Thanks

Firstly,

I would like to thank everyone for all their support and for all the letters, messages, and donations while I was in prison, following the roof top protest on Harriet Harman’s roof.

I feel honoured at the response by everyone, including the judge who sent me down, I feel the fact they are fighting back in this manner shows we are a thorn in their side and they do not like the fact that we are exposing them for what they really are.

Hundreds of Suffragettes were imprisoned before they affected change; Nelson Mandela spent 30 years behind bars with international support before that corrupt government made changes, Martin Luther King was shot dead.

So the reality is this corrupt government will not take any notice of a few of us writing letters and moaning about the persecution and abuse of our children, and us parents fighting for the rights of our children to be allowed a balanced upbringing by both their parents after separation.

The maximum sentence, for my crime of standing up against the biggest abuse of our human rights since the holocaust, was 3 months prison, with which you serve half, so that would be 6 weeks, surely that is a price anyone can pay if it will make a difference for our children.

I enjoyed a good rest from the continuous bombardment of relentless, useless paperwork of, recommendations, false accusations and unfactual biased, twisted reports that comes with you wanting to be a responsible parent.

It was an experience I am glad I have had, I was treated well, and if you’ve endured the family courts, it was nothing.

If we want change from the disease which is family law. This epidemic of pain and suffering forced on innocent children and ourselves by untamed corruption by our government, in particular by individuals such as Harriet Harman, with her anti-men agenda, and her determination to destroy the family.

If we want what is needed, radical change. Then it requires radical action, determination, effort, UNITY and some form of personal sacrifice.

We are now in a stronger position than ever, with the integrity of the family court, gravy train in tatters, and two good parents clearly recognized as the most positive way forward for our children.

And with a never ending collection of determined, dedicated, reliable, activists and individuals, all now that is needed is a concerted, driven effort to change things.

We all have one aim, now this is the time to set aside personal differences, and keep focused and not to allow any unnecessary stumbling blocks halt our drive to succeed in what is right and just.

Because of infiltration by government informants, and groups with fested interests to leave things as they are. A degree of misinformation and the appearance of a lack of interest of certain proposals, actions and volunteers may seem apparent,

I would like to assure all people that we respect everyone's views and understand the anxieties and frustrations that apparent inaction can cause.

But many things do go on behind the scenes, and we ask for understanding, and patience as things aren’t as easy as they sometimes seem.

We have no funding, and coordinating action, the costs of materials, time, transport and penalty's all come from the volunteers themselves.

All donations are now accountable, and we desperately need financial help to progress things at a quicker speed.

We have many activists, but there are never enough, in particular we need activists willing to endure hardship, ie a few nights out in the elements.

We also want to set up a buddies scheme where individuals, volunteer to support individual activists or a parent going to court,they would be expected to appear at court, be on the end of a phone to offer help support and advice, and generally let it be realised that we work as a team and no activist should be left on there own when they have stood up for all of us.

We also need back up crews in some areas, foot soldiers, willing to do the preparation on the ground, being able to keep calm, take orders and work in a team.

We are updating our lists, and welcome all new volunteers, men and women to our coordinated campaign of non violent direct action.Our children depend on us and we will not let them down.

Let the protest continue.


Jolly Stanesby

Give Dads Equal Rights

Dear Friends,

This despicable corrupt injustice that we & our children are experiencing must stop !

If societies answer to a responsible parent, wanting to do the right thing for their children, is to humiliate, belittle, degrade, generally abuse & then incarcerate that parent, then I for one am not willing to accept that inhumane treatment from our oppressors, & watch while our children & fellow citizens are tormented in this way.

But nothing comes for free & rarely does the oppressor give in to the oppressed without a fight, especially when they have a lot to hide.

So now is the time to keep focused on these injustices thrown at us, come out of our comfort zones, stop crying in the corner & in unity take on the challenge.

Our endeavors must be relentless until these career driven, spineless, vultures(Our so called superiors in law) treat us with humanity & do what is right & just, for our children & our society judge us as equals.

In this there is no place for failure

Jolly Stanesby

IVYBRIDGE Fathers 4 Justice activist Jolly Stanesby jailed

IVYBRIDGE Fathers 4 Justice activist Jolly Stanesby was today jailed for two months for a rooftop protest at the home of Deputy Prime Minister Harriett Harman.
Fellow protestor Mark Harris, of Elford Crescent in Plympton, was given a conditional discharge.

Members of the group, which had disbanded in September of this year, said they would be staging further protests on the Minister's roof and at the Prime Minister's home in Kirkaldy & Cowdenbeath within the week to protest at what they described as a 'politically conceived show trial.'

Spokesman Mark Harris said: "I am shocked that Mr Stanesby has been imprisoned and know that fellow campaigners will be taking his place on Miss Harman's roof within days if not hours. The court has made a serious error in committing him to prison and in doing so incited angry dads to take further direct action."

