FOI Request to Thames Valley Police re the start and end times of Operation Mason

In this post I record a Freedom of Information Request made to Thames Valley Police on 22nd May 2011.

If, as some hypothesise, the start time of Operation Mason was 14.30 on 17th July 2003 then Thames Valley Police has some serious explaining to do.

If the start time was, say, 23.40 on 17th July 2003 the interpretation of the nature of Operation Mason would be significantly different.

The text of the FOI request is as follows:

This is a Freedom of Information request.

1. On what date and at what time did Operation Mason start?

2. On what date and at what time did Operation Mason end?

Thank you

(Dr) Andrew Watt

FOI Internal Review Request to Thames Valley Police re Documents recovered from David Kelly's home

In this post I record a Freedom of Information Internal Review Request sent to Thames Valley Police earlier today.

The FOI Request to which the request for internal review relates is here: FOI Refusal by Thames Valley Police re Documents recovered from David Kelly's home .

The text of the Internal Review Request follows:

Mr. Hopgood,

I write to request an internal review of your initial decision.

I do not accept that my request was "vexatious".

My request asks for information that, so far as I'm aware, neither myself nor anybody else has previously requested.

Additionally, you seem to have failed appropriately to have taken into account the time span since any previous FOI requests by myself which have been answered. In doing that it appears to me that your decision is wrong in terms of the Act.

Further, the seeming declaration in the email of 1st April 2011 and previous correspondence that any question from me about the "subject" of Dr. David Kelly's death is "vexatious" seems to me to be a transparent attempt at obstructing the purpose of the Freedom of Information Act by yourself and Thames Valley Police.

To the best of my understanding there is no power given in the Act to declare a "subject" off limits. It seems to me that this is what you are seeking to do.

Additionally, as I have expressed in previous correspondence, I consider that some members of staff in Thames Valley Police in 2003 and in 2010-11 may have "perverted the course of justice" with respect to the concealment of what I believe to be the murder of Dr. David Kelly. I view your obstructiveness with respect to Freedom of Information requests in that context.

You are, I believe, aware that I have formally written to the Chief Officers of Thames Valley Police regarding the matter of the perceived perverting the course of justice both in 2003 and 2010-11.

In that context I believe that I have a "proper or justified cause" as expressed on page 2 of the ICO guidance to which you refer. ( http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/library/freedom_of_information/detailed_specialist_guides/awareness_guidance_22_vexatious_and_repeated_requests_final.pdf )

Since, in my opinion, the evidence indicates that Thames Valley Police is engaging in the process of perverting the course of justice in relation to a murder, it seems to me that a powerful case can be made on appeal to the Information Commissioner that I have a "proper or justified cause".

In the interests of transparency and public accountability, I anticipate that the text of this email will be posted on my "Chilcot's Cheating Us" blog: http://chilcotscheatingus.blogspot.com/ or my "Come Clean on Kelly" blog, http://comecleanonkelly.blogspot.com/ .

I look forward to your reply.

Thank you

(Dr) Andrew Watt

FOI Refusal by Thames Valley Police re Documents recovered from David Kelly's home

In thiis post I record a Freedom of Information Refusal by Thames Valley Police, sent by them on 12th May 2011.

Dear Dr Watt

Reference No: RFI2011000327

I write in connection to your request for information dated 23rd April 2011 which for clarity I repeat below.

1. How many documents were removed from David Kelly's home on 18th July 2003?

2. Was the search authorised? If so, by whom?

3. How many documents were removed from David Kelly's home on 19th July 2003?

4. Of the documents removed on 18th July 2003 how many were classified?

5. Of the documents removed on 19th July 2003 how many were classified?

6. Did the inventory of documents removed include a restricted document which referred to a possible honour for David Kelly?

7. Did any public sector organisation (other than Thames Valley Police) have staff present at the Kelly home during the searches referred to above? If so, which organisation(s) had staff present?

For the reasons given in our e-mail of 1 April in respect of a previous request made by you, we regard your request for information as vexatious and by virtue of section 14(1) of the Act we are therefore not obliged to comply with it.

This letter represents a refusal notice under section 17 of the Act.

I have attached our Complaints Procedure to this email as the first stage of appealing this decision is by writing to me and requesting an Internal Review, detailing why you believe our decision is not in accordance with the FOIA.

FOI Request to Thames Valley Police - The "secret helicopter landing" etc on 18th July 2003

The following Freedom of Information Request was sent to Thames Valley Police earlier today:

This is a Freedom of Information request.

The following questions relate to the Thames Valley Police helicopter G-CHSU which landed at or near Harrowdown Hill at 10.55 on 18th July 2003.

1. Was any article or articles transferred from the helicopter to those on the ground? If so, what was the nature of the article(s)?

