An excellent post Bear that makes an important point; misconduct in a public office is a serious criminal offence. I would also ask that readers and commentators take note of the Police warning that the case is Active and we should write and say nothing that may jeopardise the chance of a fair trial or that may lead to a mis-trial.
That will be that business of his use of his Personal Protection Officer to try to dig up dirt on Virginia Guiffre. A relatively minor offence so don't hold your breath for more than a fine.
What makes it serious is that a royal did it and in theory at least they are held to a higher standard of behaviour than we mere mortals.
His rape of Giuffre at Ghislaine's house isn't an easily proven case and as she was 17 at the time it wasn't statutory rape under British law. Any of his other misdeeds regarding sexual assault of minors happened outside British jurisdiction.
Lying to Emily Maitliss live on television wasn't a crime either.
Luckily for Andy being an absolute arsehole isn't illegal.
If I weren't so vehemently anti- monarchy I could almost feel sorry for Charles. I'm betting his mother got a promise out of him on her deathbed to look after her favourite.
All that said it is a truly historic event for a child of a monarch to see the back of a police car.
I wonder if they're treating him the same way they treat everyone else - the hours in a holding cell waiting to be interviewed and hours on top of that waiting for the CPS - usually a minimum total 24hrs - to make a decision whether or not to charge him.
Many of the allegations in Andrew Lownie's book "Entitled" about his supposed abuse of his position of UK trade envoy for personal profit seem, if true, potentially to amount to misconduct in public office, as do some of his correspondence with Epstein about his various official foreign visits.
Good. I was wrong about the nature of the malfeasance too. It's about passing information to Epstein that he had access to via his position as trade envoy. Similar to the charges Mandelson will be facing.
Excellent post and valid points made and totally agree with you. I am glad he got arrested.
However, as your article makes abundantly clear, this arrest shows again that sexual assault is as always not recognised by the male misogynistic community as a crime serious enough to warrant prosecution because women are not believed when they file charges not even when there are many other victims coming forward. The fact that the corruption and bribery etc is the vehicle for prosecution says it all.
Society still blames women when men sexually assault them and still doesn’t take them seriously.
I’m sure Andrew did have sex with Virginia Giuffre and probably other of Epstein’s wretched victims, but I also think he is vain enough and stupid enough to believe that the girls Epstein furnished him with actually wanted to have sex with him - because he is such a good-looking and likeable guy. If pressed, he might allow that being a ‘Prince’ also added to his charms.
Of course, it also suited him to believe this - and to believe that the girls on Epstein’s island were they because they ‘liked partying’.
Andrew was never as rich as he thought he ought to be, and, quite apart from the sex, Epstein gave him access to the private-jet, private-island lifestyle that he felt he was entitled to. If, in exchange, he shared sensitive information that he had obtained in his capacity as a UK trade envoy (which is what he seems to have been arrested for now) - well, that’s just how you do things in those circles.
And, of course, it really suited Epstein to have Andrew believe that all this was true. And maybe at some point in their relationship he tightened the screws - let on that he had stuff on Andrew that would be really, really embarrassing if it got out.
I’m not trying to defend Andrew in any way. He is a disgusting, entitled prick. But he is also very stupid, which made him a useful idiot and patsy.
You are right Bear. This is about the abuse of power which also often goes with too much privilege, whether that be the sexual abuse of children, or the sharing of state secrets. People who think they’re above the law will behave as such. Unchecked privilege and power is what is threatening to strangle our societies, from tax avoidance & billionaire ‘ex-pat’ social commentators complaining about immigration to tech bros wanting to control every aspect of our lives. The idea that for some reason, this person, who is biologically & intellectually exactly the same as everyone else on the planet is somehow intrinsically worth more than us, and above the rules that apply to us all, is frankly preposterous and deeply damaging.
I hope this is actually the beginning of the end of this kind of obscene privilege, but I fear I’m being a bit too idealistic.
Meanwhile, there are many ways to skin a cat, and I hope the charges relating to his disgusting crimes against young women and girls will also be dealt with in time.
