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Man cleared over burning Grenfell effigy model film Man cleared over burning Grenfell effigy model film
(about 1 hour later)
A man who filmed a cardboard effigy of Grenfell Tower being burned on a bonfire has been cleared of posting "grossly offensive" material.A man who filmed a cardboard effigy of Grenfell Tower being burned on a bonfire has been cleared of posting "grossly offensive" material.
Paul Bussetti shared the video which he took at a party in south London on WhatsApp, and it was subsequently posted on YouTube, the court heard. Prosecutors claimed footage recorded by Paul Bussetti at a London party was racist but the 47-year-old said it was a "joke" only shared between friends.
Prosecutors claimed it was racist but he said the figures on the model were meant to represent him and his friends. He was found not guilty after it was revealed a second video from the party had also been shared on WhatsApp.
The 47-year-old was found not guilty at Westminster Magistrates' Court. Magistrates said they could not be sure the film was that taken by Mr Bussetti.
Last-minute disclosure of evidence revealed on Thursday afternoon that a second video of the incident had been taken by someone else. The prosecution's handling of evidence in the case was described as "appalling" by Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot.
Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot said: "I cannot be sure the video relied on by the Crown is the one taken by the defendant." The clip of the cardboard building, which had "Grenfell Tower" written on it, was recorded at a party attended by about 30 people in south London on 3 November, Westminster Magistrates' Court heard.
The clip of the cardboard building, which had "Grenfell Tower" written on it, was recorded at a party attended by about 30 people on 3 November last year. It was later uploaded to YouTube and sparked outrage, with a relative of one of the 72 people who died in the blaze on 14 June 2017 calling it "revolting".
It sparked outrage online and a relative of one of the 72 people who died in the blaze on 14 June 2017 said it was "revolting". Mr Bussetti, of South Norwood, was accused of sending "grossly offensive" material via a public communications network.
Mr Bussetti, of South Norwood, had denies sending "grossly offensive" material via a public communications network. He told magistrates the effigy had been created by his friend and the characters featured on the model were meant to represent "the majority of people that were at the party", not people who died in the disaster.
He told the court the effigy had been created by his friend Steve Bull and was meant as a joke "about us". One black-clad figure, who was referred to as "ninja", was meant to represent his friend's son who did martial arts, while his own image had been on the other side of the box, Mr Bussetti said.
Asked who the characters on the effigy were, he said they were "the majority of people that were at the party" who had all found it "funny".
One black-clad figure who was referred to as "ninja" was meant to represent his friend's son who did martial arts, while his own image had been on the other side of the box, the Mr Bussetti said.
The father-of-two said he shared the footage with about 20 people on two WhatsApp groups but he had never intended it to go further.The father-of-two said he shared the footage with about 20 people on two WhatsApp groups but he had never intended it to go further.
When prosecutor Philip Scott suggested he sent the footage because it was in keeping with other "highly racist" content he shared, Mr Bussetti replied that it was "just banter" and denied being racist.When prosecutor Philip Scott suggested he sent the footage because it was in keeping with other "highly racist" content he shared, Mr Bussetti replied that it was "just banter" and denied being racist.
He also told the court he had not originally told police that the people in the tower were him and his friends because he was "scared" and "nervous".' 'Colossal bad taste'
'Appalling' disclosure Just before Ms Arbuthnot left court to consider her verdict at the end of the two-day trial, defence barrister Mark Summers QC revealed he had just been made aware of evidence that a second video was recorded.
As the trial drew to a close the prosecution was criticised for failing to disclose evidence until the end of the case. He argued it meant there was "absolutely no way" to know which piece of footage had made its way onto YouTube and gone viral.
It was revealed another video of the model being burned was taken by someone else and posted to a separate WhatsApp group, which the defence claimed had not been disclosed to them. Clearing Mr Bussetti, Ms Arbuthnot said she could not be sure the video used in the case was taken by him.
The person who filmed that footage, and the man who made the effigy, both said the figures on the model were of the defendant and his friends. She also said while it was "in colossal bad taste", she could not be certain the figures on the tower were not Mr Bussetti and his friends.
The defence team argued it is was not clear whether the footage which ended up on the news and online was that taken by Mr Bussetti. The chief magistrate added she was "appalled at the disclosure in this case" with the last-minute evidence helping to avoid "a potential miscarriage of justice".
His lawyer Mark Summers QC said: "We have very, very serious doubts about the integrity of this prosecution." A second charge of causing footage of a "menacing character" to be uploaded on YouTube against Mr Bussetti had earlier been dismissed.
Ms Arbuthnot said: "I am just appalled at the disclosure in this case."