Paparazzi Insight

Last night walking across St James Park, the Carlton Steps and up Regent Street to Piccadilly I obtained an insight into the slime ball world of the paparazzi, those hungry photographers who feel anybody is fair game for the “money shots” which appear in newspapers the next day. Here was the coverage and the photos in today’s papers

“LILY Allen was the talk of the GQ 20th anniversary dinner last night at St Alban. She arrived in one outfit, changed before dinner got under way and by the end of the evening had slipped into a third costume. No wonder she laddered her tights in the process. As the Veuve Clicquot flowed, guests, who included Nancy Dell'Olio and David Walliams, were still digesting the results of the American election. Historian Andrew Roberts revealed he had been to five parties on election night cementing his reputation as London's most ubiquitous party goer.”

And here is the panting porno prose description from the restaurant’s web site;

“St Alban is the latest restaurant from Chris Corbin and Jeremy King, owners of The Wolseley and former proprietors of Le Caprice, The Ivy and J. Sheekey. The restaurant's comfortable, contemporary interior has been realised by Stiff & Trevillion in collaboration with Michael Craig-Martin, whose murals decorate the walls and windows and complement the artwork of Damien Hirst. His works are displayed throughout the restaurant and include the gloriously titled 'Jubilation'. The 22ft long painting is made up of hundreds of butterfly wings in a mandala-like pattern, and expands on the iconic motif of the butterfly as a symbol of beauty, love and fragility.”


St. Alban

Well that is the glamorous public image and what appears in the papers but from what I saw last night the reality of paparazzi London which results in these pictures in the papers is very different. Indeed it provoked sympathy for Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse, Naomi Campbell, Sienna Miller and others who are subject to continuous intrusion from that most parasitic of occupations the paparazzi. Indeed I would applaud Sienna Miller who has launched a legal battle against News International and photo agency Big Pictures at the High Court.


Amy Winehouse battling with Paparazzi outside her flat

Law firm Carter-Ruck has served a writ for breach of privacy against the News of the World, the Sun, and the Big Pictures agency relating to a series of articles about the star. It is believed that the writ relates to two articles that appeared in the Sun where Big Pictures contributed photos. The stories and pictures reported on Miller's holiday in Italy and also referred to her friendship with Balthazar Getty, heir to the Getty oil fortune. Miller is taking action over a further two articles that appeared in the News of The World.



In March 2009 year media specialists Carter-Ruck obtained a legal injunction to protect pop star Lily Allen from harassment by Big Pictures and rival agency Matrix Photos. Carter-Ruck also obtained an injunction "restraining further harassment" by other paparazzi photographers in a case which was presented to the high court by barrister David Sherborne, who also represented Winehouse.



Allen's move followed a collision outside her London home between her car and that of a photographer, after which cameramen continued to follow her. Photographers covered by the order have been ordered not to pursue or follow Allen by any means or approach her within 100 metres of her home. They are also forbidden from taking pictures of her at her home or at the homes of any members of her family or friends.


Paparazzi break Lily Allen's car window outside The Groucho Club, Soho

As I walked up the road I was nearly knocked over by a Vauxhall Astra reversing at speed off Regent Street into a side road by a young driver who turned out to be one of the Paps. When I berated him for his dangerous driving he was abusive, as obviously I was interfering with his right to run over pedestrians and park illegally on a corner whilst driving without a seatbelt in pursuit of the “money shot”. At the next corner where there is the entrance to St. Alban there was a scrum of 12 photographers already waiting. The Restaurant keeps its entrance clear with two rope barriers so the photographers blocked the pavement and pedestrians were forced onto the road.


Victoria and David Beckham leaving St Alban

As I crossed to the far side of the road a Mercedes with a driver and a passenger in the back drew up and there was roaring and shouting and an outburst of flashes. A small and rather beautiful young woman got out of the back – it was Lily Allen looking in the flesh somewhat lovelier than she does in photos wearing a beautiful ruffled light pink number. A scooter with a photographer and an “L” plate on it pulled up behind Lily Allen’s car and the guy jumped off leaving his scooter running in the middle of the road – he had obviously been following Lily from her home. The Pack of Paps crowded around her pushing each other out of the way and sticking lenses into her face and flashing away all the time while barking in braying unison “here Lily” “ Smile Lily” “This way Lily”. Lily performed, smiled and eventually they parted slightly as the bouncers led her on a zig zag route into St. Alban. No doubt if Lily had scowled, inadvertently showed some underwear or tripped that would have been the next morning’s “money shot” no doubt with a fabricated heading such as “Lily’s love agony” or “Lily shows the strain” or some such nonsense.



