Post by Tony Dunkley on Apr 19, 2023 10:32:42 GMT
Here's the Blake Organ spiel that Deards' felt it necessary for the so-called Trust's so-called Legal & Governance Services to pay some big league Hampshire law firm to concoct, . . probably because Lucy Barry, the so-called Trust's professional liar of a Solicitor-Advocate's old pal from Shoosmiths' days, Zoe Wright, was by now one of the firm's Partners :-
BLAKE
MORGAN
Strictly private and confidential
Not for publication
New Kings Court
Tollgate
Chandler's Ford
Eastleigh SO53 3LG
T: 023 8090 8090
F: 0844 620 3407
E: jill.bainbridge@blakemorgan.co.uk
www.blakemorgan.co.uk
Our ref: JJB/00651858/000033
11 January 2021
Dear Sir
Our client: Canal & River Trust
We are instructed by Canal & River Trust ("the Trust") which is, as you are aware, a charity and statutory authority
with responsibility for over 2000 miles of inland canals and waterways in England and Wales and takes
reputational issues very seriously. It has come to their attention that the Website Thunderboat, operated through
ProBoards contains a chat thread General Boating Cart the only charity that works to make people homeless
(thunderboat.boards.net/thread/6872/cart-charity-works-people-homeless?page=22) which
contains a wide variety of comments posted by you which are untrue and misleading and are defamatory of the
Trust and members of their staff.
Our client wrote to you on 1 December to express their concerns, in particular regarding posts on 18 November
2020 at 12.43am and 25 November 2020 at 8.04am.
The posts contained allegations regarding the Trust and a member of their legal team (who had previously been
identified by name in earlier posts, Lucy Barry) suggesting that "doctored" evidence had been provided to the
court and that the Trust paid bribes to opponents. These allegations are utterly without foundation and
categorically untrue.
The posts are likely to cause serious harm to the reputation of Miss Barry and the Trust, and are intended to do
so. They are defamatory of them and constitute malicious falsehood.
Subsequent postings by you during the months of November and December 2020 regarding the Trust and their
personnel repeat references to "doctored" evidence, fraud, individuals retained by the Trust "posing" as bailiffs
or being bogus etc. Again these claims are false and utterly without foundation and are defamatory and constitute
malicious falsehood.
The Trust accept that it is legitimate for customers to express their views online in relation to genuine boating
matters or customer service issues, and that there may be vigorous differences of opinion over matters of policy.
What is not acceptable is to publish unsubstantiated allegations attacking individuals for no good reason as part
of what appears to be a settling of scores.
Despite the Trust writing to you on 1 December setting out their concerns you have not
removed the posts and indeed have made further posts with similar content and indeed
posted the content of the letter of 1 December.
We take the view that is conduct is abusive and violates the ProBoards Terms of Service and in particular clauses
18 and 19 in that the posts amount to objectionable content which is defamatory, abusive and threatening and
is also false and misleading. Accordingly we have been in touch with ProBoards who have reviewed the content
in question and removed the offending posts.
The purpose of this letter is to advise you that our client will continue to monitor your activity on social media and
in the event that further similar material is published by you they will not hesitate to take further action and this
may include commencing legal proceedings against you. They reserve the right to refer to this correspondence
should this prove necessary.
Yours faithfully
Blake Morgan LLP
I'll find and post the 1 December 2020 letter from C&RT Ltd that's referred to above.
Here it is, . . sent at 1646hrs on 1 December 2020 :-
Mr Anthony Dunkley Our Reference: LB/TD
01 December 2020
By email only: tonydtrent@gmail.com
Dear Mr Dunkley
Thunderboat Posts dated 18 November 2020 and 25 November 2020
I am writing to you in relation to two posts written under your screen name which appear on the Thunderboat Message Board site on 18 November 2020 at 12.43am and 25 November 2020 at 8.04am (attached for your ease of reference).
The first post on 18 November 2020 states, amongst other things, “Could it be the ability to argue convincingly before a Judge who has already been fed ‘doctored’ written evidence on the eve of the hearing – something C&RT’s now leading Solicitor/Advocate did at the Court in Chester in December 2016 when her then employers, Shoosmiths, were opposing the Injunction preventing C&RT from selling the Liverpool Lightship”.
The second post on 25 November 2020 states “You’re on the right track about why C&RT don’t want ANY of their so-called ‘legal wins’ back in Court for a second scrutinizing at Appeal, though. The stuff C&RT’s lawyers trot out the first-time round is so weighed down with malpractice, calculated misdirection of the Court, and on occasion even false – ie. Tampered with or knowingly misquoted – (written) evidence, that to expose it to a thorough re-examination by the Appellate Court would be tantamount to professional suicide.
As to the amounts of cash they’re prepared to blow on bribes to forestall Appeals, I think Leigh Ravenscroft’s (best part of) £90,000 is probably somewhere near to the top of the table!”
It is clear from the 18 November, and from previous posts in this thread where she is referred to by name, that you are referring to Lucy Barry and are alleging that she provided ‘doctored’ written evidence to the court, which is categorically not true. You are also stating that Canal & River Trust (“the Trust”) is paying bribes to opponents. The posts are likely to cause serious harm to the reputation of Miss Barry and the Trust, and are intended to do so. They are defamatory of them and constitute a malicious falsehood.
I accept that it is legitimate for customers to express their views online in relation to genuine boating matters or customer service issues, and that there may be vigorous differences of opinion over matters of policy. What is not acceptable is to publish unsubstantiated allegations attacking individuals for no good reason as part of what appears to be a settling of scores.
The purpose of this letter is to require the following within the next 7 days:
1. Removal of the above-mentioned posts, and any posts which have subsequently tagged and reproduced these posts from the Thunderboat website;
2. Publication of a retraction on the Thunderboat website of the allegations made in these posts in terms to be agreed with Miss Barry and the Trust; and
3. Your undertaking not to republish the allegation made in the above-mentioned post or any similar allegations of Miss Barry or the Trust.
In the meantime, Miss Barry and the Trust reserve their rights, including in relation to damages and costs.
Yours sincerely
Tom Deards
Head of Legal & Governance Services
________________________________________________
The above few lines of ducks farting obviously cost C&RT Ltd nothing, . . the cost of the equally pointless follow-up letter from Blake Morgan - with the equally empty threats - is anybody's guess.
Before re-posting my original reply to Deards' pitiful missive, I'll give Thunderboat's small contingent of mindless trolls a bit of time to respond, . . in the unlikely event of them having anything intelligent or worthwhile to say.