Katie Hopkins took to Twitter for legal advice. It didn’t end well.
Serial racist Katie Hopkins is at it again. By ‘it’, we mean making a complete and utter fool of herself.
This time, she decided to ask a legal professional a series of questions about ex-English Defence League (EDL) leader Tommy Robinson’s imprisonment.
But it didn’t end well for Hopkins, as she was owned by social media users.
‘Please send help, I can’t read!’
‘The Secret Barrister’ has written an excellent and detailed account of Robinson’s arrest and imprisonment. But this wasn’t enough for Hopkins. So she tweeted to them:
Dear @BarristerSecret please may I ask for:
– Precedent for contempt of court charge / hearing / sentencing within 5 hours – plus personal lawyer persuaded not to attend
– Precedent for sentencing at 12 plus 3 months just for contempt of court.Thank you #TommyRobinson
Read on...
— Katie Hopkins (@KTHopkins) May 31, 2018
But the Secret Barrister gave her short shrift:
No, I’m busy doing a proper and important job that contributes to society. Do your own homework. https://t.co/sYhXjkoOdo
— The Secret Barrister (@BarristerSecret) May 31, 2018
And as others pointed out:
Ever heard of google?
— Doc (@dokta01) May 31, 2018
Don’t worry, Katie, help is on hand!
Luckily for Hopkins, there were other barristers on Twitter to set her straight:
Here's one, I could find dozens upon dozens of contempt sentences between 12-24 months https://t.co/DPcsd4yDpJ
— CrimeLine (@CrimeLineLaw) May 31, 2018
Contempt is more often than not dealt with on the spot, as indicated by the Criminal Procedure Rules pic.twitter.com/RqeqbiWmH3
— CrimeLine (@CrimeLineLaw) May 31, 2018
Sometimes, you don’t even need a lawyer
But it wasn’t just legal professionals who were able to help her out:
Where do you have your information about his personal lawyer being persuaded not to attend? Do you mean his solicitor? Who has no audience rights in the Crown Court? He was represented by a privately paid barrister who was funded by one of his support groups.
— 𝖆𝖒𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖆 (@EndlessSandGirl) May 31, 2018
There won't be many precedents for pigheadedly defying a Court, having already been sentenced for the same offence. Not many that stupid …
— Geof Walker (@geof24) May 31, 2018
If at first you don’t succeed…
Not satisfied with the wealth of legal knowledge Twitter provided, Hopkins took to Twitter again:
How quaint that you are the one to highlight your importance. I accept and understand you do not have an answer to my question. And we all know why. #TommyRobinson https://t.co/fAnkzmaywu
— Katie Hopkins (@KTHopkins) May 31, 2018
And again, it didn’t go well:
He/she has the answer no don't just not they time to entertain your stupidity.
You probably wouldn't get it if someone drew you a picture.
Tiny Tommy broke the law and now he's in jail. Really is that simple.
— Boss (@Boss_Tweet5) May 31, 2018
Too little, too late
If Hopkins genuinely wanted the answers to these questions, she probably would have thought to find them out before appearing on Fox News. Not our Katie, though, as social media users were quick to highlight:
https://twitter.com/Muscledita/status/1002196588368924672
Before issuing the tweet, she did an interview in which she claimed “these are very dark times in the UK”. She further stated:
In order to cleanse voices it doesn’t like, it will put them inside for as long as it needs to to shut them up.
Although it may have helped if she had asked for legal advice before tweeting. Because the Secret Barrister did give her one piece of advice:
Although I will give you this advice for free: What you said on Fox News is in breach of the reporting restriction that was still in place at the time you gave your interview. You are potentially in contempt of court yourself. @attorneygeneral
Have a great evening.
— The Secret Barrister (@BarristerSecret) May 31, 2018
The Canary has left out the links to Hopkins’ Fox appearance for legal reasons.
Some basic facts
Just for the avoidance of any doubt, here are some important facts.
Yes, there were temporary restrictions on the reporting of Robinson’s imprisonment. But these were related to the trial he was jeopardising, not his own imprisonment. And as The Canary previously reported:
- Contempt of court laws exist to ensure defendants have a fair trial. As journalists, we respect this law as it means we do not prejudice the outcome of court cases.
- Robinson was arrested for breach of the peace but ended up being sentenced for contempt of court. This is common practice. The police often arrest for one offence but pursue another once they and the Crown Prosecution Service have looked at the evidence.
- Robinson pleaded guilty and was sentenced straight away. Again, this is common practice with a guilty plea, especially one that activates a suspended sentence.
- He received legal advice and was represented. Although they can apply for “audience rights“, most solicitors cannot represent defendants at Crown Court. This is done by barristers. There is no such thing as a “prosecution barrister” for a defendant.
Hopkins clearly doesn’t know what she’s talking about. But that hasn’t prevented her from spouting off on Fox News and furthering her career through ignorance. That said, however, there is something delicious about watching her get owned on Twitter.
Grab the popcorn.
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