National Alliance Against Tolls - Skye Toll Campaigner meets MSPs 29 March 2006

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Press Release - Skye Toll Campaigner meets MSPs 29 March 2006

The hated Skye bridge tolls were removed on the 21st December 2004. That was a relief to the islanders, but it left the issue of the criminal convictions of those who's only offence was to demonstrate against the tolls by saying that it was their intention not to pay.

The islanders did not wish to pay exorbitant tolls, but there was also a widespread view among the people and many politicians that the tolls were not legal because there was a lack of proper paperwork authorising them.

Under the law that was applied to the Skye bridge, saying you were refusing to pay the toll was a criminal offence.

The issue of the criminal convictions has never gone away, but there was renewed interest at the beginning of January when the former Dingwall procurator fiscal David Hingston revealed that though he had prosecuted the protestors he had never been shown proper documents to prove that the tolls were legal.

Andy Anderson, from Earlish near Portree, was one of the main campaigners. He is now to have a meeting with some of the MSPs on Wednesday 29th in a committee room of the Scottish Parliament. He has issued the following statement:-

"I had something like 100 criminal charges brought against me, and have 16 criminal convictions, have been held in police cells overnight on three occasions, and spent 11 days in prison, yet I have never committed any criminal act, nor have I been accused of any act which was inherently criminal.

My repeated offence was to refuse to pay a toll on the Skye bridge.
Now that may well have been a civil offence, and I could, and indeed should have had to face civil charges, where I would have had rights, and obligations, which I did not get in the criminal court.

I am told that this is all history now and we should "move on" because there is no longer a toll on the Skye bridge.

Well I am delighted that the Scottish government decided in December 2004 to abolish the toll on the Skye bridge, I am however left with criminal convictions.

Some MSPs have advised me that in view of the fact that the procurator fiscal who prosecuted me, has since thrown doubt on the central evidence against me; that I should take this through the courts again. However the lord advocate has written to at least one Scottish minister claiming that the late-procurator fiscal's comments will not affect the courts in any way.

It was a political decision made in the Westminster Parliament which made my conduct a "criminal" matter one. If the Scottish Parliament is responsible for Scottish law then I look to that parliament for justice."


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