Cymraes
Junior Member
Dim marciau ffordd!
Posts: 63
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Post by Cymraes on Mar 28, 2009 4:38:08 GMT -5
I'm sorry if this isn't the right place to talk about this, but I am off my head worrying and really need to unload.
Last night, around 12.30am, the police banged on my parents' front door and arrested my dad. They wouldn't tell him what he was being arrested for - of if they did, my mum didn't hear it. They asked if he possessed certain clothing - two of the three items mentioned he did own, and they took those away with them.
Now my father is 71, is registered disabled, requires crutches or a wheelchair to get about. Despite being virtually illiterate (i.e. he has dyslexia and never learned to read properly) he is a vocal local campaigner and supporter of disabled rights.
Because he keeps his pills (for pain control and arthritis) in a pill box, he wasn't allowed to take those with him - my brother had to find the prescription containers and drop them off at the station later, otherwise my dad would have been in severe pain.
But the main thing is that we just don't know what is going on. The police just keep insisting that, because my dad is over 18 they cannot disclose any details. They will only say that he will be questioned this morning.
But what could an elderly, severely disabled man do that could warrant his being hauled out of bed in the middle of the night? Why couldn't it wait until some sensible hour? It's not as if he can run away anywhere!
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Post by Damen on Mar 28, 2009 4:56:20 GMT -5
Not sure how it is in Wales, but I'd be willing to bet they have to inform him of the charges against him, so you'll likely be able to ask as soon as you talk to him or his lawyer, if said lawyer isn't too much of a twat.
That said...this is a puzzlement. The only thing I can think of is maybe if his pill bottle got misplaced, picked up by a junkie and they think he's selling his pain meds...a bit of a reach, but I'm just as curious as you. For now...I wish I could give you advice and let you know everything will be okay, but the best I can do is to say that there's little point in worrying too much over things you can't change. But I'm pretty well sure you're gonna worry anyway, so all I can say is try and see him as early as possible.
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Post by Jodie on Mar 28, 2009 5:17:19 GMT -5
That really sucks, Cymraes.  I hope things get sorted out for the best. |
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Cymraes
Junior Member
Dim marciau ffordd!
Posts: 63
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Post by Cymraes on Mar 28, 2009 5:20:34 GMT -5
Thanks for replying, Damon, I needed to hear a calm voice in all this!
The idea that he might have misplaced his medication occurred to me too - as did the idea that he might be buying some not-so-legally-approved medication to help with his pain.
It's crazy the things that run through your mind at times like this - is my dad some sort of british version of Fritzl?! Has he got a secret family hidden away in a cellar?
Did he run someone down in his wheelchair? Or in his car? Except of course that they didn't take either with them, only some clothing...
And he does have this habit of wandering round the streets at night when the pain prevents him from sleeping. Perhaps he was caught on some cctv footage near an incident? Or he was seen chatting to the wrong people? (He is a very friendly guy and likes to talk to people.)
But the only way we will know any information is if my dad decides to tell us himself - the police won't say anything. And I am concerned about his reading difficulties - what if they get him to sign something?
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Post by Mantorok on Mar 28, 2009 5:25:40 GMT -5
There's a counterfeit jeans ring in your car-hole.  |
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Post by Damen on Mar 28, 2009 6:24:12 GMT -5
Thanks for replying, Damon, I needed to hear a calm voice in all this! The idea that he might have misplaced his medication occurred to me too - as did the idea that he might be buying some not-so-legally-approved medication to help with his pain. It's crazy the things that run through your mind at times like this - is my dad some sort of british version of Fritzl?! Has he got a secret family hidden away in a cellar? Did he run someone down in his wheelchair? Or in his car? Except of course that they didn't take either with them, only some clothing... And he does have this habit of wandering round the streets at night when the pain prevents him from sleeping. Perhaps he was caught on some cctv footage near an incident? Or he was seen chatting to the wrong people? (He is a very friendly guy and likes to talk to people.) But the only way we will know any information is if my dad decides to tell us himself - the police won't say anything. And I am concerned about his reading difficulties - what if they get him to sign something? I understand your concerns, but the thing that stands out the most to me is the idea of them having him sign something. In the states, interrogations are video taped and only done in the presence of a lawyer, but if it's too different across the Atlantic, then I'd be worried too. However, it should be some manner of comfort to know that if they had it in mind to railroad him into a false confession, they'd have to have prior knowledge of his lack of reading comprehension. Also they'd have to do it without his legal council in the room with them. And they'd have to gamble that they could use a possible fear of authority to get him to sign anything, which alone is unlikely. However, because they took his cloths with them it probably means they're needing them to compare against an image or test for chemical/blood residue. It has all the hallmarks of a case of wrong-place-wrong-time so try not to worry too much until you can get more information. However...you might want to check your basement for secret doors and passages, just to be sure. |
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Post by MozMode on Mar 28, 2009 8:22:27 GMT -5
Oh wow that fucking sucks. I hope you find something out quick.
