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Anorak News | The celeb hunter: does CPS prosecutor Nazir Afzal target the famous?

The celeb hunter: does CPS prosecutor Nazir Afzal target the famous?

by | 18th, September 2013

Nazir Afzal (left) Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West and Detective Chief Superintendent Mary Doyle makes a statement outside Manchester Crown Court after Michael Brewer was sentenced to 6 years in prison and his ex-wife Hilary sentenced to 21 months. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday March 26, 2013. Photo credit should read: Martin Rickett/PA Wire

COMPARE and contrast the words of Nazir Afzal, chief crown prosecutor of the Crown Prosecution Service. When Coronation Street actor Michael Le Vell was cleared of child sex offences, his aunt, Pat Gallier, opined:

The police seem to be arresting celebrities and accusing them of child sex offences without seeming to check if there’s enough evidence. Michael’s been caught up in this witch-hunt.”

Afzal was aghast:

“I absolutely detest this word ‘witch-hunt’. It is not a witch-hunt… The vast majority of child sex abusers are not your public figures… and they cannot be allowed to get away with it because of some discourse about ‘This is some kind of campaign’ that is following what happened with (Jimmy) Savile or Cyril Smith or whoever it may be…”

Is he a celeb hunter?

“I don’t even know what a ‘celeb hunter’ is. Nobody should be above the law in this country.”

So what did he man when he said back in March 2013:

“This is a growing industry. More arrests are scheduled over the next few weeks. Some are very high profile figures. They are people whose names have come forward because of the high profile of child abuse in recent months. There are people you will be interested in.”

Bring your autograph book…



Posted: 18th, September 2013 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink