John Voysey and supporters outside Wrexham Magistrates' Court Photo: Indymedia UK
John Voysey pleads not guilty
Court appearance sees 'not guilty' plea from John Voysey
An eighty-two-year-old Quaker has pleaded not guilty to breaking the Census Act, saying he has a right to freedom of conscience. John Voysey, of Ludlow Meeting, refused to complete the census after the contract for running it was awarded to a division of multinational arms firm Lockheed Martin (see ‘Court for census boycotter’, 6 January).
John appeared at Wrexham Magistrates’ Court last week, as around twenty-five supporters demonstrated outside. He told the court that if found guilty he would go to prison rather than become ‘an accessory’ by paying a fine.
He is one of about 400 people who are in the process of being prosecuted for refusing to complete the census. The total number of boycotters is thought to be much higher.
John registered as a conscientious objector to military service in 1947 and later became a Quaker. In court, he cited the Human Rights Act and insisted that the prosecution would cost more than it gained. He also objected to being tried in Wrexham, around sixty-five miles from his home. The prosecution said that the case is straightforward, because the law requires every adult to complete the census.
A pre-trial hearing has been arranged for Wrexham on 2 March.
