John Leslie can't have it both ways

The Observer reports today that John Leslie, about to be tried for indecent assault, is attempting to use the new Human Rights Act to dismiss the charges against him, arguing that the torrent of (unfavourable) tabloid publicity has made it impossible for any jury to be unbiased.

Ulrika Jonsson said in her autobiography that she was raped by someone in the TV industry, and, as the Observer reports, “As recently last week, newspapers which cover Jonsson’s activities were still reporting that Leslie was accused of raping her.” (Note the very snooty “newspapers which cover Jonsson’s activities” bit - obviously Sunday newspapers of record are above reporting such things, except, of course, when they affect weighty matters of, er, celebrity-media relations.) Jonsson is not the woman named in the suit against Leslie.

Having said that, Leslie’s solicitor, Jason McCue, is treading some very dodgy ground. Scotland Yard has, apparently, an “elite Special Enquiry Team” which concentrates on cases involving celebrities. Quoth McCue: “I do have a fundamental problem with a squad to deal with celebrities. It creates a minority, and when you do that, you create a potential for unfairness.”

It takes guts to argue that the case should be dismissed because your client is a celebrity and there’s been too much pre-case publicity, and at the same time complain that the police are treating it as a celebrity case.