The pair climbed on to the roof of a house in Herne Hill on June 9 this year and unfurled a banner reading ‘A father is for life, not just conception’



Stanesby, of Manor Close, Ivybridge, has a long history of protesting for F4J.
In 2003 he spent nights up a crane on the construction site of a new court building in Exeter, spent Christmas on Tower Bridge in London dressed as Father Christmas, then weeks later brought the Tamar Bridge to a standstill when he spent a week up a gantry across the A38. In February he protested at the Blackwall Tunnel in London.

In May 2004 he protested on the roof of Plymouth Crown Court dressed as a superhero then in November handcuffed himself to minister Margaret Hodge.

In 2006 he masterminded the storming of the live National Lottery TV show, spent two nights on a judge's roof and started 2007 by climbing Stonehenge dressed as Fred Flinstone.

In August 2007 he was arrested at gunpoint by a SWAT team after climbing the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, USA.

Harriet Harman to be called to give evidence in F4J Rooftop Trial, 27th August

Two Fathers 4 Justie protestors have called Jack Dromey, the husband of the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Harriet Harman, to give evidence at their trial at Camberwell Magistrates Court on Wenesday 27th August at 10.00am.

The pair are also issuing a witness summons for the Minister to appear and give evidence.

Jolly Stanesby and Mark Harris, both from Devon, pleaded not guilty to charges of harassment and failing to follow a police officers instructions.

F4J today said that the Minister would be targeted again in the near future and that she had seriously misled the public in the media and in the House of Commons with her comments.

Said a spokesman,'As the Minister for equality, all we are asking for is equal treatment for dads. Surely, that isn't too much to ask a Minister charged with ensuring parity for all citizens regardless of gender, race, colour or creed.'

In October 2007, Minister Margaret Hodge gave evidence against Mr Stanesby after he was accused of unlawful imprisonment after handcuffing himself to the Minister in 2004. He was found not guilty in a jury trial in Manchester.

COURTROOM EVACUATED IN F4J PROTEST

Dozens of employees were evacuated from a Bristol family court today when Fathers 4 Justice campaigners stormed the building and a fire alarm was set off.Court and construction staff huddled outside Bristol County Court, in the high-rise Greyfriars building in the city centre, and waited for the fire service to arrive.



The protest, which began as a street demonstration, was joined by two Westcountry campaigners who had scaled the roof of deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman's home in Herne Hill, south London, earlier this week.

Jolly Stanesby, from Ivybridge, South Devon, and Mark Harris, from Plympton, were among about 30 banner-waving protesters dressed as various superheroes during the action calling for fathers' rights at Bristol County Court yesterday.

A dozen protesters dressed as Spiderman, Batman, Superman and The Incredibles forced their way into the court and chanted "What do we want? Justice. When do we want it? Now!"

A fire alarm was activated, although court staff could not confirm who was responsible, and nearly 100 staff flooded into the street outside.

Mr Stanesby said: "We always have a little get-together before Father's Day to put our message across."

After the courts were stormed, two police vans arrived, along with two fire engines, and the protesters left the building to continue their march. Fathers 4 Justice is a civil rights group which campaigns for parental equality and a father's right to see his children.

Mr Stanesby added: "Just because my ex decided to move on... shouldn't mean I don't get to see my child."

He said he and Mr Harris, who have been bailed by police since their rooftop protest, had written to Ms Harman to request a meeting with her.

"She's minister for justice and minister for women - how can those two things go together?"

Mr Harris said opening family courts to the public was one of the focal points of the Fathers 4 Justice campaign. He said: "Open up the courts so people can see the ridiculous decisions made against fathers. I was once sent to prison for waving at my daughters."

The demonstrators later unveiled a new poster campaign featuring superheroes.

Bristol County Court later released a statement, saying proceedings were disrupted for around 30 minutes and business then resumed as normal.

Harriet Harman's Refusal Letter

'I will not be moved', vows Fathers 4 Justice campaigner who is STILL on minister's roof

A Fathers 4 Justice protester today vowed to remain on top of Harriet Harman's roof until his fellow protester had been released by police.

He also accused officers of using 'heavy-handed' tactics in trying to wrestle him down.

Jolly Stanesby and fellow demonstrator Mark Harris scaled the deputy leader of the Labour Party's house yesterday morning dressed as 'Captain Conception' and 'Cash Gordon'.

Mr Harris climbed down and was arrested last night but his fellow protester spent the night sleeping under a tarpaulin and insisted today he was staying put.

In for the long haul: Protester Jolly Stanesby was still on Harriet Harman's roof this morning and insists he is staying put

This morning Mr Stanesby said: 'I'm not coming down until they free my mate Mark. He is still being held.'

