NARK LEECH

NARK LEECH

The one thing that is consistent about Mark Leech is his overblown ego and
posturing as some kind of self-appointed spokesman for prisoners as though noone else's opinion counts and such a sensitive guy is this parody of a man called Mark
Leech that like a big girl's blouse he launches into the world of the conspiracy
theorists that everyone is out to get him and to him that is unforgivable as he lets
loose with vitriolic abuse even against the more diplomatic and civilised criticism
of him. Gentleman (or gentlewoman) he is not, but a hate filled individual who is
consumed with rage and rant.

I cannot help but notice how he has clashed with the widely read prisoner's
newspaper Inside Time which relies entirely on prisoner's contributions be it
articles, letters, queries even poetry and so forth but what does Leech produce? The
paper Converse which [is] so full of solicitor's adverts that there exists little room for anything else except the word according to Mark Leech and aimed at believers in him.

Naye, a platform for abuse, for how else does he explain the play on the title of
Inside Time in his 2008 Converse issue - 'Inside Slime', so tragic, so petty oh so
childlike and so inane?

Grow up Leech.

That he can get personal about people and in this case I mean prisoners shows why
people hold him in contempt. He abuses Ben Gunn a regular writer for Inside Time
and labels him a columnist with a small c and waves him goodbye as he plans a
holiday in Thailand where he has a house (a house?). Well, as someone suggested
recently, people especially men go to Thailand for one of two reasons. One, for
cheap drugs,' and the other for cheap under age sex and Leech has no history of
drug misuse.

Of course, we cannot leave out his main supporter and quite disgracefully so a
prisoner, Dee Wilde-Walker of HMP Low Newton.

Now, we cannot ever imagine the basis of such a relationship. A gay HIV (Heavy
Into Vitriol) wannabe a 'prisoner expert and spokesperson' (person?)' and a female
who perhaps might be a fag hag or child abuser (yes! the NSPCC reported back in
the 1990s that most child abusers are mothers which makes sense for they are the
ones children spend most time with especially single mothers and abuse can be
anything can it not including emotional and mental abuse) who shares Leech's
contempt for male prisoners.

Naye, men in general perhaps, for why should she assume that Benn Gunn is a
domestic violence perpetrator. In any event, so what? He is doing his time and it
might be good advice that she should focus on hers and doesn't allow herself to
become as bitter and twisted as her mentor Leech.

Now to Converse.

What does it represent to prisoners apart from being a platform for personal attacks
and mouthy Leech at play.

Take for instance the current issue of Converse where Leech claims not to take a
penny in salary or otherwise from the paper. What the fuck does he want?
An accolade? He takes plenty from other sources relating to prisoners which
enables him to swan around the country in a helicopter like the time he visited
Grendon and landed nearby. Was he there to talk to cons? No he was there to arse
lick and found cons walking out of a meeting at which he was giving a talk or
rather rubbing shoulders with the prisoner's captors - the screws. I would have
puked.

Leech goes on to attack the Directors of Inside Time and somehow shows his
ignorance of the law and here is someone who claims he is a fucking Perry Mason
and a marvel to modern jurisprudence. For Leech's information, a person can draw
a salary from a voluntary organisation including registered charities. You see there
is a difference between a statutory body like the Job Centre and a voluntary body
like MIND which I am certain Leech is only too familiar with. Those at MIND
including their charity fund raisers do draw a salary as do charity shop managers.
The body is a voluntary body in that it exists on public donations and fund raising
and not Government funding. Would you believe that the boss of OXFAM earns a salary which would disgrace Leech's?

On second thoughts perhaps not.

I would suggest that anyone wanting to know what Leech might derive in income
to look at the websites associated with him. Books, DVDs, courses etc. etc. and of
course consultancy fees for putting himself as a self-appointed expert on prisons to
such likes as the media.

Some time ago, a friend of mine sent an email to Leech asking if there was a
discount for prisoners on his Prison's Handbook. No reply. My friend followed it through with an undertaking to buy 30 copies for prison libraries if there was a discount. Yes! you have guessed it, Leech answered almost immediately with an offer to reduce the cost. Now we have it an entrepreneur first and foremost, fuck the cons.

