27 JANUARY 1967, Page 13

Quick Justice ELE44ER2 40 nE IHNITOE From: Thomas Roe, I.

C. Jones, Miss Elisabeth Andrew, C. L. Wade, Hugh Ross Williamson, Edward A. Armstrong, Derek Marks, Janice Ingram, D. Moore-Gwyn, Peter Stein, Stephen du Sautoy, Patrick Hutber, Admiral Sir W. M. James, Will J. Gibbins, Air Commodore M. W. Palmer, E. Wingfield-Stratford, C. H. Sisson, Kenneth Young.

SIR,—I read all R. A. Cline had to say on the subject of the unfortunate Austrian who has appealed to the Court of Human Rights (Decem- ber 2). I should be most interested to hear the result of his appeal. My circumstances are somewhat similar, with the important exception that this country (Switzerland) has not signed the Convention.

I have just completed seventeen months of im- prisonment without trial and have not seen the light of any sort of court during that time. I am due to come up for trial in February, when it will be eighteen months. It is a very long time, par- ticularly to an English lawyer, and this detention is solitary confinement with no contact with any other Menu; and part of the time was spent in secret, which means no visits, no correspondence, no exercise and, above all, no contact with one's lawyer. . . . I need not stress the appalling effect on one who is already completely lost. I remember reading about the Spanish Inquisition at school, but never expected to meet it face to face! I have been repeatedly refused bail. One of the reasons given is that I am a foreigner.

I have just received a copy of the law reform Bill from home and am studying it closely. I am sure that there are still many things that are not perfect, but you can take comfort in the old saying that there is nothing to beat British justice. It is the simple truth and one can give thanks to those wise old birds who in 1679 passed the Habeas Corpus Act . . . perhaps they will get round to it in 2079 here, but I don't think one can expect them to modernise at quite such a rash pace. I have read recently Peter Baker's fascinating book and was sad—and some- what disillusioned—to read of his sad end. There was so much in his book that one understood so well. I have decided to write the story of all my adventures later, for I feel they could be of con- siderable interest THOMAS ROE

Prisons du Bois Mermet, Lausanne 1000, Vaud, Switzerland [See 'Spectator's Notebook' on page 96.]