I absolutely agree with Julian Young (see [2011] Gazette, 3 November, 12) in respect of the under-acknowledged efforts of defence practitioners at the time of the riot arrests and courts. Two further issues need to be aired. First, it is high time that we challenged the received wisdom that the police and courts were confronting an unprecedented outbreak of violence. This proposition withstands scarcely a moment?s serious consideration. There must be many practitioners apart from myself who remember only too vividly the poll tax riots and their aftermath. read more