Fit Up by Faith Clifford

longer, after which time Hopkins gathered his papers and laptop together and said that he needed to put Jeremy back into a cell while he went off to speak to the custody sergeant.
    Furious about being put back in the cell again, Hamilton had whispered to Jeremy that it would be very unlikely that they could charge him with anything based on the evidence they had. He added that he would be very surprised if they did, but they might offer him a caution, which Jeremy had already decided he would not take. That would be admitting guilt when he had no reason to. There was no way he was going onthe sex offenders register and he was not going to give the police an easy ride by helping them close their files on this case.
    After another fifteen minutes or so, a female officer came into the cell and asked Jeremy to go with her so that she could process him. He asked her if that meant he was being charged and she said, ‘Yes.’ Jeremy saw Hamilton’s face which registered absolute shock – he was obviously stunned to hear that the police were charging him. After having photographs, DNA samples and fingerprints taken Jeremy was absolutely drained. He was filled with disbelief and knew that something sinister was being engineered against him and that he would have to deal with it, but not today.
    The charges were:
On 26 January 2001 at Watford [Jeremy Clifford] made an indecent photograph namely a level one image reference 05(1). Gif on Tiny computer exhibit JB/1 of a child.
On 26 January 2001 at Watford made an indecent photograph namely a level one image reference 06(1). Gif on Tiny computer exhibit JB/1 of a child.
On 30 October 2003 had in your possession indecent photographs of children namely 10 level one images on Tiny computer exhibit JB/1.
Jeremy Clifford on a day between 6 March and 7 August 1999 incited Landslide Incorporated, its proprietors and employees to distribute or show indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of a child.
    This fourth charge of ‘incitement’ would be very important as to whathappens in future events. The definition of this charge is that Jeremy, by his own purposeful actions, made a decision to use his credit card to purchase and then download illegal images.
    Jeremy was finally released on bail and given back his belongings. Before leaving the station he saw Hamilton briefly, who said that he would be in touch about the date for the first court hearing before calmly walking off to the train station. The first hearing! Jeremy was aghast. What the hell had just happened in there? he thought. This was all such an alien concept, but this unfolding drama was evidently a well-trodden path for some, holding no fear for them. He was dreading having to tell me and the family that he had been charged as he now felt that he wouldn’t be believed. There was the worry about this being in the papers, that it would ruin the business as well as Gerard finding out and using the knowledge to his advantage. Though initially feeling crushed and deflated, Jeremy vowed that he would pursue every avenue and turn over every piece of information to find out how he had got to this stage. This was, by far, the worst day of his life.

Chapter 6
FIRST COURT APPEARANCE
    A lthough the months since Jeremy’s arrest had been painful and difficult to get through, there was always hope that it would have all gone away by the return to bail interview. We had both been pinning so much on it as, by this time, not many people knew what had happened and there was a chance we could have returned to our normal, carefree lives. These charges were a stunning blow and I am not ashamed to say that the thought of all this coming out in the public domain, and the damage it could do to our reputations, was quite terrifying. Child pornography is such an abhorrent subject that I felt convinced that no one would believe our story, and Jeremy’s innocence.
    The day after Jeremy was charged, he was fired up and said he had to see Hamilton the