A brave & courageous girl, let down by the 'justice' system

A brave & courageous girl, let down by the 'justice' system campaign photo, 1 of 4A brave & courageous girl, let down by the 'justice' system campaign photo, 1 of 4
A brave & courageous girl, let down by the 'justice' system campaign photo, 2 of 4

  • C
  • R
  • M
69 donors
Fundraiser’s main image
0% complete

£1,269 raised of 

A brave & courageous girl, let down by the 'justice' system

A brave & courageous girl, let down by the 'justice' system

0% complete

£1,269 raised of 

69 donations
Donation protected
She went to work to protect the public. She came home broken, betrayed, and now , convicted .

Six years ago, a female prison officer stepped into a cell and was punched full-force in the face by a violent man serving an eleven year sentence. It was the first and only time in her long, exemplary career that she drew her baton.

Dazed, bruised, and instinctively defending herself, she struck back.

She aimed for his arm. He moved, and the baton struck his head.
One single strike.
A minor cut.
No lasting injuries.
He was glued and discharged from hospital the very same day.

She, on the other hand, has spent six years in agony.

Investigated. Disbelieved. Dragged through the system.
Treated not as the victim of an assault but as a criminal.

Why did the police and CPS fail her so badly?
Why were witness statements written two years after the incident by the individual and unreliable sources?
Why wasn’t her statement taken? Why weren’t her injuries photographed a couple of days after the incident?
Why did the investigating officer seem hell-bent on getting her charged?

There is something very wrong with this story and how it ever ended up in court.

Now, after six years of hell, she has been convicted.
Not because there was any evidence of the allegation.... BECAUSE IT DID NOT HAPPEN!!!

Witnesses contradicted each other. Some didn’t even see what happened.
They relied on vague memories, reading from statements they wrote themselves, years later.
The only witness who was actually in the cell said they saw the man punching someone in the face.
But somehow, that didn’t matter?

The jury couldn’t grasp the law. This job was too complicated for them. How sad.
They were taken in by the manipulating, grooming criminal, who claimed he wasn’t violent.
(Maybe he was serving an 11-year sentence for failing to return a library book?)

Maybe the Barristers could have dumbed down and spoke the 'jury's language' and put it as follows (sarcasm alert):

  • Violent thug in prison.
  • Thug punches good, honest, brave prison officer in the face.
  • The punch hurts this prison officer and so she thinks she should stop him from hurting her further.
  • Prison officer draws baton, for the first time ever (she's always been respectful to people and so never before has someone decided to treat her like a punch bag).
  • Thug moves and baton hits his head
  • Thug has cut that gets glued. Brain still in the fabulous condition it always was.
  • Thug restrained by 4 prison officers BECAUSE HE WAS GENTLE AND COMPLYING (hilarious)
  • Prison officer seeks medical assistance and injury photographed
  • Prison police officer notified
  • Police prison officer deals with prison officer as suspect against the thug (the first of many screw ups)
  • Thug has good claim up from prison ... wooohooo, holibobs for criminals , love it.
  • Prison don't tell him to sod off but instead pay him off to go away. Good skills :)
  • Thug claims PTSD (..really?), I hope his former victims didn't suffer this.
  • Prison officer waits just a mere 6 BLOODY years for this to get to court
  • Prison officer spends nearly 2 weeks in court listening to the the gaggle of 'witnesses' who actually saw nothing but claim they did. (Hold on, is there something fishy going on here ... Could there possibly be a whiff of another PRIVATE SECURITY COMPANY ( begins with S, ends with O) pay out, as they do offer such wonderful incentives for false claims).
  • Prison officer meets her jury. Some may have travelled from Mars.
  • Jury spend time deliberating what the word BELIEF means. Really exciting stuff.
  • Judge politely tells jury that this has feck all to do with what they're supposed to have been discussing.
  • Jury come back and they have decided that violent thug man in prison might actually be a victim of this lovely girl and that she must have just had a moment of madness and started assaulting him for no reason. She must also have had 5ft arms to reach out of the cell where he ended up laying. (Flipping love extra long arms, very handy for instances such as this)
  • The police prison officer goes home feeling they have achieved good for us public. Deluded ???
  • Maybe the prosecution goes home wondering about their cynicism and complacency.
  • The poor bloody girl goes home wondering what the hell went wrong and how defending herself and telling the truth has resulted in her being seen as less trustworthy than thug man. WTAF!!!!!
  • Onlookers are anxious about how a bunch of 12 people can royally screw up so bl**dy much.
  • Even the judge 'seemed' confused by the verdict.

Frankly, the officer who built this case should be ashamed of their policing and the CPS should explain how it got this far.

She’s now lost everything.
Her career. Her peace of mind. Her sense of self. Her future.

She has a young son who needs his mum, but she’s been broken by the very system that was supposed to protect her.
She wasn’t just a prison officer , she was someone who walked into danger so others didn’t have to.
She looked after the violent members of society and protected you from them.

And for that? She’s been hung out to dry.
As members of the public, do you really want our prison officers to have to take punches to their face or you send them to prison? WHAT IS GOING ON?

This fundraiser is for her legal costs, her survival, and a lifeline for her and her little boy while they rebuild.
Because no one should be punished for protecting themselves. And no one should be sacrificed to a broken system.

She’s doing everything she can to stay strong for her son.
She’s trying to hold her head high But her life has been shattered.

And this story isn’t just about her.

It’s about every officer.
Police, prison, ambulance, fire, soldier and every public servant who risks their own safety and ends up right where she has: In court. Disbelieved. Betrayed.
Judged by twelve strangers with no understanding of violence, fear, or the split-second pressure of having to act.

She used force because she had to.
It was necessary. It was proportionate. It was reasonable.
But this got ignored (???)
Instead, the word of a violent convicted man, who, as I previously mentioned, conveniently received a financial pay out from PRIVATE SECURITY COMPANY was given more weight than hers (WHY ????)

That payout sent the worst message of all:
That the system backed him, not her.
That her black eye, her trauma, her years of service meant nothing.

This isn’t justice. It’s a disgrace.
And it should make every single person ask: Why would anyone want to serve the public if this is how we treat them?

Please..... I know there are hundreds of GoFundMes.
I know everyone needs help.
But this isn’t just about one woman.
It’s about standing up and saying: “The system screwed you but we won't.”

We can’t undo what happened in that courtroom but we can help her get back up again.

Even if it’s just £2 — please, take a stand.
Send a message.
Let her know that the country she served still stands behind her.

There are going to be lots of tears tonight, please help show our brave men and women that you have their backs.

Thank you for reading this

Vicky x
Donate

Organizer and beneficiary

Vicky Palumbo
Organizer
England
K B
Beneficiary
  • Other
  • Donation protected

Your easy, powerful, and trusted home for help

  • Easy

    Donate quickly and easily

  • Powerful

    Send help right to the people and causes you care about

  • Trusted

    Your donation is protected by the GoFundMe Giving Guarantee