Looking back there were two car parked on double yellow lines on the corner with photographer’s boards on the dash – it occurred to me these were deliberately illegally parked on a corner so drop offs to St. Alban could only take place (also on a double yellow) in front of the Paps lenses. Public space is just that and belongs to us all and should not be stolen from us be it by the Paps or Tesco. Just one block away from St. Alban is the club “Tiger, Tiger” where currently there is a trial underway about two car bombs which were similarly illegally parked. So what are the Metropolitan Police and Westminster Council doing about the danger of public space being abused, telling us that if something else happens in the west End they’ll have good CCTV pictures to show us after the fact?



Singer Amy Winehouse fought back against paparazzi photographers keen to record every aspect of her troubled private life, winning a high court anti-harassment injunction and posting the ruling outside her new home in the London suburbs.
Winehouse, who has been a ubiquitous presence in the tabloids ever since her Mercury-nominated album Frank was released secured the injunction in May 2009 to prevent her being pursued by photographers after her move earlier this year from her central London home to a more sedate neighbourhood.


Paparazzi record the delivery of a sunbed to Amy Winehouse's home in March 2009. The anti-harassment ruling has now been posted outside the house in north London.

The order bans leading paparazzi agency Big Pictures from following Winehouse but also refers to any "persons unknown" seeking to photograph the musician outside her home and in other public places if they have pursued her.

A source close to Winehouse's management team said that the injunction was sought because press attention had made her life "unsafe".

"Every time she got in her car she was chased or was jostled, and it has become unsafe not just for her, but the people around her," the source said. "We don't have the problem with the press doing their job but it has been mayhem a couple of times and Amy had to do something."

So, good luck to Naomi Campbell,Amy Winehouse, Sienna Miller and others who are taking firm action against this appalling intrusion and harassment. As for Lily Allen I truly felt sorry for her having to endure this rubbish everywhere she goes and making a Faustian pact with the Shabby Pap Pack to keep smiling, grit her teeth and hope for the best in next mornings papers. So shame on the toothless and useless Press Complaints Commission and to the supine editors who buy and publish the shoddy goods of the Pap Pack 10 years after they hounded Princess Diana to her death.

Shame on;

Veronica Wadley, Evening Standard
Rebekah Wade, The Sun
Paul Dacre, Daily Mail
Richard Wallace, Daily Mirror
Lloyd Embley, People
Colin Myler, News of the World
Sarah Ivens, OK Magazine
Miranda Priestly, Hello Magazine
Melinda Shaw, Heat Magazine


Rebekah Wade, The Sun

Shame on them all in their plush offices and false respectability whilst financing the Pap Goon Squad and its tawdry trade. And shame on the Paps who have so little respect for themselves and those around them. But there again from what I saw, lack of self respect seems to be a qualification for being a Paparazzi in the first place!

Paparazzi Insight

Last night walking across St James Park, the Carlton Steps and up Regent Street to Piccadilly I obtained an insight into the slime ball world of the paparazzi, those hungry photographers who feel anybody is fair game for the “money shots” which appear in newspapers the next day. Here was the coverage and the photos in today’s papers

“LILY Allen was the talk of the GQ 20th anniversary dinner last night at St Alban. She arrived in one outfit, changed before dinner got under way and by the end of the evening had slipped into a third costume. No wonder she laddered her tights in the process. As the Veuve Clicquot flowed, guests, who included Nancy Dell'Olio and David Walliams, were still digesting the results of the American election. Historian Andrew Roberts revealed he had been to five parties on election night cementing his reputation as London's most ubiquitous party goer.”

