QUEEN'S BENCH DIVISION
Manchester District Registry
Strand, London, WC2A 2LL |
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B e f o r e :
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KARL SAMUEL OYSTON |
Claimant |
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- and - |
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STEPHEN REED |
Defendant |
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in Person for the Defendant
Hearing date: 11 March 2016
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Crown Copyright ©
The Honourable Mr Justice Langstaff:
"A matter of far graver concern is that how can a representative of a Defendant by a The High Court continue to assist when complying to court orders then faced such venomous and abusive hostility and criminal activity? The facts of the incident have since been reported to the court as Oystons are in deliberate and aggravated contempt of court. This is a serious offence in itself and it is punishable by a prison sentence of up to two years. Oyston's scurrilous behaviour is destined to bully with the threat of violence to prevent myself from providing David and Jez from using my best endeavours in determining justice.
I am prepared to swear on Oath that the facts in my draft witness statement are truthful. Raggy has also signed to say he believes the events to be the truth. I guess time will tell and no amount of threats to the police regarding civil action from Karl Oyston should ever alter, sway of effect the course of justice or protect the Claimants from brandishing a shot gun to intimidate the defence.
The situation is aggravated because after the gun toting in Waddington by Karl Oyston I formally complained to the Chief Super and never received the curtesy of a reply. If the police had taken my complaint seriously regarding Oyston and his guns or at all, then it is reasonable to assume that the altercation on Thursday may never have occurred.
Karl Oyston I put it to you that your behaviour was a deliberate and calculated act to pervert the course of justice whereas your father is just a pervert."
(i) the words "a matter for grave concern… then faced such venomous and abusive facility and criminal activity?" meant and were understood to mean that the Claimant had subjected the Defendant Stephen Reed to venomous and abusive hostility and had been guilty of criminal activity toward him;(ii) the words "Oystons are in deliberate and aggravated contempt of court" meant and were understood to mean that the Claimant had committed a deliberate and aggravated contempt of court;
(iii) the words "this is a serious offence in itself and is punishable by prison sentence of up to two years" meant and were understood to mean that the Claimant had committed a criminal offence which was punishable by prison sentence of up to two years and was serious;
(iv) the words "Oyston's scurrilous behaviour is destined to bully with the threat of violence to prevent myself from providing David and Jez using my best endeavours in determining justice" meant and were understood to mean that the Claimant had engaged in scurrilous behaviour toward the Defendant, had bullied him, threatened him with violence, and did so in order to prevent him from providing other persons (David (Ragozzino) and Jez (Jeremy Smith) with his best efforts to assist them in litigation (their defence of a libel action brought against David Ragozzino by Karl Oyston);
(v) the words "I am prepared to swear that the facts in my draft witness statement are truthful. Raggy has also signed to say he believes the events to be true" meant and were understood to mean that the Defendant had made a formal witness statement setting out facts which amounted to, or described, threatening and intimidating actions by the Claimant toward the Defendant, accompanied by the handling of a firearm in a threatening way. They also implied that David Ragozzino had witnessed those events or had some objective means of knowing that the events as the Defendant described them had indeed happened as he said they had;
(vi) The words "no amount of threats to the police… should ever… protect the Claimants from brandishing a shot gun to intimidate the Defendants" meant and were understood to mean that the Claimant had brandished a shot gun in order to intimidate the Defendant;
(vii) the words "…after the gun toting in Waddington by Karl Oyston I formally complained to the Chief Super…" meant and were understood to mean that the Claimant had been guilty of "gun toting" (namely handling or brandishing a gun in an indiscriminate uncontrolled or improper manner) such as reasonably to justify a formal complaint by the Defendant to a Police Chief Superintendant;
(viii) the words "I put it to you that your behaviour was deliberate and calculated to pervert the course of justice" meant and were understood to mean that the Claimant's actions were calculated to pervert the course of justice, involving threatening or intimidating the Defendant with a gun.
"I went to Bloomfield Road (BFC Hotel) to hand in the defence documents for Jeremy Smith as he has been issued papers by the Oystons claiming defamation of character. I went to the Reception and handed the defence to a blond haired lady and requested she gave it to Graeme Woodward (Oyston's solicitor). I then left and on exiting the building I saw an old friend that was doing some work for BFC. I stood talking to him close to the entrance of the BFC Hotel when a dark-bronze coloured 4X4 vehicle came into the car park. It stopped as it couldn't get into the space it wanted due to a bollard being in place. Out stepped Karl Oyston and immediately started to rant at me shouting "What the fukc are you doing here, fukc off now!!!" he shouted other things that I can't recall word for word exactly, but he was visibly foaming at the mouth and stuttering as his anger grew. I said back to him, "Karl, stop shouting you are going to lose your voice you son of a rapist". He then jumped back in his car having moved the bollard, parked up, then got out with his shot gun in hand. He told me basically get off his fukcing land now. I honestly thought he was going to shoot at me, so I immediately started to cross the road and get to my car. I left and went straight to Jeremy Smith's letting him know I don't think I can carry on this if it's going to result in me being shot!!! I was there simply handing in legal papers in a professional manner and was set about and made to fear for my safety, or even my life, how can that be right?" (The mis-spelling is in the original)
The Events of 25th June
"In order to show that a man has a bad reputation, you should call those who know him and have had dealings with him. They are in a position to judge his work. If you call those who know him well, you are likely to get at the truth… but if you go beyond these, you immediately get into the realms of reports and rumours, often enough spread by busybodies who know nothing of the man, or indulged in by newspapers for the benefit of their circulation…"