...I have little doubt that Quick departed the police force holding a grudge, and that the overall background to the case gives enough fuel and traction to throw much pressure back onto the police to provide a convenient diversionary story. (much like the current-running diversionary story on the return of the blue passport; you know, the one we could have had all along)
It may well yet come to blow up on the Government however.
There are a number of media outlets that have chosen not to run with it at headline level, and, if the (alternate) story based on their published "facts" are to be believed, then things look rather different.
I'm not sure I agree with all the sentiment in the Guardian summary here, but if the underlying "facts" and timeline are taken at face value, it tells a rather different story.
www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/dec/22/damian-green-case-former-police-officers-public-interest-brian-paddick
The document comprising the "leak" is of interest, as it doesn't appear to be an official police document at all, but an unused draft input to the Leveson Inquiry. Whilst Quick must circumstantially be the main suspect as the source, he denies it, and there appears to be no evidence that he is the culprit. His further involvement was post that revelation, in private, and to the official inquiry.
Lewis, subsequently put in his penn'orth after Green had publicly attacked by Quick. In the circumstances, and with the knowledge I had, I'm not sure I wouldn't have done the same.
I'm not sure if Quick is still continuing with his threatened action against Green for the "defamatory comments", but if he is, I would assess that he is confident that no-one will find evidence of any involvement in the initial leak, since this is probably the only weak point any defence could choose to pursue to justify the "defamatory comments". Be interesting to see...
I can't help but feel that "people in glass houses......". From reading of the history, Green's part in the original inquiry into leaks his department was receiving looks(to me) very grubby. I suspect Quick thought he would catch a big fish, but instead became tangled up in politics.
|