The pair were taking part in their latest protest over the treatment of fathers in child custody battles in court and had unfurled a banner reading 'A father is for life, not just conception'.

The Minister for Women refused to meet the pair and decided to temporarily move out of her South London address six hours after they arrived

The activists demanded the MP for Camberwell and Peckham read Mr Harris's book, Family Court Hell, an account of his court battle for custody of his two daughters.

Originally boasting they had enough food and water to stay aloft for a week, Mr Harris soon had to be brought down suffering from heatstroke.

He was arrested and faces charges of criminal damage and causing a public nuisance.

Determined: Mr Stanesby says fathers are treated like 'walking wallets'

But Mr Stanesby, 37, said: 'This protest is extremely important. In the courts dads are treated like a walking wallet and with total disregard. I will take each hour as it comes.'

Miss Harman, minister for Women and Equality, and her husband, Labour Party treasurer Jack Dromey, left the home and said: 'We are going to stay somewhere else. I don't think it's fair for police resources to be tied up by this demonstration.'

Fathers 4 Justice dismissed her claims that she had no record of a previous request for a meeting.

Miss Harman, 58, said it was not fair to waste police time or disturb her neighbours so she was going to stay elsewhere.

Three police cars were parked outside the house this morning and officers have already started a security review to work out how the Fathers 4 Justice campaigners were able to scale the walls of Miss Harman's home so easily.


The men claimed they had simply entered through an unlocked gate and propped a ladder up against the wall of the three-storey house.

Miss Harman was targeted because, in her previous Whitehall job as Solicitor General, campaigners say she did not do enough to open up access to the family courts.

It was also claimed that she had hinted at support for the aims of Fathers 4 Justice, but had done nothing.

On the move: Ms Harman outside her besieged home yesterday. She stayed inside for six hours but eventually decided to leave and wait for the protest to end

The drama started at about 8.15am. Once the two Fathers 4 Justice protesters were on the roof they unfurled a banner reading 'A Father is for life, not just conception'.

Mr Harris, speaking to the Daily Mail by mobile phone from the roof, insisted the stunt was a peaceful protest, but said it raised questions about Miss Harman's security arrangements.

'All we did was push open the gate, which wasn't even locked, put a ladder up and climbed up,' he said.

'In this time of heightened terror alerts I can't believe Harriet Harman has such lax security.'

A spokesman for the militant group - whose previous stunts including throwing flour at Tony Blair in the House of Commons and scaling Buckingham Palace - said the demonstration was intended as an 'early Father's Day strike' against the Government over fathers' access to their children.

Ms Harman, the Minister for Women and Equality, stayed inside the house for more than six hours.

But with no end to the stand-off in sight, she eventually emerged from the home she shares with Jack Dromey, treasurer of the Labour Party, to condemn the protest.

She said: 'We are going to move out and stay somewhere else. I don't think it's fair for police resources to be tied up outside my house by this demonstration.'

The demonstrators demanded a meeting with the Cabinet Minister during their sit-in, claiming she had refused to see them.

But Ms Harman denied this and said they could have attended her regular Friday constituency surgery at Southwark Town Hall two days earlier.

She said: 'They have said this is because they want a meeting but I checked with my constituency office and they haven't requested a meeting.'

Fathers 4 Justice spokesman Darryl Westell challenged Miss Harman's claims.

'It's rubbish,' he said. 'She has been approached through Matt O'Connor, the founder, and Mark Oaten, the MP for Winchester. She refused.'

Last night security expert Dai Davies, a former head of the Met's Royalty Protection Squad, said: 'It is ironic that at a time when the Government is trying to extend the detention period for terrorist suspects - supposedly because 2,000 individuals are plotting against us - that security should be so lax at the home of the deputy leader of the Labour Party.'

Fathers 4 Justice was shut down in January 2006 after extremist sympathisers were accused of plotting to kidnap Mr Blair's son Leo but was relaunched four months later when campaigners invaded the live broadcast of the National Lottery draw.

Mr Stanesby and another activist were fined after climbing Stonehenge dressed as cartoon caveman Fred Flintstone in February last year in protest about comments made by Tory leader David Cameron on absent fathers.

Fathers 4 Justice said it had been left with no choice but to resume its campaign of direct action and civil disruption because of the Government's "point-blank refusal" to meet its representatives.

Fathers 4 Justice campaigner continues overnight vigil on Harriet Harman's roof in Herne Hill

A Fathers 4 Justice campaigner who climbed on to the roof of deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman's home has been arrested, police said today.

Another man, Jolly Stanesby, remains on the roof of the Cabinet Minister's house in Herne Hill, south London after an all-night vigil, Scotland Yard said.

"A 49-year-old man who came down from the roof is in custody. A second man remains on the roof," a police spokeswoman said.

