Below are two emails relating to Mohans upcoming trial. Clear all doubts: please take the time to read both. In addition, a recent picture of M is attached.
Email 1:
Subject: About your contact with Inform
> Date: Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:25:16 +0000
> From:
Inform@lse.ac.uk> To:
Inform@lse.ac.uk>
> Dear all,
>
> I apologise for disrupting you with this, perhaps unsettling, email.
>
> As you may know, Mohan Singh (aka Michael Lyons) is going to court on
> the 23rd of March on five counts of rape, and three counts of sexual
> assault. There are seven complainants and ten further witnesses, four of
> whom will testify to sexual offences and six to 'bad character'. They
> expect the case will last approximately six weeks.
>
> Inform has been deeply involved in this case on several levels, and has
> been working with the police extensively. However, as you know, all
> enquiries to Inform are confidential, hence I have only shared
> information with authorities once I have received permission from the
> enquirer to do so. Some have allowed us to pass on information, and have
> agreed to be put in touch with the police on the case. Some have not. I
> am sending this email to those of you who have requested that their
> details remain confidential.
>
> The prosecution (Crown Prosecution Service) and defence (Mohan's
> counsel) have both summonsed me to court for the disclosure of all files
> relating to Mohan Singh, including Inform's records of enquiries about
> Mohan Singh. The Crown Prosecution Service want access to the details of
> other 'claimants' (victims), while the defence want access to our
> confidential case files in an attempt to undermine the prosecution's
> case and to challenge their character witnesses.
>
> Some of you have provided significant amounts of information, some of
> you have provided very little - in either case I am fighting to keep all
> your information confidential. Inform has instructed a very good (and
> very expensive) legal team to protect the anonymity of those who did not
> want to take part in legal action. Our barrister has, in response to the
> summons served to me, sent a letter and application to the Judge to set
> aside or withdraw the summons - along with this he has sent a witness
> statement from me and an outline of the reasons for protecting our
> 'informants' and enquirers to Inform. This is going back to court next
> Thursday and Friday. Our barrister has now suggested that it would be
> helpful to have anonymous affidavits (statements) from those who do not
> want their details disclosed.
>
> The solicitor has written out a template affidavit, see attached. If you
> stand by your decision to not be involved in this case and wish to
> remain anonymous, then please reply to me stating this. I will then
> assign each of you a letter ('A', 'B', 'C', etc.) and present our
> barrister with a stack of anonymous affidavits representing each of you.
> I will give another witness statement, see attached, confirming that I
> have contacted you and that you still wish to remain anonymous. You have
> a right to this under the Human Rights Act, and there is legal
> precedent. (So this means that you do not have to sign anything, just
> tell me directly either by telephone or email - details below - what you
> want to do and I will represent in my witness statement a number of
> anonymous enquirers.)
>
> Naturally you also have the option to not get involved in any way and
> ignore this email. I will then state in my witness statement how many
> individuals have not replied (hence not given consent to disclose
> information). And, of course, if you change your mind and do want to be
> involved in this case, then please reply to me and we can talk about
> this. I can then either release your details with your permission,
> and/or put you directly in touch with the police officer in charge of
> the case.
>
> Again, I apologise for disrupting you with this email. Be assured that
> we are doing all we can to protect your anonymity, and please do not
> hesitate to contact me should you have further questions.
> Best wishes,
> Amanda
>
>Email 2:
Subject: About your contact with Inform
> Date: Wed, 4 Mar 2009 16:45:36 +0000
> From:
Inform@lse.ac.uk> To:
Inform@lse.ac.uk>
> Dear All,
>
> Just got back from court (it was moved forward by one day) and after our
> barrister put forward a very convincing argument we won, so neither
> prosecution nor defence will seek disclosure of our confidential files.
> This is a great relief, to us as well, because it is a very important
> matter of principle that we can allow people confidentiality - and that
> this is respected. Hence we did invest greatly in defending this case
> (it could have bankrupted us), and hopefully this will prove to be a
> precedent.
>
> The case will begin on the 23rd. They may still call me as a witness,
> but I will not be asked to comment on anything any enquirer may have
> told me. Again, no confidentialities will be breached. They envisage the
> case may last 4-6 weeks. Please feel free to email me and I will reply
> with updates.
>
> We have been in existence, and operating under the same ethical
> guidelines, for 20 years. Although we do not enjoy legal privilege
> (hardly anyone does aside from legal professionals) we are allowed to
> collect confidential material under the Data Protection Act. This is the
> first time we have been summonsed to court for disclosure - and it is a
> great relief, and hopefully a valuable legal precedent, that we have won
> this case.
>
> Should you have more questions, please feel free to get in touch.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Amanda
> Amanda van Eck, PhD
> Deputy Director
> Inform
> Houghton Street
> London WC2A 2AE
>
inform@lse.ac.uk> (+44) 20 7955 7654
> www.lse.ac.uk/collections/INFORM
>
>