Op Fernbridge: Stingemore – McSweeney Committal Hearing

By Op Greenlight, The Needle’s court artist

This Thursday, 19th December, is the date of John Stingemore and Tony McSweeney’s Committal Hearing. The time of the hearing has not yet been published.

As we have done before with previous hearings we would like to urge all complainants and witnesses in this case not to attend. As those people already know Stingemore and McSweeney are the only two people that have been charged in connection with Operation Fernbridge (so far) and as such there is considerable media interest, even if that interest has not yet manifested itself as stories in the press.

At the two previous hearings television cameras filmed everybody entering and leaving the court and journalists were more interested in who was in the public gallery than they were in John Stingemore, Tony McSweeney, and the proceedings.

So, if you do not wish to have the unwanted attention of the press, please do not go.

Committal Hearings are usually very short, normally around five minutes long. The defendants confirm their names and addresses and the charges are read out and they may, if they wish, enter a plea before the judge dismisses them to a trial date.

That’s it.

It is true that the media, including this blog, are restricted in what they can report at these hearings but if you are connected with this case then I’m sure that the police contact you have will inform you of any important developments that can’t be reported.

Both Op Greenlight and myself will be attending ourselves and Op Greenlight has promised me that she will use her considerable artistic skills to try and capture the mood and the atmosphere in the courtroom for you. We’ll publish the pictures on Friday and I promise you, you will not feel as though you’ve missed out, it will seem as though you were actually there !