The pair, wearing superhero costumes, yesterday unfurled a banner reading "A father is for life, not just conception".

The group said they wanted to highlight the fact that fathers were being made redundant, emotionally in the courts and now biologically in the new Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill.

Ms Harman, the Minister for Women and Equality, remained inside yesterday for over seven hours but eventually emerged to announce she was leaving until the protest was over.

She said: "We are going to move out and stay somewhere else. I don't think it's fair for police resources to be tied up outside my house by this demonstration."

During their protest Mr Harris and Mr Stanesby demanded a meeting with the Cabinet Minister, claiming she had refused to see them.

But Ms Harman denied this and said they could have attended her regular Friday constituency surgery at Southwark Town Hall two days earlier.

She said: "They have said this is because they want a meeting but I checked with my constituency office and they haven't requested a meeting.

"I checked with my ministerial office and they haven't requested a meeting there."

Fathers 4 Justice founder Matt O'Connor responded by saying he had asked Ms Harman for "urgent talks" over a year ago through his local MP in Winchester, Lib-Dem Mark Oaten.

He said: "She wrote back and refused, as did other Ministers, such as Peter Hain.

"We have a duty of care to our kids to address the elephant in the room that is mass fatherlessness and the catastrophic consequences it has on our children."

The two protesters said they intended to remain on the roof until Ms Harman read Mr Harris's book about his child custody battle, Family Court Hell.

Police established a cordon around the house and tried to persuade the men to come down, although Fathers 4 Justice said the pair had enough supplies for a week.

Speaking by mobile phone from the roof, Mr Harris insisted it was a peaceful protest but raised questions about Ms Harman's security arrangements.

He said: "All we did was push open the gate, which wasn't even locked, put a ladder up and climbed up.

"In this time of heightened terror alerts I can't believe Harriet Harman has such lax security. My house is more secure than this."

The protest was the latest in a long line of high-profile Fathers 4 Justice stunts.

The most notorious incident involved activist Guy Harrison throwing a flour bomb at former prime minister Tony Blair in the House of Commons in May 2004.

Mr Blair was unhurt, but speaker Michael Martin immediately suspended the sitting halfway through Prime Minister's Questions.

Fathers 4 Justice was shut down in January 2006 after extremist sympathisers were accused of plotting to kidnap Mr Blair's son Leo.

But it was relaunched four months later when campaigners invaded the live broadcast of the National Lottery draw.

Members dressed as superheroes have previously raised awareness of their cause by scaling high-profile buildings, including Buckingham Palace.

Mr Stanesby and another activist were fined after climbing Stonehenge dressed as cartoon caveman Fred Flintstone in February last year in protest about comments made by Tory leader David Cameron on absent fathers.

Fathers 4 Justice said it had been left with no choice but to resume its campaign of direct action and civil disruption because of the Government's "point-blank refusal" to meet its representatives.

Mr O'Connor will lead a "Fatherless Day" demonstration at the Trooping the Colour ceremony in London on Saturday, the group said.

Harriet Harman's home targeted by Fathers 4 Justice campaigners

Campaigners dressed as superheroes have scaled the roof of deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman's home while she and her husband were inside.



The Fathers 4 Justice activists, named as Mark Harris, 46 and Jolly Stanesby, 41, from Plymouth, climbed onto the house in south London dressed as Captain Conception and Cash Gordon.

The group, which campaigns for fathers' rights, said two more unnamed members were inside the building and had unfurled a banner from a bedroom window which read "A father is for life, not just conception".

Miss Harman and her husband, Labour party treasurer Jack Dromey, were said to be inside the house at the time.

Mr Harris said: "All we did was push open the gate which wasn't even locked, put a ladder up and climbed up.

"In this time of heightened terror alerts, I can't believe Harriet Harman has such lax security. My house is more secure than this."

The founder of the direct action group, Mark O'Connor, said: "This is the beginning of a series of protests leading up to Fathers' Day.

"We've got absolutely nowhere in terms of dialogue with the Government and if anything the situation for fathers is infinitely worse.

"Politicians don't want to tackle the elephant in the room, fatherhood, for fear of upsetting single mothers.

"They say you can abandon your children tomorrow if you pay."

The campaigners have said they will remain at the property until Miss Harman has read Mr Harris's book, Family Court Hell.

Mr O'Connor said: "They've got enough food to last them for a week."

Fathers 4 Justice have become well-known for their publicity stunts.

In 2004, two members of the group threw condoms filled with purple flour at Tony Blair, who was then Prime Minister, as he was addressing the House of Commons.

Later that year, another member of the group breached Buckingham Palace security and climbed onto a ledge wearing a Batman costume.

Fathers 4 Justice was shut down in January 2006 after hardline sympathisers were accused of plotting to kidnap Mr Blair's son Leo.

