retention of fingerprints - and public release of information implying guilt.

[Brian L Johnson]

Mary Hawking <maryhawking@tigers.demon.co.uk> wrote:

> I heard on Radio 4 that one of Barak Obama's half-brothers had been  
> refused admission to the UK - and that he had been finger-printed and  
> questioned over an alleged attempted sexual assault some years ago.
>
> How long are finger-prints retained when it would appear that there was  
> some doubt in police minds as to whether an offence had been committed  
> in the first place, and is there any control over the public leaking of  
> this type of information in a manner that implies guilt like this? After  
> all, he could have been finger-printed to show that the suspicious  
> prints were *not* his!
>
> Come to that, and quite apart from the leakage of information, is being  
> finger-printed when no charge is ever brought or even a crime recorded  
> now a reason to bar someone from entering the country, even on a  
> temporary basis?
>
> Of course, that might have been associated with one of the documents  
> being "forged" - so why bring in the finger-prints?
>
> What is the legal position?

Apparently, it was last November that he'd had his fingerprints taken.

See  the 'world exclusive' story at http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/260464/Barrack-Obama-brother-Samson-Obama-refused-entry-to-UK-over-allegations-of-attempted-sex-attack-on-young-girl.html

or shortened as http://is.gd/rXgt

-- 
-blj-