And here is the panting porno prose description from the restaurant’s web site;

“St Alban is the latest restaurant from Chris Corbin and Jeremy King, owners of The Wolseley and former proprietors of Le Caprice, The Ivy and J. Sheekey. The restaurant's comfortable, contemporary interior has been realised by Stiff & Trevillion in collaboration with Michael Craig-Martin, whose murals decorate the walls and windows and complement the artwork of Damien Hirst. His works are displayed throughout the restaurant and include the gloriously titled 'Jubilation'. The 22ft long painting is made up of hundreds of butterfly wings in a mandala-like pattern, and expands on the iconic motif of the butterfly as a symbol of beauty, love and fragility.”


St. Alban

Well that is the glamorous public image and what appears in the papers but from what I saw last night the reality of paparazzi London which results in these pictures in the papers is very different. Indeed it provoked sympathy for Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse, Naomi Campbell, Sienna Miller and others who are subject to continuous intrusion from that most parasitic of occupations the paparazzi. Indeed I would applaud Sienna Miller who has launched a legal battle against News International and photo agency Big Pictures at the High Court.


Amy Winehouse battling with Paparazzi outside her flat

Law firm Carter-Ruck has served a writ for breach of privacy against the News of the World, the Sun, and the Big Pictures agency relating to a series of articles about the star. It is believed that the writ relates to two articles that appeared in the Sun where Big Pictures contributed photos. The stories and pictures reported on Miller's holiday in Italy and also referred to her friendship with Balthazar Getty, heir to the Getty oil fortune. Miller is taking action over a further two articles that appeared in the News of The World.



In March 2009 year media specialists Carter-Ruck obtained a legal injunction to protect pop star Lily Allen from harassment by Big Pictures and rival agency Matrix Photos. Carter-Ruck also obtained an injunction "restraining further harassment" by other paparazzi photographers in a case which was presented to the high court by barrister David Sherborne, who also represented Winehouse.



Allen's move followed a collision outside her London home between her car and that of a photographer, after which cameramen continued to follow her. Photographers covered by the order have been ordered not to pursue or follow Allen by any means or approach her within 100 metres of her home. They are also forbidden from taking pictures of her at her home or at the homes of any members of her family or friends.


Paparazzi break Lily Allen's car window outside The Groucho Club, Soho

As I walked up the road I was nearly knocked over by a Vauxhall Astra reversing at speed off Regent Street into a side road by a young driver who turned out to be one of the Paps. When I berated him for his dangerous driving he was abusive, as obviously I was interfering with his right to run over pedestrians and park illegally on a corner whilst driving without a seatbelt in pursuit of the “money shot”. At the next corner where there is the entrance to St. Alban there was a scrum of 12 photographers already waiting. The Restaurant keeps its entrance clear with two rope barriers so the photographers blocked the pavement and pedestrians were forced onto the road.


Victoria and David Beckham leaving St Alban

As I crossed to the far side of the road a Mercedes with a driver and a passenger in the back drew up and there was roaring and shouting and an outburst of flashes. A small and rather beautiful young woman got out of the back – it was Lily Allen looking in the flesh somewhat lovelier than she does in photos wearing a beautiful ruffled light pink number. A scooter with a photographer and an “L” plate on it pulled up behind Lily Allen’s car and the guy jumped off leaving his scooter running in the middle of the road – he had obviously been following Lily from her home. The Pack of Paps crowded around her pushing each other out of the way and sticking lenses into her face and flashing away all the time while barking in braying unison “here Lily” “ Smile Lily” “This way Lily”. Lily performed, smiled and eventually they parted slightly as the bouncers led her on a zig zag route into St. Alban. No doubt if Lily had scowled, inadvertently showed some underwear or tripped that would have been the next morning’s “money shot” no doubt with a fabricated heading such as “Lily’s love agony” or “Lily shows the strain” or some such nonsense.



Looking back there were two car parked on double yellow lines on the corner with photographer’s boards on the dash – it occurred to me these were deliberately illegally parked on a corner so drop offs to St. Alban could only take place (also on a double yellow) in front of the Paps lenses. Public space is just that and belongs to us all and should not be stolen from us be it by the Paps or Tesco. Just one block away from St. Alban is the club “Tiger, Tiger” where currently there is a trial underway about two car bombs which were similarly illegally parked. So what are the Metropolitan Police and Westminster Council doing about the danger of public space being abused, telling us that if something else happens in the west End they’ll have good CCTV pictures to show us after the fact?