A bit like when he recently sacked the distribution firm which distributed Converse
for him so that he could cut costs and do it himself and why not?

After all, the supposedly 44,000 copies he claims to circulate is entirely suspect and bogus and that is from the horses mouth. More like 5,000 we are reliably informed.

He makes great play on the silly OK logo as representing those solicitors who have
completed the Prison Law Course of his as if it's the pinnacle of legal practice.
No it's not anymore than a practitioner in Mental Health Law needs to undertake a
two bob course in psychiatry or psychology. Good practice and knowledge comes from experience and there are many many good prison law lawyers whose reputation and skills derive from exactly that. They have trod the path of both prison law litigation and the representation of prisoners and an OK logo is no substitute for that. In fact, the logo is all the evidence one should need to steer clear
of those whose names and firms appear alongside the symbolic tick and OK for his
very name and attitude towards certain prisoners creates a definite conflict of
interests between solicitors who he is favourably disposed towards because he has
given them a tick and an OK and the client.

Moreover, the Prisoner's Advice Service in London a long and well established
prisoner's legal rights body which offers FREE legal advice and in some cases
legal representation for prisoners runs its own prison law programmes and seminars
for solicitors and barristers. Indeed, the PAS is made up of barristers, solicitors,
academics and representatives of government departments and non government
bodies.

Professionals indeed, not a tick and logo brigade.

In addition, the Prisoner's Legal Rights Group Bulletin a highly informative
publication and published periodically for prison lawyers by the PAS is entirely
FREE to prisoners and there we have it, a proper legal body that truly represents
prisoners.

The full time solicitors who work for the PAS which is a registered charity are paid
employees so there you are Mr Leech, a confirmation that those who work in the
voluntary sector are able to draw a salary but then they are lawyers and should
know shouldn't they?

Mark Leech displays all the features and would no doubt meet the criteria of a
diagnosis of personality disorder which might explain why he served a period in
Grendon Psychiatric prison at one time. Either he was sent there or volunteered but
either way it is clear there was something psychologically wrong with him he
should join the therapy freaks where he was no doubt encouraged to grass people
up as is common in Grendon and cry in his coffee as he confessed his past
misdemeanours, again another common feature of Grendon. So fucking sad really.

I would recommend those looking for something to brighten their day to read, 'A
Product of the System' a self-pitying narrative of Leech's life and oh yes! when he
was nicked in Scotland for robbery and jailed he joined the thousands of innocent
prisoners in UK jails for he didn't do it. He didn't do it because he said so. He was
innocent and just another fucking victim says he.

Well, he came out good didn't he? for he arse licked Martin Narey the one time
Director General of the Prison Service who according to Leech brought about many
beneficial changes in the lives of prisoners. God pray, can you give us a clue Leech? What fucking changes?

What planet are you on Leech and where was you when all these changes came
about? Or did you hear about those changes from Narey himself who you quite
boldly and in print call your friend (friend?). Is Leech so sad and so short of friends that he needs the one time head of the Prison service as one?

Perhaps he really is deluded and needs a shot of therapy again. There are names and
descriptions given to people who appear to be favourably disposed to one side
whilst serving the interests of the other and when I hear that Leech is a called a 'wrong un' by some people, I have to make them right.

Now that Narey has left the Prison Service, Leech no longer has any remit for
downplaying all that which is very Wrong with the Prison Service. He has no
Martin Narey to answer to now but if he thinks he can claw back any reputation he
thinks he might have he is sadly mistaken. It really is too late.

Sign up for that therapy now Leech which clearly you so desperately need and do
us all a favour.

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Note the above is from an anonymous author and was sent to me, and I felt it deserved a wider audience. It is not a personal attack from me upon Mark Leech. Therefore, Mr Leech might prefer not to read it and I suggest he does not do so. You have been warned you might be offended by the content. This notice comes better late than never.

Technical note the copy and paste does not appear to have worked out very well, and attempts to rectify it have so far defeated me.