Excellent! Can't wait for the next headline "Andrew MW CHARGED with misconduct in public office". I wonder whether he will wear a jewel incrusted ankle tag? 🤔
If he is charged the Royals will do anything to prevent it going to trial but if it does he will get a slap on the wrist or House (luxury palace) arrest for a couple of years. He won’t be seen in public ever again. In the highly unlikely event he is convicted and sent to prison it will be the end of the Monarchy in its present form.
Have to disagree with you there. The Firm won't lift a finger to help him. They have clearly seen that their only chance to save the institution is to distance themselves as much as possible from him and it would suit them rather well if he DID end up with a custodial sentence. They could point at that and say "See? We don't tolerate bad behaviour(snort) in our ranks. We're just like you"
Most likely course of events now is for Charles to stand down sooner rather than later and his far more popular son to take the crown.
Conjecture. He is no longer on a palace but a 4/5 bedroom farm house. The King has roundly said he will support the police and frankly for all the calls for this one and that one to comment, his is the only RF voice which matters. I see some people are saying his arrest is to protect others in the RF? Who? He is the only one to hold a trade position, the only one linked to the Epstein papers. I am interested that Peter Mandelson has not yet been arrested for a similar reason. I wonder if there is more evidence for one rather than the other.
He is being investigated for misconduct in Public Office to protect the rest of the Royal Family. There will be no Justice for the ones who really suffered.
As you point out with Zuma, no one in authority cares about any sexual misconduct; just a perk of privilege to them so won't readily prosecute it. The situation is improved slightly and it's easier to call it out nowadays but there is still a way to go.
An excellent post Bear that makes an important point; misconduct in a public office is a serious criminal offence. I would also ask that readers and commentators take note of the Police warning that the case is Active and we should write and say nothing that may jeopardise the chance of a fair trial or that may lead to a mis-trial.
See also Al Capone and tax law (if I remember correctly).
That was my thought too. They couldn't get him on anything else, so they got him on tax evasion.
That will be that business of his use of his Personal Protection Officer to try to dig up dirt on Virginia Guiffre. A relatively minor offence so don't hold your breath for more than a fine.
What makes it serious is that a royal did it and in theory at least they are held to a higher standard of behaviour than we mere mortals.
His rape of Giuffre at Ghislaine's house isn't an easily proven case and as she was 17 at the time it wasn't statutory rape under British law. Any of his other misdeeds regarding sexual assault of minors happened outside British jurisdiction.
Lying to Emily Maitliss live on television wasn't a crime either.
Luckily for Andy being an absolute arsehole isn't illegal.
If I weren't so vehemently anti- monarchy I could almost feel sorry for Charles. I'm betting his mother got a promise out of him on her deathbed to look after her favourite.
All that said it is a truly historic event for a child of a monarch to see the back of a police car.
I wonder if they're treating him the same way they treat everyone else - the hours in a holding cell waiting to be interviewed and hours on top of that waiting for the CPS - usually a minimum total 24hrs - to make a decision whether or not to charge him.
Somehow I doubt it.
Many of the allegations in Andrew Lownie's book "Entitled" about his supposed abuse of his position of UK trade envoy for personal profit seem, if true, potentially to amount to misconduct in public office, as do some of his correspondence with Epstein about his various official foreign visits.
According to the Beeb the police have said he's in a holding cell with just a bed and a toilet and he's not getting any special treatment 👍🏻
Good. I was wrong about the nature of the malfeasance too. It's about passing information to Epstein that he had access to via his position as trade envoy. Similar to the charges Mandelson will be facing.
Malfeasance in public office, if proven, carries a jail sentence of ten to fifteen years in the UK.
According to the NYT, the maximum sentence is life in prison.
Peter Mandelson better be next!
Excellent post and valid points made and totally agree with you. I am glad he got arrested.
However, as your article makes abundantly clear, this arrest shows again that sexual assault is as always not recognised by the male misogynistic community as a crime serious enough to warrant prosecution because women are not believed when they file charges not even when there are many other victims coming forward. The fact that the corruption and bribery etc is the vehicle for prosecution says it all.