Singer Amy Winehouse fought back against paparazzi photographers keen to record every aspect of her troubled private life, winning a high court anti-harassment injunction and posting the ruling outside her new home in the London suburbs.
Winehouse, who has been a ubiquitous presence in the tabloids ever since her Mercury-nominated album Frank was released secured the injunction in May 2009 to prevent her being pursued by photographers after her move earlier this year from her central London home to a more sedate neighbourhood.


Paparazzi record the delivery of a sunbed to Amy Winehouse's home in March 2009. The anti-harassment ruling has now been posted outside the house in north London.

The order bans leading paparazzi agency Big Pictures from following Winehouse but also refers to any "persons unknown" seeking to photograph the musician outside her home and in other public places if they have pursued her.

A source close to Winehouse's management team said that the injunction was sought because press attention had made her life "unsafe".

"Every time she got in her car she was chased or was jostled, and it has become unsafe not just for her, but the people around her," the source said. "We don't have the problem with the press doing their job but it has been mayhem a couple of times and Amy had to do something."

So, good luck to Naomi Campbell,Amy Winehouse, Sienna Miller and others who are taking firm action against this appalling intrusion and harassment. As for Lily Allen I truly felt sorry for her having to endure this rubbish everywhere she goes and making a Faustian pact with the Shabby Pap Pack to keep smiling, grit her teeth and hope for the best in next mornings papers. So shame on the toothless and useless Press Complaints Commission and to the supine editors who buy and publish the shoddy goods of the Pap Pack 10 years after they hounded Princess Diana to her death.

Shame on;

Veronica Wadley, Evening Standard
Rebekah Wade, The Sun
Paul Dacre, Daily Mail
Richard Wallace, Daily Mirror
Lloyd Embley, People
Colin Myler, News of the World
Sarah Ivens, OK Magazine
Miranda Priestly, Hello Magazine
Melinda Shaw, Heat Magazine


Rebekah Wade, The Sun

Shame on them all in their plush offices and false respectability whilst financing the Pap Goon Squad and its tawdry trade. And shame on the Paps who have so little respect for themselves and those around them. But there again from what I saw, lack of self respect seems to be a qualification for being a Paparazzi in the first place!

Save the St. Reatham One!

The St. Reatham One - 29 May 2008

The Celtic Sage has long cast a cold eye on the abusive behaviour of British Airways (BA) and the so called British Airports Authority (BAA) to the cattle (their expression is “self loading cargo”) who have to use their quasi monopolies which have been protected from full competition by cartel behaviour of various sorts. BAA is actually a front for a Spanish brick company called Ferrovial who overpaid with nearly £1 Bn of borrowed money for what it thought was a Cash Cow to find out it neither had the management skills or resources to husband it properly and this Cow would leave messy cow pats everywhere, particularly at the inept opening of Terminal 5 where the feisty Streatham One was caught up in the opening chaos. (http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/03/up-up-and-away-with-baa.html )
BAA has a dominant monopoly on airport capacity in the south of England and British Airways has a dominant position on slots from Heathrow which allows it to charge 30% more for an equivalent Business Class flight to New York than is available from Paris or Amsterdam. Yup, neither BA nor BAA need lessons in how to abuse customers or screw excess profits out of their cartels.

So the Celtic Sage is totally unsurprised at the behaviour of the Plods as the day after BAA reported its first quarterly loss and on the day British Airways announced increased fuel surcharges and that the rest of its flights won’t move to Terminal Five until October (thereby blocking its competitors from moving into Terminal 4) Supermodel Naomi Campbell was today charged with five offences over an alleged air rage incident at Heathrow. The charges, which include three offences of assaulting police, follow an incident last month when she was removed from a flight for Los Angeles after an alleged row over lost luggage.
(http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/04/up-up-and-away-with-baa-no-2.html )

In fact British Airways and BAA were so bad that they have succeeded in generating sympathy for Naomi “Anger Management” Campbell who was led off one of their planes by Police called by BA staff after she paid £6,000 for a First Class fare to Los Angeles and BA lost one of her bags which contained an outfit for a memorial service she was attending.