But the group was reborn four months later when campaigners invaded the set of the National Lottery draw during a live broadcast.

This latest stunt is the beginning of a series of new protests by the group, according to Mr O'Connor.

He said: "There will be an official protest in Bristol, when we'll be targeting the Child Support Agency (CSA) in a way which hasn't been seen before."

"We'll also be revisiting many of our older protests."

Last month, Miss Harman said that marriage was irrelevant to government policy.

Her comments led to accusations that Labour was trying to destroy traditional family life in Britain, and in the process condemning children to lives of poverty in single-­parent households.

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: "Officers are currently in attendance at the location and are speaking to the men."

Fathers stage court protest

Fathers' rights protesters staged a demo outside a Torquay courthouse yesterday.

Placards were placed outside the court supporting the Fathers-4-Justice campaign for equal rights for both parents in custody cases, and calling for scrapping of the Child Support Agency.

They were at Torbay Magistrates Court for the hearing of a case of a member, Jolly Stanesby who had his driving licence suspended by magistrates yesterday for refusing to pay child maintenance.

The defendant appeared for non-payment of three liability orders totalling £522.82 dating back to 2003.

YABBA-DABBA-DOO! FATHERS FINED FOR STONEHENGE STUNT

8:00 - 12 October 2007

Magistrates yesterday met the Flintstones when a pair of look-a-like Freds sat in a courtroom dock decked in trademark orange and black spotted sabre-toothed tiger garb.

The Two Freds - one of whom was allowed to carry his club - were the first people in the country to be tried for scaling Britain's favourite piece of rock, Stonehenge.

Salisbury Magistrates' Court doubled as Bedrock as the duo, both members of the Fathers4Justice pressure group, defended their stunt at the 4,500-year-old stone circle earlier this year.They were accused of unlawfully climbing a national monument contrary to the Stonehenge Regulations Act of 1997 and the Ancient Monuments Act of 1979.

Father-of-one Jonathan 'Jolly' Stanesby, 42, of Ivybridge, Devon and dad-of-two Richard West, 40, of Ottery St Mary, Devon, both pleaded not guilty.

The F4J activists, campaigning for changes in the law to give fathers from split relationships better access to their children, claimed they were innocent because they did not know it was illegal to climb Stonehenge.

In a bizarre twist, Stanesby insisted on being addressed throughout the proceedings as "Mrs Hodge" having changed his name by deed-poll to Margaret Hodge, the former Children's MinisterLast week he was cleared of false imprisonment after handcuffing himself to Mrs Hodge for 20 minutes in 2004. Ironically, Mrs Hodge is now Culture Minister whose remit includes Stonehenge.

The two defendants and another F4J activist David White had a yabba-dabba-doo time when they spent more than seven hours on top of Stonehenge on February 22.The court heard that just after 9am the trio, armed with a ladder, negotiated a perimeter fence before dashing to the monument and scampering up the stones.Security guard Christopher Gibbs said he gave chase.

"I got to the stones as the last one was climbing up."As security guards gathered in frustration below, the men revealed their Fred Flintstone costumes and unfurled a 30ft banner bearing the slogan 'Drag family law out of the Stone Age'.

Prosecutor Philomena Creffield said: "This is a monument of world renown which is protected against people climbing on it to ensure that it is not damaged and is preserved for future generations."

Referred to in court as Fred One, Stanesby, a child carer, told the bench: "Stonehenge has been climbed on for hundreds and thousands of years."

A veteran of many F4J stunts involving the Tamar Bridge, York Minster, Severn Bridge, Blackwall Tunnel, the High Courts, Trooping the Colour and the National Lottery, he added: "I was not aware of signs there saying we weren't allowed to climb it."

Fred Two, Richard West, said he had seen numerous photos of people standing on top of Stonehenge, and was unaware climbing it was illegal.He said the pair had gone to great lengths to ensure the monument was not damaged, including wearing soft shoes and greasing the ladder.

They were each fined £100 and ordered to pay £100 costs while West was told by chairman of the bench, Richard Arundell, that he could reclaim the banner confiscated by police.The sentencing is unlikely to enamour F4J with members of the pagan community.

Tensions between pagans and leaders of F4J have sparked an angry row over the desecration of two iconic monuments.The radical campaign group says it has received death threats from people claiming to be pagan after slogans supporting its cause were daubed on Glastonbury Tor and parts of the Cerne Abbas giant painted purple earlier in the summer.

Yesterday, Fathers4Justice said it had carried out a full investigation into the incidents, revealing it believed someone had committed the acts with an ulterior motive, as part of a smear campaign aimed at tarnishing its reputation.

Morgan Rhys-Adams, Pagan Federation member and Glastonbury resident, said: "We cannot condone violence in any way and the Pagan Federation would want to completely disassociate itself with any kind of death threats. It is not our way."