Society still blames women when men sexually assault them and still doesn’t take them seriously.
I’m sure Andrew did have sex with Virginia Giuffre and probably other of Epstein’s wretched victims, but I also think he is vain enough and stupid enough to believe that the girls Epstein furnished him with actually wanted to have sex with him - because he is such a good-looking and likeable guy. If pressed, he might allow that being a ‘Prince’ also added to his charms.
Of course, it also suited him to believe this - and to believe that the girls on Epstein’s island were they because they ‘liked partying’.
Andrew was never as rich as he thought he ought to be, and, quite apart from the sex, Epstein gave him access to the private-jet, private-island lifestyle that he felt he was entitled to. If, in exchange, he shared sensitive information that he had obtained in his capacity as a UK trade envoy (which is what he seems to have been arrested for now) - well, that’s just how you do things in those circles.
And, of course, it really suited Epstein to have Andrew believe that all this was true. And maybe at some point in their relationship he tightened the screws - let on that he had stuff on Andrew that would be really, really embarrassing if it got out.
I’m not trying to defend Andrew in any way. He is a disgusting, entitled prick. But he is also very stupid, which made him a useful idiot and patsy.
Misconduct in public office is, however, I understand from David Allen Green, very poorly defined & difficult to prove.
So let's not count chickens when we only have eggs at the moment.
Not a moment too soon frankly.
You are right Bear. This is about the abuse of power which also often goes with too much privilege, whether that be the sexual abuse of children, or the sharing of state secrets. People who think they’re above the law will behave as such. Unchecked privilege and power is what is threatening to strangle our societies, from tax avoidance & billionaire ‘ex-pat’ social commentators complaining about immigration to tech bros wanting to control every aspect of our lives. The idea that for some reason, this person, who is biologically & intellectually exactly the same as everyone else on the planet is somehow intrinsically worth more than us, and above the rules that apply to us all, is frankly preposterous and deeply damaging.
I hope this is actually the beginning of the end of this kind of obscene privilege, but I fear I’m being a bit too idealistic.
Meanwhile, there are many ways to skin a cat, and I hope the charges relating to his disgusting crimes against young women and girls will also be dealt with in time.
Excellent! Can't wait for the next headline "Andrew MW CHARGED with misconduct in public office". I wonder whether he will wear a jewel incrusted ankle tag? 🤔
If he is charged the Royals will do anything to prevent it going to trial but if it does he will get a slap on the wrist or House (luxury palace) arrest for a couple of years. He won’t be seen in public ever again. In the highly unlikely event he is convicted and sent to prison it will be the end of the Monarchy in its present form.
Have to disagree with you there. The Firm won't lift a finger to help him. They have clearly seen that their only chance to save the institution is to distance themselves as much as possible from him and it would suit them rather well if he DID end up with a custodial sentence. They could point at that and say "See? We don't tolerate bad behaviour(snort) in our ranks. We're just like you"
Most likely course of events now is for Charles to stand down sooner rather than later and his far more popular son to take the crown.
The question is will that be enough.
I hope not but that's just me.
Conjecture. He is no longer on a palace but a 4/5 bedroom farm house. The King has roundly said he will support the police and frankly for all the calls for this one and that one to comment, his is the only RF voice which matters. I see some people are saying his arrest is to protect others in the RF? Who? He is the only one to hold a trade position, the only one linked to the Epstein papers. I am interested that Peter Mandelson has not yet been arrested for a similar reason. I wonder if there is more evidence for one rather than the other.
Andrew, allegedly, is not too bright. Mandelson, for all his faults, is.
Yes that is my understanding too
Of course, once the police have someone under arrest, they can always present additional charges. Tho I may be over-optimistic there.
He is being investigated for misconduct in Public Office to protect the rest of the Royal Family. There will be no Justice for the ones who really suffered.
As you point out with Zuma, no one in authority cares about any sexual misconduct; just a perk of privilege to them so won't readily prosecute it. The situation is improved slightly and it's easier to call it out nowadays but there is still a way to go.
Agree and I have my fingers crossed that the greedy, entitled little prick gets what he deserves.