CPS chief: ‘We tried as hard as we could to prosecute Palestine car convoy suspects’
Nick Price, head of the CPS special crime and counter terrorism division, has spoken frankly to the Board of Deputies on the failure to prosecute anyone for Finchley Road car convoy
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
A senior Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) official has given a detailed explanation of the decision not to prosecute any member of the Palestine car convoy for hate crimes that terrorised the community on the Finchley Road.
Nick Price, head of the CPS special crime and counter terrorism division, was guest speaker at the Board of Deputies monthly meeting on Sunday, where he openly addressed claims the community had been “let down” by the decision to drop charges against four men.
In May 2021 group of men drove 200 miles from Bradford to taunt the community from within a convoy of cars yelling ‘F*** the Jews… F*** all of them. F*** their mothers, f*** their daughters.’
But in November charges against two men, who had denied involvement in the taunts were dropped. This followed an earlier decision to drop charges against two other men, who were thought to have been involved in the convoy.
Price told Deputies:”I would have loved to have prosecuted that case.
“Unfortunately we could not positively identify the people in the cars.
“We couldn’t prove to the criminal standard that the people in the cars are the people that were issuing antisemitic comments.
“That was a pretty fundamental evidential issue and we couldn’t get beyond that.
“In the end what we can’t do is create evidence. We can only work with the evidence that we get.”
Responding to Reform Judaism deputy Andrew Gilbert’s suggestion the failure to prosecute males meant the community had been “let down” by the justice system, Price said:”Neither the CPS nor the police can create evidence.
“We can gather it, we can present it to a court and we can get convictions.
“But if the evidence isn’t there, and in that case Andrew, it wasn’t there, then it doesn’t meet our test and can’t get the case.”
The counter-terrorism expert added”We tried as hard as we could on that case.
“If I’m honest, we probably tried too hard. Which is why I think that the community was very disappointed that having begun a prosecution, we ended it.”
Price said he could not comment on claims made by Board president Marie van der Zyl that the Metropolitan Police had themselves failed to gather enough evidence in a case that shocked the country, and which was condemned by Prime Minister at the time Boris Johnson.
But he urged members of the community to come forward with evidence they feel could be vital in helping secure convictions.
Referring again to the Finchley Road case Price said he was “speculating now” but added “if there were other people in the community that may have seen something, if they came forward, it might have been a different story.”
In an informative session with Deputies, Price also confirmed that worryingly the biggest increase in racist, and antisemitic activity was amongst the far-right online.
He also said there was evidence that 13 and 14 year-old were amongst those being increasingly drawn into far-right activity internationally.
Price was also keen to stress that the CPS worked extremely closely with the community on crime issues, and had a good understanding of the issues at stake, with the help of Jewish prosecutors.
Keith Myers, the Edgware United deputy, and a former joint-chair of the CPS Jewish Network, pointed out that antisemitism itself was not a crime.
“In order for prosecutions to take place usually the racism has to be an aggravating factor,” added Myers.
He also pointed out that while the community wished to “seek justice, the only thing the CPS can deliver is the law.”
Board vice president Amanda Bowman, who also chairs the communal organisation’s defence and group relations division, thanked Price for his contribution to Sunday’s meeting.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
