1982 Writing on the Wall
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ON THE Quarterly Newspaper of the Welsh Campaign for Civil and Political Liberties AUTUMN 1982 Number 5 Price 30p .. ~ i The trial of David Bums, Robert Griffiths, Nicholas Responsibility for these attacks had been claimed by Hodges, J9hn Jenkins1 Jennifer Smith, Dafydd Ladd, a new organisation calling itself the Workers Army of Brian Rees and Adrian Stone is not only a milestone the Welsh Republic. There was a massive police in their personal histories but also represents a test response to these various incidents and eight police case for civil and political liberties in Wales. forces have been involved in the investigations: the Consequently, this iss~.~e of WOW concentrates both four Welsh forces, West Midlands, Warwickshire, City on their individual circumstan~$ -and also upon the of London and Scotland Yard. general issues which are raised by this case. The laws of contempt .make it impossible for us to disclose all Over a period of some months from the end of Apr.il we know about the pending trial but there are a 1982, a number of people were visited by police and number of substantive issues which should, and can be questioned; some were followed and kept under gener-. discussed. These are considered inside the paper. The al surveillance; a number of others were taken into purpose of this story is to present an accurate, factual custody, he Id without access to lawyers, threatened, account of events to date. (As we go to press on Oct interrogated and released without charge in a pattern ~ber 18th we know that the five held in prison will which is now all too familiar in Wales.Eight people be appearing before Cardiff magistrates once more on were finally remanded in custody., charged with October 21st and may make fresh bail applications offences under the Explosive Substances Act 1883, then). and two others were released on bail having been charged with impeding the apprehension of one of Since tv'tarch 1980 (an important date for the defend- the defendants. ants as the conspiracy charges commence then) Wales Of the eight in custody, one (Jennifer Smith) was and England have been subjected to a series of fires, released on bail some weeks later; another David John ~ particularly of holiday cottages, and fire bombs. Over Burns, was released on bail and has subsequ~ntly had 70 cottages and a number of boats have been destroyed all charges dropped; a third defendant, Adrian Stone, or damaged by fire. In tv'tarch 1980 a fire bomb was was released on bail on October 14th, having spent left on Porthmadog station. Later that month, fire bombs over six months in prison. The other five remain in were discovered at Conservative Party offices in Cardiff Knox Road where they have been held since May, and Shotton. In May 1980 an incendiary device went despite repeated strong bail applications. In view of off outside a Conservative Club in Cardiff. July saw the volume of papers presented by the DPP, (there another device found at yet another Conservative Club are more than 1,200 pages of evidence from the DPP, in Cardiff and ,a fire bomb was put through the window and reputedly over 300 police witnesses), their contin of the second home of the Secretary of State for Wales. ued detention becomes a matter of even graver concern In November-1980 a fire bomb attack in Shrewsbury as it makes it extremely difficult for them and their was linked with the incidents at Cardiff and Clwyd. lawyers to prepare a detailed defence to the charges against them. In October 1981 a fire bomb was planted at the Army Careers Information Office at Pontypridd on the route Currently, David Frederick Burns is charged under of the visit by the Prince of Wales and his wife. A section 3(a) of the Explosive Substances Act 1883 bomb was found that month at the headquarters of the (concerning the Pontypridd incident); Robert Griffiths is British Steel Corporation in Cardiff. In March 1982 is also charged under section 3(a) (concerning the an explosive device went off at the Welsh Office Pontypridd incident); and under section 4(1) of the Agricultural Departmeht in Cardiff. During this time Criminal Law Act 1967 (alleged to have impeded the explosive devices had been found at the National apprehension of Dafydd Ladd); Nicholas Hodges is also Coal Board's pensions and investment branch off Fleet charged under section 3(a) of the Explosive Substances Street, London; the Severn Trent Water Authority Act; John Jenkins is charged under section 4(1) of the Offices, Birmingham and at the offices, in Stratford Criminal Law Act (alleged to