The alleged incident occurred on a BA flight which was due to leave for Los Angeles from Terminal 5 on 3 April. Ms Campbell will appear at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court on 20 June, the Crown Prosecution Service said. Her lawyer, Simon Nicholls said she was "bitterly disappointed" to learn she will be prosecuted. He told reporters: "She respects that decision and she hopes this matter is dealt with expeditiously."

The British Airways "First Experience" 3 April 2008

The CPS said Ms Campbell has been charged with three counts of assaulting a constable, which carries a maximum sentence of six months in prison and a fine of up to £5,000. She also faces one count of disorderly conduct likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress, which is punishable by a fine of up to £2,500, and two counts of using threatening, abusive words or behaviour towards cabin crew, which comes with a maximum penalty of £1,000.

Moments later, the Crown Prosecution Service formally announced the charges in a statement, saying: "The CPS has authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge Naomi Campbell with five offences in relation to incidents that occurred on a stationary aircraft and within Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport, London, on 3 April 2008. "Ms Campbell has today been charged with three offences of assaulting a constable, one offence of disorderly conduct likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress and one offence of using threatening, abusive words or behaviour to cabin crew. "These are summary offences which can only be tried at a magistrates' court."

The alleged incident occurred after the supermodel was told by staff in the first-class cabin that one her bags had been lost. They told her that she would have to leave the flight, causing Campbell to allegedly respond with an angry tirade which led to police being called. Reports claimed she had yelled "a***holes. You are all a***holes" at police and described BA staff as "bloody fools" as she allegedly lashed out verbally and physically. Female staff reportedly collapsed in tears as the incident escalated. After armed officers arrived, she was eventually taken off the plane in handcuffs. Although there has been no official confirmation, BA is understood to have imposed a lifetime ban on Campbell.

Well there are two issues hear where you may feel we should be supporting the Streatham One as an unlikely martyr figure for passenger rights and protection of passengers from an expensive publicly funded Constabulary (You know the one you don’t see on the streets, who don’t respond to burglaries, who replaced Police Stations with call centres, etc;) which has abandoned its statutory independence to become attack dogs for an abusive Transport Industry.

1. Why did the Police (armed officers no less) feel they had to become involved in a civil dispute between a customer who paid £6,000 for a service and an inept airline which failed abysmally to deliver the promised service to Naomi Campbell. Now Naomi is feisty and the Celtic Sage is aware of her reputation with Irish lads (take a bow Adam Clayton from U2!) but did she really put burly armed Constables in flak jackets waving handcuffs and pepper sprays in fear? And exactly who was being harassed having paid a premium rate to get to Los Angeles for a memorial service (Note; generally, people are only buried / cremated once) to be told by the airline that SHE would have to leave the plane because THEY had lost a bag (Indeed they lost thousands of bags) SHE had entrusted to THEM for safe keeping!

We wuz scared, Your Honour!

Why do the Police feel able to use draconian security legislation applying to airports to intimidate passengers who simply want to go from A to B?

2. Why are ALL airline customers at such a disadvantage when airlines use unfair contract terms to ignore the clear contract to get them and their luggage from A to B. Here is what BA’s website promises all who pay through the nose for their “First Experience.”

• Effortless travel
• A queue-less, personalised and stress free environment to check in your baggage
• Choice and control
• “Your secluded “demi-cabin” guarantees space and privacy
• Continue relaxing within our arrivals lounge
• Our specially trained First crew will provide you with a discreet yet attentive service, ensuring that all your personal needs are taken care of.

