21/04/05 - Statement of Tony Earl Thompson
Surname: THOMPSON
Forenames: TONY EARL
Age: Over 21
Occupation: JOURNALIST / WRITER
This statement (consisting of 15 pages each signed by me) is true to the best of my knowledge and belief and I make it knowing that, if it is tendered in evidence, I shall be liable to prosecution if I have wilfully stated in it anything which I know to be false or do not believe to be true.
Statement Date: 21/04/2005
Signed: T.THOMPSON
Further to my previous statements made to Hertfordshire Police concerning Darren NICHOLLS. I have contacted Essex Police because I want to clarify some points in those statements. The reason I want to clarify these points is because one of my previous statements may have given the wrong impression.
This was the statement regarding Francis REED. The second reason is I have received requests from the Defence Solicitors from a personal point of view I would rather the Police record my account, which I know, will eventually be disclosed to the Defence Solicitors in this case.
The first point I would like to clarify is regarding the Television Programme that LWT were going to make. The contracts for this TV Programme had been signed before the trial.
Darren NICHOLLS stood to receive thirty thousand pounds for making the programme. However the project was abandoned because it was unworkable. It was impossible to hide Darren NICHOLLS identity.
Therefore at the time of the trial there was no expectation that he would make a large amount of money.As far as I was concerned in the lead up to the trial the only deal he was involved in was for the book 'One Way Out'.
Darren had received around three thousand pounds in advance for the book. I think this money was paid into an account with a firm of Solicitors. I believe Darren received some small amounts of money from this account when he was on bail.
The second point is that after the trial there was a second television deal between myself and LWT. The rules regarding payments to a witness with Criminal convictions had changed. I would therefore receive the money and then pay Darren.
This meant LWT could deny any knowledge of money being paid to a witness with criminal convictions. I wish to clarify this was a completely separate deal with a separate contract. This contract was not signed by Darren.
The total payment was eighteen thousand pounds, which came in three stages. Six thousand initially followed by a further six thousand and a final six thousand, which was never received because of Legal Action surrounding the programme. In total I received two thousand, pounds and Darren received ten thousand pounds. This was all conceived after the trial, it had no connection to the trial.
It could not be seen as a financial motive to give false evidence at the trial. I would also like to point out that within the contract for the book 'One Way Out' there is a clause relating to the making of a film of the book. This is because the initial discussion with LWT was with regard to making a feature film.
LWT pulled out of this deal because Darren NICHOLLS gave oral evidence at the commital proceedings. His evidence was therefore in the public domain and they did not need him to make a film. Again this proves there is no financial value to the evidence Darren gave at the trial. The only information of value was his experience of being in the Witness Protection Programme.
The focal point of the book was going to be the Witness Protection Programme because it was unique. This did not rely on the outcome of the trial in fact a not guilty verdict may have added even more value. Darren's initial motivation for the book was how he was going to be portrayed by the press, he wanted to have a chance to explain what he had done.
This was a stronger motivation than financial gain. I did explain to him that he was not going to make a vast amount of money from a book. I told him he would get more money from a newspaper. Darren felt the newspapers would write what they wanted whereas a book would be researched, and be around for a few years.
Darren was also worried that the Police would stitch him up once he had given his evidence. He feared they would drop him from the Programme and leave him unsupported. He thought if the book portrayed the Police in a bad light they would think twice about stitching him up.
Darren's handlers told him a Senior Police Officer was also writing a book. This was David BRIGHT who subsequently wrote a book called Catching Monsters, which touches upon the Rettendon Murders.
I would like to say that Darren NICHOLLS never told me he had told lies or that he was going to lie. The only area I thought Darren was not being entirely truthful about was the fact that Francis REED did not know what was going on when they went to Amsterdam and Belgium.
My suspicions were first aroused at the trial when the Defence made such a big issue out of it. It seemed obvious that Darren was not being truthful because of the line of questioning. It was also obvious the reason the defendants knew he was not being truthful was because they themselves were not being truthful.