2. Was any article or articles transferred to the helicopter from those on the ground? If so, what was the nature of the article(s)?

3. Did any person disembark from the helicopter when it was on the ground?

4. Did any person leave the scene in the helicopter, other than those who had arrived by that same helicopter?

5. After it took off at approximately 11.00 did the helicopter fly to the area of Thames Valley Police headquarters at Kidlington?

6. Did the helicopter pass any article(s) to personnel on the ground in the area of Thames Valley Police headquarters or the nearby airfield? If so, what was the nature of those articles?

7. Did anyone disembark from the helicopter in the area of Thames Valley Police headquarters or at the nearby airfield?

8. On 18th July 2003 did anyone who was not a member of Thames Valley Police view photographs or other visual images of the body of Dr. David Kelly?

9. Was Assistant Chief Constable Michael Page present when images were shown to a party (or parties) other than members of Thames Valley Police?

10. Was Chief Constable Peter Neyroud present when images were shown to a party (or parties) other than members of Thames Valley Police?

11. Was information from such an "unofficial identification" passed on 18th July 2003 to parties outside Thames Valley Police?

12. Was information derived from a viewing (or viewings) of scene photographs or other images passed to any UK politician or anyone acting on behalf of such a politician?

In the interests of transparency I am copying this email to Dr. Malcolm Warner.

Thank you

(Dr) Andrew Watt

FOI Request to the Ministry of Justice re communication relating to Section 17A of the Coroners Act 1988

This post records a Freedom of Information request sent earlier today to the Ministry of Justice.

This is a Freedom of Information request.

On 4th August 2003 a letter was sent on behalf of Lord Falconer, as Lord Chancellor, informing the Oxfordshire Coroner that Section 17A of the Coroners Act 1988 was in effect with respect to the death of Dr. David Kelly.

1. Did Lord Falconer inform Lord Hutton that Section 17A of the Coroners Act 1988 had been invoked with respect to the death of Dr. David Kelly?

2. If the answer to question 1. is in the affirmative, on what date did Lord Falconer write to Lord Hutton or otherwise inform him that Section 17A applied?

3. I ask for a copy of the letter(s) referred to in Question 2.

4. Did Lord Falconer communicate to Lord Hutton the implications in Law of the invoking of Section 17A of the Coroners Act 1988?

Thank you

(Dr) Andrew Watt

FOI Response from Thames Valley Police re fingerprints on David Kelly's dental records

There is an article in today's Daily Mail by Miles Goslett. See Dr Kelly police probe thrown into doubt over riddle of prints on 'missing' dental records.

Below I post the Freedom of Information request and response which gave rise to the concerns:

Reference No: RFI2011000301


I write in connection with your request for information dated 18th April 2011 which I have repeated below with our response to each point.

1. Were Dr David Kelly's dental records ever reported to Thames Valley Police as being missing and, if so, on what date?

Our records show that at 22.21hrs on Sunday 20th July 2003 the dental surgery reported that they had been unable to locate the notes on Friday (18/07/03) but that they were present that day (Sunday). The notes were therefore in the possession of the dentist before the Police were made aware.

2. On what date was it officially established by Thames Valley Police that Dr. David Kelly's dental records had been found?

As above

3. Were the folder containing Dr Kelly's records, and the records themselves, ever checked by Thames Valley Police (or, to your knowledge, any other organisation) for fingerprints and/or DNA?

The dental records of Dr Kelly were examined for fingerprints as were the covers for the records either side of his. DNA was an inappropriate method for this type of item.

4. If so, on what date did this happen, and were any fingerprints and/or DNA found on the folder or on the records?

This is a staged process spanning from 15th – 18th August 2003. A total of 15 marks were revealed for photography. Two marks were revealed on the outside cover of an adjacent set of patient records, neither of these marks was of a usable quality. No marks were revealed on the adjacent cover. The remaining thirteen marks all came from Dr Kelly’s record’s folder and contents. Five of these were unusable and two were eliminated to a member of staff.

The remaining six marks were of sufficient quality to be checked against elimination prints. These were all negative. None of the six marks were of sufficient quality to be permanently loaded on to the national database. All six marks were filed.

5. Was it possible positively to identify any of the fingerprints or DNA?

As above

6. If so, whose fingerprints or DNA was found?

As above

Please contact me quoting the above reference number if you would like to discuss this matter further.

The Freedom of Information request was made by another party, not by me.

FOI Request to Thames Valley Police re start and end times of Operation Mason

I sent the following Freedom of Information request to Thames Valley Police earlier today:

This is a Freedom of Information request.

1. On what date and at what time did Operation Mason start?

2. On what date and at what time did Operation Mason end?

Thank you

(Dr) Andrew Watt