At a previous hearing the Third Fred, David White, 29, of Southampton, was told to pay £320 after admitting the offence.

Two cleared in handcuffed MP case

Mr Hatch and Mr Stanseby were cleared of false imprisonment
A fathers' rights campaigner who handcuffed himself to former children's minister Margaret Hodge has been cleared of false imprisonment.
Mrs Hodge was ambushed at a Law Society conference at the Lowry Hotel in Salford, Greater Manchester, in 2004.

The MP was handcuffed for 20 minutes Manchester Crown Court heard.

Jonathan Stanesby, 41, from Ivybridge, Devon, was cleared along with Jason Hatch, 35, from Cheltenham, who tried but failed to reach the MP.

Mrs Hodge, who is now culture minister, had to be freed with bolt cutters.

The minister was at the Lowry Hotel on 19 November for a conference called "Battle of the Sexes".


Margaret Hodge MP was at a Law Society conference

She was handcuffed by Mr Stanesby as she took part in a question-and-answer session afterwards.

He cuffed her wrist to his, saying: "Margaret Hodge, I'm arresting you for covering up child abuse."

This was a reference to Mrs Hodge's time as a councillor in Islington, north London.

Mr Hatch also attempted to handcuff the Cabinet minister and MP for Barking but was blocked from reaching her by Mrs Hodge's assistant private secretary.

At the trial Mrs Hodge described how she was "distressed" by the activists' actions.

'Upset and disturbed'

"I did have a pain on my wrist for about six months afterwards," she said.

"I was upset and I was very disturbed by that incident."

But Kyri Argyropoulos, for Mr Stanesby, suggested that the minister was not prepared to meet members of Fathers 4 Justice because of their past behaviour.

He suggested she was "far from accessible" - a charge Mrs Hodge denied.


Jonathan Stanesby at a previous fathers' rights protest

Alan Wolstenholme, prosecuting, said the men "went much further than they were entitled to do".

The verdicts were met with cheers and applause from Fathers 4 Justice supporters in the public gallery.

The court heard how both men had previously been involved in high-profile protests for the group.

Mr Hatch, who gained notoriety after scaling the walls of Buckingham Palace dressed as Batman, thanked the jury after the not guilty verdict was read out.

He said he was "ecstatic" at the verdict.

"The jury are sending a clear message that the family law courts must be overhauled immediately.

"The breakdown in our society can quite clearly be traced to the breakdown of families. The only way this can be rectified is by stopping the secrecy of family courts.

"I carried out a citizen's arrest on Margaret Hodge and it looks like the jury thought I was justified to do so."

COURT TOLD PROTESTERS HANDCUFFED MP

Two fathers' rights protesters - one from Ivybridge - handcuffed former children's minister Margaret Hodge during a family law conference, a court heard today.

Jason Hatch, 35, and Jonathan 'Jolly' Stanesby, 41, walked up to the MP during a question-and-answer session in Salford, Greater Manchester and grabbed her by the arms, Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court was told.

Stanesby, of Ivybridge, told the minister she was being "arrested" for child abuse before cuffing her left wrist to his, the court heard.

Mrs Hodge, who is MP for Barking, was trapped in the fixed handcuffs for 15 minutes and eventually had to be released using bolt cutters.

Opening the case for the prosecution, Alan Wolstenholme said Hatch had intended to handcuff himself to Mrs Hodge's other arm but she struggled free with the help of her assistant private secretary. Hatch, of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, was grabbed by a security guard but managed to get free and leave the conference at the Lowry Hotel, dropping his handcuffs on the way, the court heard.

Mr Wolstenholme said the pair were both members of Fathers4Justice at the time of the incident on November 19, 2004, and had aimed to gain publicity for their cause.

Mr Wolstenholme said Mrs Hodge, who, at the time, was minister for children, young people and families, arrived at the hotel at around 10am.

She spoke at the conference, which was entitled Battle Of The Sexes, and took part in a Q and A session afterwards. Around 10 minutes into the session, she noticed two men approaching her from the left of the platform.

Mr Wolstenholme said: "The two men were carrying books and stood out to the extent that they wore ill-fitting suits and seemed to be the only people standing up at the time.

"As they got to within five feet or so of Margaret Hodge they rushed towards her. One of the two men took hold of her right arm and the other took her left arm."

Both men deny a charge of false imprisonment.

IVYBRIDGE PROTESTER MAY FACE TRIAL IN NOVEMBER

IVYBRIDGE PROTESTER MAY FACE TRIAL IN NOVEMBER

06:50 - 23 August 2007

Ivybridge Fathers 4 Justice campaigner Jolly Stanesby could go to trial in November for climbing the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, USA.The flamboyant South Devon F4J protester - who dressed as Batman and scaled the historic monument on Friday - was due to appear in a Washington court on September 19.

