Mackenzie Shenton became one of the youngest people ever to be released from criminal detention in Stoke today when Fenton Magistrates Court, the highest court in Stoke, released him after he served seven years in a cell at Hanley Police Station after having been arrested for "lingering with intent".
Shenton, 24, emerged with his mother, Sue (aged 50), on to the steps of the court, where, in front of a crowd of chavs and crims, he was sprayed with WKD by the friends and supporters who have long campaigned for his release.
Shenton, of Longton, was just 18 when he was arrested by Staffordshire Police for "lingering with intent" near to Tesco in Longton. He was kept in cells awaiting criminal charges for seven years. The magistrates court is now expected to ask Staffordshire Police to drop all charges against him.
Outside the court, Staffordshire Police spokesman, PC Barry Shanks, said: "I am just shocked. I knew this would happen, the courts are a load of shite. Staffordshire Police has gone through hell, keeping this little scrote in our cells for seven years without charge, it is like we were all being tortured. All of us have suffered. We kept him out of society's reach, and this is the thanks we get?"
The only evidence against him was two witnesses who claimed Shenton was "looking shifty" near to the supermarket. One of the witnesses was a middle class old woman, the other was a Daily Mail reader.
Shenton, 24, emerged with his mother, Sue (aged 50), on to the steps of the court, where, in front of a crowd of chavs and crims, he was sprayed with WKD by the friends and supporters who have long campaigned for his release.
Shenton, of Longton, was just 18 when he was arrested by Staffordshire Police for "lingering with intent" near to Tesco in Longton. He was kept in cells awaiting criminal charges for seven years. The magistrates court is now expected to ask Staffordshire Police to drop all charges against him.
Outside the court, Staffordshire Police spokesman, PC Barry Shanks, said: "I am just shocked. I knew this would happen, the courts are a load of shite. Staffordshire Police has gone through hell, keeping this little scrote in our cells for seven years without charge, it is like we were all being tortured. All of us have suffered. We kept him out of society's reach, and this is the thanks we get?"
The only evidence against him was two witnesses who claimed Shenton was "looking shifty" near to the supermarket. One of the witnesses was a middle class old woman, the other was a Daily Mail reader.
Shenton's release comes after a campaign run by friends and family and supported by the entertainer Jonathan Wilkes. Wilkes criticised Staffordshire Police and demanded answers. He said there had been "a cocking outrageous miscarriage of justice" on BBC's Blue Peter. He also added: "This is up there with OJ Simpson's sensational trial of the 1990s as one of the best, and you can read all about my take on it in my forthcoming book, 'Jonathan Wilkes: The Long Walk to Freedom'."
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