Lawyer X - Police

[Baggers]

The idea Lawyer X was horrified by the criminality of her clients and decided to put morality above legal rules might be a bit of a self-serving fantasy. It seems the genesis of all this was when she was arrested by police for drug offending when she was a law student. The police seem to have used this “kompromat” to turn her à la the KGB. I haven’t bothered to stay on top of her story but IIRC she was a CI before the Purana taskforce was a gleam in the Police Commissioner’s eye.

Looked at in this way, would it be okay for the police to send in a spy to manipulate legal proceedings and feed information to the police? It reminds me of accounts which suggest as much as 10% of some civil rights and other groups in the 60s were paid FBI informants (who may have influenced events) and illegal wiretaps were commonplace.

Not sure what you mean by 'manipulate legal proceedings'. A spy sent in to feed information to police seems sneaky, yet it may well be the difference between a crook continuing to harm people and sent to jail. Moral dilemma.

Illegal wiretaps may also deliver evidence of serious crime and hence bring the perpetrators to justice yet it, too, is sneaky and seemingly dishonest - as suggested by the name 'illegal wiretap.' Another moral dilemma.

An extreme example. I hear of a neighbour being a pedo... but he's a pillar of the community and is untouchable. All attempts to bring him to justice has resulted in the kid being shamed and accused of lying, so no more families come forward. So, I break the law by trespassing and put him under surveillance and see him violating a child so I film it.

How many moral dilemmas in that scenario? If I just film it and show the authorities, how many violations may occur in the interim - ruining a life or lives? Yet I obtained the evidence illegally. Would it be inadmissible? What if I smashed in the door and beat the crap out of him then reported it along with the film evidence? Illegally obtained film, breaking and entering, assault... I should end up in jail, but I stopped the crime, but it may well continue and I end up with a police record!!! Another moral dilemma.

Within the law we have dilemmas it would seem. Perhaps it's the letter-of-the-law, vs, the spirit of the law, vs equity? And when they clash? Holy mackerel! As Kermit said (as a metaphor), "It aint easy being green."