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Post by m52nickerson on Mar 28, 2009 9:17:36 GMT -5
Best of luck with that Cymraes, I hope it gets sorted out and your dad was mistakenly taken in.
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Post by dantesvirgil on Mar 28, 2009 11:11:15 GMT -5
wow. I'm sorry that is happening to you. My suggestion would be to start calling lawyers and get somebody in there who can advocate for him legally. If your dad isn't feeling well or is hurting, he may say/do things that aren't true to get back to normal, to you and to his meds. I'm not trying to scare you, but I really think you need to concentrate on getting him some representation.
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Post by Aqualung on Mar 28, 2009 11:29:29 GMT -5
Yikes. I have nothing to add except I hope you get things straightened out. Let us know what happens.
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Cymraes
Junior Member
Dim marciau ffordd!
Posts: 63
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Post by Cymraes on Mar 28, 2009 12:00:16 GMT -5
Many thanks for all your support.
My brother had a call to go and pick my dad up from the police station and he is now home - but he isn't talking about it at all.
All he will say is that he might have to go back for another interview some time next month, and that it might go to court.
On the one hand, there was no bail posted so it can't be too serious. On the other hand, why won't he tell us anything?
My mum now thinks that there might have been some sort of altercation between my dad and someone else - possibly when he was refereeing one of the local wheelchair basketball games, or during a basketball training session. Dad is very keen on encouraging younger disabled people to take part and someone's nose might have been put out of joint.
But I also wonder if he might have got into an arguement with, say, a shopkeeper or hotel or resturant manager over wheelchair access. He hates being talked down to, and is always standing up for disabled rights.
Then again, there has been trouble with a neighbour who keeps parking his car in such a way that neither dad nor anyone else can use the disabled parking space outside my parents' house. Apparently he resents it that it takes up some of the parking directly in front of his residence.
But this is all speculation. I still don't understand why he won't explain it to us. Is he embarrassed by something?
At least he is home, and (apparently) free for the moment... I'll keep you all posted if anything comes up. And thanks again for all your support in this.
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Post by perv on Mar 29, 2009 1:11:28 GMT -5
But this is all speculation. I still don't understand why he won't explain it to us. Is he embarrassed by something? I would guess either that or he doesn't want to worry you (despite the fact that not knowing actually worse). Not much you can do if he doesn't want to talk about it though. Perhaps he'll be ready to say more little later. It all sounds like a traumatic event though, hopefully that was the worst of it. |
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Post by Jack Bauer on Mar 30, 2009 6:37:48 GMT -5
You might benefit from taking a look at the Police And Criminal Evidence (PACE) Act of 1984 (see here). The police HAVE to follow PACE - if they don't they cannot get a conviction. Of particular interest will be PACE Code C, which deals with arrest and interrogation. A suspect has to be advised of their rights and be told why they are being arrested - and the arresting officer has to be sure that the arrested person has understood what he has been told. [The only exceptions are the special cases which can be made when a person is suspected of terrorist activity - I trust your father is not some sort of Plaid Cymru activist!] Hopefully the passage of time will bring clarity to this situation. |
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