They could not admit that Francis REED knew because this would implicate themselves. After the trial, while writing that section of the book I challenged Darren about this, he didn't say anything different to what he'd said at the trial. Although he did add that even if REED had known that, NICHOLLS would not have said anything.
Darren admitted that at some point during the journey REED would have been able to work out what was going on. When I wrote this passage in the book I changed the details to make it sound less stupid. The version of events Darren gave in court did not make sense and would have interrupted the books narrative.
This was my decision alone Darren was not consulted nor was he aware I had made the changes. His role in the book was purely interviewee he had no part in the actual writing or editing. During initial negotiations about the book it was going to be a first person account by Darren.
This would have meant me writing it from his point of view. However it soon became obvious that he did not know some of the players and had not been present at some of the key events. The first person account was obviously not going to work so I wrote the book.
The book was always going to include the Rettendon Murders because it was so high profile and they were the reason he was in the Witness Protection Programme. I would like to say there was never any discussion about the book or television programme being dependant on a guilty verdict at the trial.
Darren NICHOLLS was under no pressure from me, the agents or the publishers to lie in order to get a guilty verdict. There would have been no financial benefit in him doing so. I would also like to clarify details of my first contact with Darren NICHOLLS I think I previously told the Hertfordshire officers I first had contact with Darren in August (00/08/0000).
In fact I now believe he telephoned me in July 1996 (00/07/1996) Since giving my statements to Hertfordshire I have subsequently learnt that I had a meeting with my Agent in July 1996 (00/07/1996). I became aware this meeting took place in July 1996 (00/07/1996) via my agent Caroline DAWNAY who had received correspondence from the Defence Solicitors for WHOMES.
The Solicitors had sent Caroline a letter they had obtained from the publishers Little Brown Limited. This letter mentioned she had met with Darren the week before. As a result of Caroline receiving this letter she telephoned me and asked me if she should speak to the Solicitor.
I told her there was an appeal coming and that if anything we would be witnesses for the Crown and in the first instance should give statements to the Police or Crown Prosecution Service. At the same time I also had a letter from the Defence Solicitors asking for me to contact them.
It was for these two reasons that I contacted Essex Police in February 2005 (00/02/2005) and asked to speak to the Officer in Charge of the Rettendon Murders. I was subsequently telephoned by Acting Detective Inspector WHITE of Essex Police.
I contacted Essex Police to inform them I was available to give evidence at the Appeal if required. As I have said in my previous statements Darren made the initial telephone contact with me. I then went to Harlow Police Station where I first met Darren. I think I may have visited him at Harlow on two occasions. As a result of these meeting I arranged for him to meet Caroline DAWNAY.
The initial phone calls from Darren had been a couple of weeks before the meeting with Caroline. I cannot recall the exact date of the meeting between Darren, Caroline and myself. This meeting took place at a private club in Covent Garden called Two Bridges. The meeting took place at lunchtime, myself, Darren and Caroline were the only people present.
As I recall Darren was in London to meet his Barrister. I met Darren outside the Two Bridges, he was not accompanied by Police Officers however I recall he was texting them during the meeting to let them know he was Okay. It was my understanding Darren was on bail but residing at a Police Station he was not subject to stringent conditions. Our meeting lasted between ten and fifteen minutes, Caroline offered him lunch but he declined.
Thinking back i think Darren may have invented an appointment with his barrister as a cover for the meeting with me and Caroline. Caroline explained her role as an Agent and that she got ten percent of any deal. I wanted Caroline to meet Darren so I would have credibility with the publishers and to prove that I was actually in contact with him.
Also Caroline had never met a criminal and I wanted her to get a feel for his character, which I hoped, would come out in the book. Darren then left, Caroline and I discussed which publishers we were going to approach.
As I recall Darren first telephoned me as result of seeing Gangland Britain which I recall came out in paperback in July 1996 (00/07/1996) he saw it and called me.Darren also told me he had seen Gangland by James MORETON and had fried to contact him but had been unsuccessful.
in my previous statements I explained that I may have signed one of the contracts on Darren's behalf. I may have signed other documents on his behalf because it was difficult to get access to him.
Signed: T.THOMPSON
Signature witnessed by: DC RAYNER |