But he is also set to appear in a London court on the same date for allegedly handcuffing himself to former children's minister Margaret Hodge - so he has asked his lawyers to get him a new date in the USA in mid-November. Mr Stanesby flew back to Britain yesterday after spending "some time with murderers" in Washington cells.

The high-profile F4J activist was arrested at gunpoint by a SWAT team along with another protester.

The protest was organised and performed by UK F4J activists Mr Stanesby, who dressed as Batman, and Mike Downes, as Captain America.

It was supported by US colleagues on the ground - with a 'support crew' of four people also held by police after the memorial was evacuated by the authorities. Mr Stanesby was charged with holding an unofficial protest and climbing a monument.

He also faces trial for the alleged Margaret Hodge incident.

Mr Stanesby was in the USA taking the F4J campaign to the Americans. The 41-year-old accompanied fellow-Fathers 4 Justice campaigner Matt O'Connor, the group's founder, to the States to speak at a major male rights conference - before trying to "strengthen ties" with American campaigners.

Mr Stanesby said: "Hopefully we can put back the American trial so I can go to the one involving Margaret Hodge.

"It was a brilliant trip - the Americans seem very enthusiastic on the campaign. The arrest was a big success too. They were going to use pepper gas.

"We were treated pretty heavily in the prison, with our feet chained up, but it highlighted our campaign."


Press Release - 18th August 2007
F4J Activists Arrested at Gunpoint After Washington Protest ­ Dramatic Pictures

Pictures and video footage can be downloaded at http://www.trueequality.com/Lincoln/

Two Fathers 4 Justice activists were yesterday arrested at gunpoint by a SWAT team at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. A support crew of four were also held as the memorial was evacuated by the authorities.

The protest which was organised and performed by Fathers 4 Justice activists from the United Kingdom, included protest veterans Jolly Stanesby and Mike Downes. The protest was supported by US colleagues on the ground.

The activists are being help in US custody in Washington though the intentions of the authorities are unclear at the present time. The UK activists could be deported or placed on trial.

Said F4J Founder Matt O¹Connor this morning, "Yet again Fathers 4 Justice in the UK has led the way with an audacious protest to raise the global profile of fatherlessness and the social catastrophe it is causing in first world countries. Given the problem is not one that is unique to any one country or culture, a first world problem requires a first world, international response. This is our response to the inaction of the US authorities. There will be many, many more to follow."

"None of this however, would have been possible without the outstanding support of our colleagues in the US. Now we have lit the flame, we can begin the struggle to make equal parenting a reality in the United States, and combat the insidious gender apartheid that separates children from their fathers in the family courts."

The breaking Fathers 4 Justice campaign in the US has a new web site and
brand identity at www.f4jusa.com

FATHERS 4 JUSTICE CAMPAIGNER SEEKS 'ELEMENT OF SURPRISE'

Westcountry fathers' rights campaigner Jolly Stanesby has promised to use "the element of surprise" in future protests after nine people were arrested at the Trooping of the Colour ceremony in London on Saturday.

The arrests were made after a newspaper report that the group planned to mount a "spectacular event", but a Fathers 4 Justice spokesman said the Buckingham Palace incident was not the event talked about.

Mr Stanesby, who was one of those arrested, said that Buckingham Palace was "not an ideal venue for a protest".

The Metropolitan Police said that the arrests were made to prevent a breach of the peace as part of a large proactive policing operation.

Nine activists were arrested before they could scale barriers and handcuff themselves to the Queen's carriage.

The seven men and two women were later released without charge.

Fathers 4 Justice said that the arrests, just minutes before the Queen left Buckingham Palace for the Trooping of the Colour ceremony at the Horse Guards Parade, did not affect its plans for a resumption of direct action.

It follows a demonstration at last year's event where a protester got within 20 feet of the carriage.

The controversial pressure group said that it had warned last week of a resumption of activities but that this was not the "spectacular" mentioned in last week's Independent on Sunday newspaper.

Mr Stanesby, from Ivybridge, South Devon, said: "We hadn't considered the Trooping of the Colour until Scotland Yard asked us if we'd be
present.

"It sounded like an invitation and an opportunity to try out a few ideas.

"It's not an ideal venue for a protest, as it's a full 'belt and braces' job for them - we'd much rather catch them with the element of surprise, which has always been our trademark."

CLIMBING CHARGE DENIED

Devon Fathers 4 Justice campaigners Richard West, 40, from Ottery St Mary, and Jolly Stanesby, 36, from Ivybridge, are to face trial for allegedly climbing on Stonehenge wearing Fred Flintstone outfits.

They and a third man, Dave White, 29, from Southampton, all denied climbing on an ancient monument when they appeared before Salisbury magistrates.

They were summoned to return to the court for a pre-trial review on June 8.