Well you couldn’t make it up could you; you don’t need to be a Naomi Campbell to feel harassed at the gap between the marketing guff and the reality. Perhaps the St. Reatham One should consider suing British Airways for what the law terms “unjust enrichment” by promising a service it clearly was in no position to deliver. Just as she won a legal precedent against the media over privacy maybe she can now establish another legal precedent;that merely by buying an airline ticket and entering an airport we do not agree to abandon our Civil Rights and our Consumer Rights. It is worth noting that since Naomi was harassed and abused on the 3rd April 2008 the MD of Heathrow Airport and the two British Airways Directors most closely involved in the T5 Fiasco have been sacked and BA have confirmed tha 19,000 bags have been lost permanently. Strangely, the only person arrested as a result of the fiasco has neen Naomi Campbell. Surely it can't be a case of the PLODs and the Crown Prosecution Service translating the "Public Interest" into desperately seeking publicity? This is much of what passes for Policing and the Justice System in the UK today; High Visibility; Zero Substance.

And as for the Court appearance I look forward to the evidence of a lardy armed copper in flak jacket “Well your honour, I looked at this tall, unarmed, Jamaican IC3 with a loud voice, funny accent, threatening big hair and larger than average lips and I immediately felt apprehensive for my safety. I have been off sick with diagnosed Post Naomi Stress Syndrome (PNSS) ever since and have taken to beating my wife more than normal and messing up my overtime claim.” Hopefully Lenny Henry will be in court gathering material for his next sketch! It's an opportunity too good to miss Lenny!

All together now, FREE THE ST. REATHAM ONE!!

Save the St. Reatham One!

The St. Reatham One - 29 May 2008

The Celtic Sage has long cast a cold eye on the abusive behaviour of British Airways (BA) and the so called British Airports Authority (BAA) to the cattle (their expression is “self loading cargo”) who have to use their quasi monopolies which have been protected from full competition by cartel behaviour of various sorts. BAA is actually a front for a Spanish brick company called Ferrovial who overpaid with nearly £1 Bn of borrowed money for what it thought was a Cash Cow to find out it neither had the management skills or resources to husband it properly and this Cow would leave messy cow pats everywhere, particularly at the inept opening of Terminal 5 where the feisty Streatham One was caught up in the opening chaos. (http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/03/up-up-and-away-with-baa.html )
BAA has a dominant monopoly on airport capacity in the south of England and British Airways has a dominant position on slots from Heathrow which allows it to charge 30% more for an equivalent Business Class flight to New York than is available from Paris or Amsterdam. Yup, neither BA nor BAA need lessons in how to abuse customers or screw excess profits out of their cartels.

So the Celtic Sage is totally unsurprised at the behaviour of the Plods as the day after BAA reported its first quarterly loss and on the day British Airways announced increased fuel surcharges and that the rest of its flights won’t move to Terminal Five until October (thereby blocking its competitors from moving into Terminal 4) Supermodel Naomi Campbell was today charged with five offences over an alleged air rage incident at Heathrow. The charges, which include three offences of assaulting police, follow an incident last month when she was removed from a flight for Los Angeles after an alleged row over lost luggage.
(http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/04/up-up-and-away-with-baa-no-2.html )

In fact British Airways and BAA were so bad that they have succeeded in generating sympathy for Naomi “Anger Management” Campbell who was led off one of their planes by Police called by BA staff after she paid £6,000 for a First Class fare to Los Angeles and BA lost one of her bags which contained an outfit for a memorial service she was attending.

The alleged incident occurred on a BA flight which was due to leave for Los Angeles from Terminal 5 on 3 April. Ms Campbell will appear at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court on 20 June, the Crown Prosecution Service said. Her lawyer, Simon Nicholls said she was "bitterly disappointed" to learn she will be prosecuted. He told reporters: "She respects that decision and she hopes this matter is dealt with expeditiously."

The British Airways "First Experience" 3 April 2008

The CPS said Ms Campbell has been charged with three counts of assaulting a constable, which carries a maximum sentence of six months in prison and a fine of up to £5,000. She also faces one count of disorderly conduct likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress, which is punishable by a fine of up to £2,500, and two counts of using threatening, abusive words or behaviour towards cabin crew, which comes with a maximum penalty of £1,000.

