TNAG-0684-FCO40-833-Representations-about-Mr-Christopher-Clements-facing-murder--1977 — Page 109

G C Thornton Esq C

Solicitor General

Legal Department

Central Government Office HONG KONG

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233-4777

10 May 1977

LETTER FROM MR KEITH STAINTON MP ABOUT MR CHRISTOPHER CLEMENTS

1. I enclose a copy of a letter Lord Goronwy-Roberts recently received from Mr Keith Stainton MF about Mr Christopher Clements who, as you know, is at present remanded in jail custody in Hong Kong on a charge of murder.

2.

Consular Department has already consulted you on the general back- ground to Clements' case (your telnos Distress 7 and 8 of 25 April and 2 May), Clements' entitlement to legal aid (your telno Distress 9 of 3 May) and on his rights as to correspondence (your telno Distress 11 of 9 May).

3. You will see that the latter point, on the receipt and despatch of On the basis mail, is the first that fir Stainton raises in his letter.

of the information you have provided, Consular Department have now submitted a draft to the Minister. The final paragraph of this commits the Minister to "looking into the further points which you raise in your letter" and "writing again in due course". I write now to seek your counsel as to how the department should advise the Minister to reply to the other more general points in the remaining sub-paragraphs (2, 3 and 4) of Mr Stainton's letter.

4.

We could, of course, simply rebuff the point that Mr Stainton makes in sub-paragraph 2 (on the "pretty worthless" nature of your legal aid system!); it is, of course, made without any substantiation whatsoever. But something slightly more helpful would perhaps be appropriate? I write as an amateur: but a comparison between your own and the UK's legal aid systems would seem more suitable? What do you think?

5. I imagine that it is in respect of sub-paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 that

It is Mr Stainton endorses his letter "private and confidential". difficult to know why he has done this but perhaps he does not wish Mr Petre Crowder MP to know that his views have been quoted in a letter to you.

As an amateur I cannot comment, too, on the "pressure of legal

- but I would dates" to which Mr Stainton refers in his last paragraph like to get a draft before the Minister as soon as possible.

Encl

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T J David

Hong Kong & General Department