Hicks pleads guilty

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

An artist's impression of David Hicks, left, who sits with his defence council in the US military courtroom in Guantanamo Bay.

Photo: AP

David Hicks has entered a guilty plea, after an initial hearing which was immediately thrown into disarray when the judge effectively disqualified two of his three lawyers.

Hicks appeared in court wearing an olive green outfit, and thongs on his feet. The judge warned his defence counsel that in future he should not appear in prison-type clothes, in order to make sure that his presumption of innocence was maintained.

Hicks's hair was long, reaching down to his shoulder blades, but he had shaved off a long beard for his first court appearance in two and half years.

He looked in reasonable health, although, as his father Terry said, he looked puffy.

He was unrecognisable from old photographs of him, although the extra weight has made him resemble his father.

He spoke in a grunting, loud voice, protesting about the loss of his lawyers. The judge offered to let them remain on his defence table for the day, but Hicks said he wanted them as his lawyers, not advisers.

He appeared in reasonable spirits at the beginning of the proceedings, but as his defence team left the room, leaving only Marine lawyer Major Michael Mori, he appeared increasingly worried.

For most of the proceedings he squinted, concentrating on the legal argument.

He was led into court being held on each arm by two military guards, who placed his hands on the defence table before a third guard pushed the seat in as he sat down. He was not allowed to stand up when the judge entered the room.

The presiding judge, Colonel Ralph Kohlmann said that Major Michael Mori’s assistant could not, at least for the moment, represent him because she was not a serving member of the military.

The judge also decided that Hicks’s civilian lawyer, New York criminal attorney Joshua Dratel could not represent Hicks because he had not signed a form demanded by the court saying he would conform to the regulations governing proceedings.

Mr Dratel protested strongly, saying he could not sign the form because the regulations governing the conduct of attorneys had not yet been formulated by the Secretary of Defence. He was not going to sign a blank cheque for his ethical obligations.

The judge also ruled in his own favour when Major Mori, who was left alone at the defence table, attempted to argue that judge Kohlmann was not impartial because he had not only effectively ruled against Hicks's defence team, but had also tried to schedule the hearing last week, when Hicks's civil lawyer was unavailable.

The judge also refused to follow the defence’s suggested schedule of hearings, saying it would mean that the trial would not get underway until 2008.

His father Terry met with him for more than two hours before the hearing.

He said: “He just wants to get back to a normal life, and he knows that John Howard and the Government is frightened that he will do something when he gets back. What the hell is he going to do, he did nothing in Afghanistan.

“His main aim is to come back to Australia, see his kids, and settle down.”

The Australian Demorats and Greens today condemned the ejection of Hicks's lawyers, saying it was further evidence of the the judicial process being rigged against the Australian.

"That's the problem with a kangaroo court, it makes its own rules," Democrats leader Lynn Allison said in Canberra.

"It's a continued abuse of justice and of David Hicks himself.

"We must remember this is just the beginning. It could be several years before he's brough to trial proper."

Australian Greens leader Bob brown compared the dismissal of Hicks's lawyers to the processes under the former Soviet Union's legal system.

"This court is nowehere near the level of justice that we expect in a Western democracy, particularly in Australia.

"It's got the Howard Governement's tick of approval but it is mightily unpopular with Australians and as it's unfolding it's going from bad to worse."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/hicks-ple...ge#contentSwap1

[Otto 83]

I guess becoming a terrorist seemed like a good idea at the time didn't it David?

Now pleads guilty after all the misguided supporters pledge to free him...undeservidly so I bet..

~Rant

I'm sure he can explain why he was in Afganistan at an Al Qaeda training camp...

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I guess becoming a terrorist seemed like a good idea at the time didn't it David?

Now pleads guilty after all the misguided supporters pledge to free him...undeservidly so I bet..

~Rant

I'm sure he can explain why he was in Afganistan at an Al Qaeda training camp...

Ditto