Moments later, the Crown Prosecution Service formally announced the charges in a statement, saying: "The CPS has authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge Naomi Campbell with five offences in relation to incidents that occurred on a stationary aircraft and within Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport, London, on 3 April 2008. "Ms Campbell has today been charged with three offences of assaulting a constable, one offence of disorderly conduct likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress and one offence of using threatening, abusive words or behaviour to cabin crew. "These are summary offences which can only be tried at a magistrates' court."

The alleged incident occurred after the supermodel was told by staff in the first-class cabin that one her bags had been lost. They told her that she would have to leave the flight, causing Campbell to allegedly respond with an angry tirade which led to police being called. Reports claimed she had yelled "a***holes. You are all a***holes" at police and described BA staff as "bloody fools" as she allegedly lashed out verbally and physically. Female staff reportedly collapsed in tears as the incident escalated. After armed officers arrived, she was eventually taken off the plane in handcuffs. Although there has been no official confirmation, BA is understood to have imposed a lifetime ban on Campbell.

Well there are two issues hear where you may feel we should be supporting the Streatham One as an unlikely martyr figure for passenger rights and protection of passengers from an expensive publicly funded Constabulary (You know the one you don’t see on the streets, who don’t respond to burglaries, who replaced Police Stations with call centres, etc;) which has abandoned its statutory independence to become attack dogs for an abusive Transport Industry.

1. Why did the Police (armed officers no less) feel they had to become involved in a civil dispute between a customer who paid £6,000 for a service and an inept airline which failed abysmally to deliver the promised service to Naomi Campbell. Now Naomi is feisty and the Celtic Sage is aware of her reputation with Irish lads (take a bow Adam Clayton from U2!) but did she really put burly armed Constables in flak jackets waving handcuffs and pepper sprays in fear? And exactly who was being harassed having paid a premium rate to get to Los Angeles for a memorial service (Note; generally, people are only buried / cremated once) to be told by the airline that SHE would have to leave the plane because THEY had lost a bag (Indeed they lost thousands of bags) SHE had entrusted to THEM for safe keeping!

We wuz scared, Your Honour!

Why do the Police feel able to use draconian security legislation applying to airports to intimidate passengers who simply want to go from A to B?

2. Why are ALL airline customers at such a disadvantage when airlines use unfair contract terms to ignore the clear contract to get them and their luggage from A to B. Here is what BA’s website promises all who pay through the nose for their “First Experience.”

• Effortless travel
• A queue-less, personalised and stress free environment to check in your baggage
• Choice and control
• “Your secluded “demi-cabin” guarantees space and privacy
• Continue relaxing within our arrivals lounge
• Our specially trained First crew will provide you with a discreet yet attentive service, ensuring that all your personal needs are taken care of.

Well you couldn’t make it up could you; you don’t need to be a Naomi Campbell to feel harassed at the gap between the marketing guff and the reality. Perhaps the St. Reatham One should consider suing British Airways for what the law terms “unjust enrichment” by promising a service it clearly was in no position to deliver. Just as she won a legal precedent against the media over privacy maybe she can now establish another legal precedent;that merely by buying an airline ticket and entering an airport we do not agree to abandon our Civil Rights and our Consumer Rights. It is worth noting that since Naomi was harassed and abused on the 3rd April 2008 the MD of Heathrow Airport and the two British Airways Directors most closely involved in the T5 Fiasco have been sacked and BA have confirmed tha 19,000 bags have been lost permanently. Strangely, the only person arrested as a result of the fiasco has neen Naomi Campbell. Surely it can't be a case of the PLODs and the Crown Prosecution Service translating the "Public Interest" into desperately seeking publicity? This is much of what passes for Policing and the Justice System in the UK today; High Visibility; Zero Substance.

And as for the Court appearance I look forward to the evidence of a lardy armed copper in flak jacket “Well your honour, I looked at this tall, unarmed, Jamaican IC3 with a loud voice, funny accent, threatening big hair and larger than average lips and I immediately felt apprehensive for my safety. I have been off sick with diagnosed Post Naomi Stress Syndrome (PNSS) ever since and have taken to beating my wife more than normal and messing up my overtime claim.” Hopefully Lenny Henry will be in court gathering material for his next sketch! It's an opportunity too good to miss Lenny!

All together now, FREE THE ST. REATHAM ONE!!