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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-GB link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>>Behalf Of </span></b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>Ian Batten<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'><a href="http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/hearing/2011-12-12am/">http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/hearing/2011-12-12am/</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText>The gist of Thomas' <a href="http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Transcript-of-Morning-Hearing-9-December-2011.pdf">evidence</a> to Leveson Inquiry was that it was all their <a href="http://www.no5.com/areas-of-expertise/crime/bernard-thorogood">external counsel’s</a> fault that the ICO investigated no journos. The barrister said the cases would have been too expensive for the ICO to pursue. The Inquiry's counsel was harshly incredulous that this judgement was within the competence of an external adviser – it must have been a response to instructions.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Thomas could not recall the meeting at which their former investigator says he was warned off pursuing journos, that there was no policy on whether or not to do so, and he hadn't seen the legal advice until unearthed last week by ICO. He said the reason ICO later definitely dropped any idea of prosecuting journos was because a sample prosecution of an private investigator was bungled by the CPS unbeknownst to them, and only got a suspended sentence. Leveson asked (amusingly) whether Thomas knew that in the ICO’s own Legal Note of the trial the judge asked why there weren't any journos in the dock. Thomas said he had not seen that at the time either, and also was only unearthed by the ICO last week.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Leveson welcome’s to Thomas at the beginning of his evidence commented on the “obvious care that you've taken in …(six) statements which form the basis of your account of these events”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Caspar<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'><br><br></span><o:p></o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div></div></body></html>