Damian Green & his umbrella carrier met the press on the day that the Director of Public Prosecutions announced that no criminal charges would follow his much publicised arrest
He was not completely exonerated however: the DPP concluded that "there is evidence upon which a jury might conclude that Mr Green aided or abetted Mr Galley's conduct and, in particular, his breach of the public's trust. There is, additionally, evidence upon which a jury might conclude that there was an on-going relationship between Mr Galley and Mr Green, which Mr Green encouraged in the hope and expectation that Mr Galley would continue to supply restricted and/or confidential information to him.”
Not the sort of conduct one normally expects from a senior member of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition
The DPP also concluded that “there is evidence upon which a jury might conclude that there was damage. The integrity of the Home Office arrangements for handling restricted and/or confidential information was breached. That caused damage to the proper functioning of the Home Office, which was exacerbated by the prolonged period of the alleged leaks, the on-going relationship between Mr Galley and Mr Green and the sensitivity of the material to which Mr Galley had access.
"One of the principal concerns at the Home Office was that whoever was responsible for the leaks in question may have had access to Ministerial papers and that there was a potential risk that highly sensitive material relating to national security might be disclosed. This damage should not be underestimated"
However, the DPP went on to say that the damage done was not great enough to pass the stringent legal tests for the offence alleged: “The documents leaked undoubtedly touched on matters of legitimate public interest and Mr Green's purpose in using the documents was apparently to hold the government to account.”
The DPP says that it was not necessary for him to decide whether the search of Damian Green’s home or parliamentary offices was legal. He does however point out that “once the pattern of leaks was established in this case it was inevitable that a police investigation would follow” [my emphasis], & that without such “thorough investigation”, he would not have been “able to reach a conclusion on the particular facts of this case.”
Damian Green’s wife, Alicia Collinson, published a good humoured book some years ago called POLITICS FOR PARTNERS, which has now been updated to include a section on what to do when the police search your home. “The knowledge that police officers have gone through every room in the house and have taken photographs of everything, can leave you feeling as violated as if the house has been burgled.”
Yes indeed, & it is not only nice middle class people who feel this way. Perhaps a lesson more valuable than just 'It should not happen to an MP' has been learned
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