Archbishop Of Pork Protest

JOLLY ON THE ROCKS IN LATEST PROTEST

Ivybridge fathers' rights campaigner Jolly Stanesby has protested on the rocks of Stonehenge dressed as Fred Flintstone.The 41-year-old and two colleagues, also dressed as the cartoon character, from the Fathers 4 Justice group climbed on to the ancient monument in Wiltshire at about 9am with supplies to last three days.

They said they were demonstrating against comments about absent fathers made by Tory leader David Cameron.Matt O'Connor, founder of the group, said the protest was in response to Mr Cameron's 'failure to get to grips with the issue of absent fathers in Britain.'Mr Cameron said yesterday that attitudes to gun-carrying and absentee fathers had to be altered in the same way attitudes to drink-driving had changed.

Mr O'Connor said: "Mr Cameron says fathers are abandoning their children and this can lead to children getting involved with crime. We at Fathers 4 Justice feel very strongly that this is not always the case.

Mr Stanesby has only just been told he will not be prosecuted for a rooftop protest dressed as Father Christmas at a judge's house near Exeter in November.But he is also accused of chaining himself to former children's minister Margaret Hodge. Mrs Hodge was stuck in the cuffs for about 40 minutes outside the Lowry Hotel in Manchester, where she was attending a conference on November 19, 2004.

Stanesby denies false imprisonment and faces trial in May.

Fathers 4 Justice Rock Stonehenge

Three Fred Flintstone campaigners from Fathers 4 Justice scaled Stonehenge at 9.15am this morning in anger at David Cameron's comments about absent fathers this morning.



Jolly Stanesby, 36, from Ivybridge Devon, Dave White, 29 from Southampton and Richard West, 40, from Ottery St Mary, Devon are all wearing Fred Flintstone outfits in a symbolic protest at what they say is Caveman Cameron's naive and prejudiced beliefs about fathers when 300,000 dads have lost contact with their kids in the family courts since 1997. Cameron had said fathers are abandoning their children.

The protestors evaded tight security and prevented English Heritage officers forcibly removing them from the stones with a ladder. Said F4J Founder Matt OConnor, We need an urgent, intellectual debate about fatherlessness, not meandering Neanderthal comments from dinosaur Dave. Stonehenge is symbolic because it formed the foundation of our society, foundations being eroded by all the main political parties.

Family Law is literally killing kids stone dead. Family breakdown is rife and last weeks Unicef report put Britain bottom out of 21 countries as being the worst place in the first world to grow up. We want to consign the secret family courts to history and by putting the world's most famous stone age man on top of the world¹s most famous stones, we aim to show our commitment to our nations children.

PROTESTER WON'T BE CHARGED FOR CLIMBING ON JUDGE'S ROOF

No charges are to be brought against a Fathers 4 Justice campaigner who staged a protest on the roof of a Devon judge's house, sparking a massive police operation costing many thousands of pounds.Police have also revealed that no action will be taken against the judge after claims that he pointed a loaded shotgun at Jolly Stanesby as he perched on his roof.

Around 80 police officers were deployed when the two-day protest began in November, but police have declined to put a figure on the cost of the operation.Mr Stanesby, 37, a registered childminder from Ivybridge, was arrested after spending two days dressed as Father Christmas on the roof of Judge David Tyzack's Glebe Lodge home.

At 6.30am on November 28, he roped himself to a chimney and set up a rooftop camp.Police cordoned off the area, monitored him round the clock for two days and tried to persuade him to come down.Judge Tyzack QC, who sits at Exeter and Plymouth County Courts on family cases, was targeted for the protest because his rulings on access to children had incensed Fathers 4 Justice supporters.

A statement made on behalf of Judge Tyzack at the time said he took the shotgun out because he thought there was a trapped or wounded bird on the roof.Decisions to take no further action in both cases were taken by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Despite not facing charges himself in relation to the incident, Mr Stanesby told the Echo yesterday: "I am not very happy about no action being taken against the judge."The judge just wants to keep it quiet and drop my charges as well."My intention for the protest was to get heard."He said he wanted fathers to be treated equally in matters of family law and he would not be giving up.

Mr Stanesby claimed to have received overwhelming support for the protest."It works and it is our only way to get our voices heard," he said.Fathers 4 Justice says that it will be challenging the decision not to charge Judge Tyzack and may pursue a civil case.

The group remains indignant that the Government refuses to hold any discussions with it.In a letter from Harriet Harman to Mark Oaten, MP of Fathers 4 Justice founder Matt O'Connor, she ruled out the prospect of any meeting.Mr O'Connor said: "At least we can say we tried.

I look on the letter as a formal invitation to us to resume our activities."When we are ready we'll give our response in the time-honoured tradition. I don't expect they'll have to wait too long."A Fathers' Day demo is planned by the group in London on June 15.