Phillip
Hammond
Foreign
Secretary
Parliamentary House of Commons
London
SW1A
13th November 2014
Dear Mr Hammond
It is difficult to find out anything
from the Phnom Penh Municipal Court by telephone from Australia. All that I
have been able to discover, with a modicum of reliability, is that Mr Fletcher
is due to appear in court on 20th Nov. Whether this is for a hearing
or a trial the clerk of the court could not inform me. She did say, however,
that Mr Fletcher is expected to arrive in court with a lawyer and an
interpreter.
The only information Mr Fletcher has
received, via the authorities within the jail, is that he is due in court on 27th
Nov!
In his last court appearance the matter
could not be proceeded with because Mr Fletcher had no lawyer. The court told
Mr Fletcher that one would be appointed for him. It appears that the judges have
reversed their position and now expect Mr Fletcher to find his own lawyer. He
has no money to pay a lawyer – the last of his money having been spent on a
lawyer who did not even bother to read the documents in his possession.
It is impossible for Mr Fletcher, whilst
in prison, to prepare for a court case on 20th Nov. If, that is, it
is a court case and not a hearing that is to occur on that date! And it is not possible for me to assist him in
preparation for his court case whilst I am in Australia.
Does the British Embassy’s duty of care
for a citizen of the UK extend to calling the clerk in the court and clarifying
just what is to take place in the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on 20th
Nov? Is it a hearing or a trial? If it is a trial, how is Mr Fletcher able,
with no lawyer, to arrange for the calling of witnesses?
In the event that Mr Fletcher has no
choice but to defend himself in court on 20th (despite the judges
having told him he cannot do so in accordance with Cambodian law) I will try to
do what I can from Australia and have published the following ‘open letter’ in
the hope that two of they key accusers of Mr Fletcher will, if they are in possession
of it, present evidence to the court in support of the proposition that he was
‘grooming girls’.
If
the British Embassy in Cambodia has no intention of providing any form of
consular assistance at this time, please do let him and me know. And if the
Embassy is able to provide some assistance could you please ask Embassy staff in
Cambodia to let us know what form this assistance will take.
best
wishes
James
Ricketson
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