Committal for Contempt of Court: Singh

Crown CourtCommittal for Contempt of Court

CAO Ref. 202102441*B1*1
Case Ref. S20210518

IN THE CROWN COURT
AT SNARESBROOK

Date: 20/07/2021

Before:
HER HONOUR JUDGE LEES

Between:
R E G I N A
-v-
SATVINDER SINGH

MR ALISTAIR RICHARDSON appeared for the Prosecution
MR SHAUN MURPHY appeared for the Defendant
———-
RULING
———-

JUDGE LEES: Having heard all of the evidence in this case, I am satisfied so that I am sure that
after her son was convicted, whilst the jury remained in deliberation in relation to an
outstanding serious charge in respect of the co-defendant, the mother of the defendant,
Satvinder Singh, who now faces contempt of court proceedings, approached a number of
jurors as they returned from a break, from lunch. It had become standard practice during the
imposition of Covid regulations at court and have been in position before and during
certainly the trial.

Mrs Singh deliberately went to the area outside the jury room in the annex of this
court. She sat there and she waited for the returning jurors in the minutes before their
required return.

None of them [inaudible] during the seven weeks before in that area. There was no
reason for her to sit in that area. The trial was taking place in a court room upstairs. There
are many, many more seats upstairs and there was space upstairs, not only the seats outside
but in the court room and also in rooms which are off that corridor upstairs.

I find that at times, Mrs Singh was pretending to use her mobile telephone and at
other times she had the phone connected to another line. In my judgment, there is in fact
little difference between the two in this case because what I am concerned with is what her
purpose was in saying the words she said, so there’s little difference between the two.
Having listened carefully to the evidence of both the individual jurors and to that of
Satvinder Singh and watched the evidence of [inaudible] of her behaviour on the CCTV
footage, I am satisfied so that I am sure that Mrs Singh intended her words to be heard by
the deliberating jurors and intended that they feel intimidated and/or threatened by them.

Applying the criminal standard, I find that each of the jurors told the truth in this
court before me in these proceedings and that Satvinder Singh is an untruthful and dishonest
witness. I find that the jurors were intimidated and some felt threatened as described
variously by them and that that was intended by Mrs Singh, knowing that, of course, as the
jury did as she did, the seriousness of the offences that they were still trying and the family
connections Mrs Singh has [inaudible] those jurors.
—————-
Ubiqus hereby certify that the above is an accurate and complete record of the proceedings or part thereof.