s then solicitor, Andrew Duncan, and in legal submissions to the Tribunal from the Stainers,  “the assailant and his accomplice were in Court on the first afternoon in January, two days before perpetrating their offences.”

This came as a revelation to the residents of the Grand who were in Court that day, along with the three members of the panel which include a Judge, two lay advisers and the Clerk to the Tribunal. Residents we have spoken to clearly remember two “strangers” in Court that day. Our own public face was also present and witnessed their presence.

Under these circumstances and given that the CCTV footage was already being privately circulated, those in Court fully expected to be contacted.  In fact, repeated attempts to help Kent Police have been rebuffed and to this date, no charges have been brought against anyone. The investigating officer however wrote to Mr Stainer on June 8^th stating that he was “awaiting a charging decision” but that “the CPS is very busy at the moment and some charging decisions are taking a couple of months to come back to us.”  This must be very frustrating to Mr Stainer and is very surprising given the severity of the assault.

So just what is going on here?  CCTV footage of alleged criminals frequently appear in the local press – and the Folkestone & Hythe Express have had the images posted above, since early May 2018 and done nothing to assist in the capture of these“Dangerous animals”, we wonder why not.

The Independent Press Standards Organisation, makes it clear that it is in the Public Interest for editors of Newspapers to publish stories relating to:

• Detecting or exposing crime, or the threat of crime, or serious impropriety.

Again we wonder why when the Kentish Express had the above images of the alleged assailants, they elected NOT to publish them.

Also a question put to FAPAC as to whether they had CCTV footage when it became apparent to residents that they had been sitting in Court alongside the alleged “assailants” was sharply rebuffed.

Finally, the KentOnline report was embellished by the Grand’s General Manager, Robert Richardson, who had access to the CCTV footage of the attack, and from where our image was taken:

If you know the men in in the images above please do contact Kent Police as soon as possible.

The Shepwayvox Team  – Dissent is NOT a Crime.

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