have im~ded the app upon Avon of the firm of International Designers and rehension of Dafydd Ladd). Dafydd ladd is charged Constructors, with which Denis Thatcher was associated. under section 3(b) and 4(1) of the Explosive Substances ARY Newyddiodur Chworterol Ymgyrch Cymru dros Howliou Gwleidyddol a Sifil HYDREF 1982 Rhif 5 Pris 30c Y mae achos David Burns, Robert Griffiths Yn ys~o~ y cyfnod hwn, daethpwyd o hyd i Nicholas Hod2es, Dafydd Ladd, Brlan Rees,' ddyfe1s1adau ffrwydrol yng nghangen pensiynau Jennifer Smith, Adrian Stone a Gareth a buddsoddiadau'r Bwrdd Glo ger Stryd y Westacott yn achlysur hanfodol bwysig Fflyd, Llundain; yn Swyddfeydd Awdurdod iddynt hwy yn bersonol. ond y mae hefyd yn Dwr Hafren Trent, Birmingham, ac ~ achos prawf o safbwynt hawliau sifil a Stratford upon Avon, yn swyddfa cwmni Internation~l Designers and Constructors, gwleidyddo~ yng Nghymru. 0 ganlyniad, yr oedd Den1s Thatcher yn gysylltiedig ag y mae' r rh1fy~ hwn o Ysgrifen E_y_Mur yn canolbwynt1o ar eu hamgylchiadau personol ef. Derbyniwyd y cyfrifoldeb am yr y~osod1adau hy~ gan fudiad newydd a alwai hwy ond yn archwilio hefyd y cwestiynau e1 hun yn Fydd1n Gweithwyr y Weriniaeth mwy cyffredinol a godir gan yr achos hwn. Gymreig, neu WAWR. Bu ymateb anferthol o Y mae'r gyfraith ar ddirmyg yn ei gwneud du'r heddlu i'r gwahanol ddigwvddiadau hyn, hi'n amhosibl i ni ddatgelu'r cwbl a a bu wyth heddlu gwahanol wrthi'n ymholi: wyddom am yr achos sydd i ddod, ond v mae Y pedwar heddlu Cymreig, Gorllewin Canolbarth yma nife: o faterion o sylwedd y gelllr, Lloegr, Swydd Warwick, Dinas Llundain a ac y dyl1d eu trafod. Ystyrir y rhain Scotland .Yard. ar y tudalennau nesaf. Dib~n yr erthygl hon yw disgrifio'n gywir ac yn ffeithiol yr hyn sydd wedi digwydd hyd yn hyn (wrth Mewn cyfnod o rai misoedd, o ddiwedp mis i ni fynd i'r wasg ar y 18fed o Hydref, E~rill 1982 ymlaen, ymwelodd yr heddu ~ gwyddom y bydd y pump sydd yn dal i fod yn n1fer o bobl a'u holi; dilynwyd rhai pobl y carchar yn ymddangos ger bron ynadon a chadwyd gwyliadwraeth arnynt; cymerwyd nif:r ~ b?bl i'r ddalfa a'u cadw yno heb Caerdyd~ unwaith eto ar yr Zlain o Hydref, gan1atau 1ddynt weld cyfreithwyr, cawsant felly m1 all fod y gwneir ceisiadau newydd eu bygwth, eu croesholi a'u gollwng yn am fechniaeth bryd hynny). rhydd heb ddim cyhuddiad yn eu herbyn mewn patrwm sydd yn hen gyfarwydd i ni yng Er dydd G~l Ddewi 1980 (dyddiad pwysig o safbwynt y diffynyddion gan mai dyna· Nghymru heddiw. Ar derfyn hyn oll, yr oedd wyth person yn y ddalfa wedi eu pryd y mae'r cyhuddiad cyhueddo o dramgwyddau o dan Ddeddf • cynllwy_pio y~ dechrau), llosgwyd nifer Defnyddia~ Ffrwydrol 1883, ac yr oedd dau helaeth '<> da1 ha£ yng Nghymru, a gosodwyd arall wed1 eu rhyddhau ar fechniaeth ar nifer o fomiau t~n yng Nghymru a Lloegr. gyhuddiad o fod wedi llesteirio restiad Dinistriwyd neu niweidiwyd mwy na 70 o un o'r diffynyddion eraill. d~i a nifer o gychod drwy eu llosgi. Ym m1s Mawrth 1980, gadawyd born tan ar orsaf Porthmadog. Yn ddiweddarach y mis hwnnw, O'r wyth a gadwyd yn y carchar, cafodd un ohony~t, Jenn~fer Smith, ei rhyddhau ar daethpwyd o hyd i fomiau t~n yn swyddfeydd fechn1aeth ra1 wythnosau'n ddiweddarach· y Blaid Geidwadol yng Nghaerdydd a Shotton. cafodd un arall, Dafydd John Burns ei ' Ym mis Mai 1980, taniwyd dyfais debyg y tu ryddha~ ar fec~niaeth, agollyngwyd'pob allan i Glwe Ceidwadol yng Nghaerdydd. cyhudd1ad yn e1 erbyn wedi hynny; Daethpwyd p hyd i ddyfais arall mewn Clwb rhyddhawyd trydydd diffynydd, Ad~ Ceidwadol arall yng Nghaerdydd ym mis Stone, ar fechniaeth ar Hydref 14eg ar 61 Gorffennaf, a gosodwyd born t~n i mewn drwy treulio dros 6 mis yn y carchar. y mae'r ffenestr ail gartref Ysgrifennydd Gwladol pump arall yn dal i fod yng ngharchar Knox Cymru. Ym mis Tachwedd 1980 Road, lle maent wedi hod er mis Mai er cysylltwyd ymosodiad ~ born t~n y~ Amwythig gwa:thaf ymgeisio'n rymus am fechniaeth dro ~·r digwyddiadau yng Nghaerdydd a Chlwyd. ar ol tro. Yn wyneb y llwyth anferthol o bapurau a gyflwynwyd gan Adran yr Erlynydd Ym mis Hydref 1981, gosodwyd born t~n yn Cyhoeddus (y m~e'n debyg fod mwy na 1,200 Swyddfa ~ysbysrwydd Gyrfaoedd y fyddin ym tudalen o dyst1olaeth, ac y bwriedir galw ~ontyp;~dd, ~r lwybr ymweliad y tywysog 300 o dystion heddlu), y mae eu caethiwed S1a:1 a 1 wra1g. Daethpwyd o hyd i fom parhaus yn destun mwy fyth o bryder gan y m1s_h~nnw ym mhencadlys y Gorfforaeth Ddur Bryde1n1g yng Nghaerdydd. Ym mis Mawrth ~od hynny'n ei gwneud hi'n llawer anos 1ddy~t hwr a'u cyfr~ithwyr baratoi 198~, ffrwydrodd dyfais ffrwydrol yn amdd1ffyn1ad manwl 1 1 r cyhuddiadau yn eu Adran ~~·et~ y Swyddfa Gymreig yng Nghaerdydd.