User:TrulyBlue/Haase

John Haase (born Liverpool, UK in 1948) and his nephew Paul Bennett are career criminals with convictions for bank robbery and drug smuggling. In 1996 Haase and Bennett were given a Royal Pardon 11 months into 18 year prison sentences for heroin smuggling, having provided information leading to the seizure of firearms. The Home Secretary, Michael Howard, was criticized for the decision, and in 2008 Haase and Bennett were convicted of having set up the weapons finds to earn them their release, and sentenced to 20 and 22 years in prison respectively.

Smuggling investigation

Haase and Bennett were arrested in 1992 following a long investigation by the British Customs and Excise organisation which was subsequently described in a book by one of the investigating officers. Officers followed a major heroin shipment (worth approximately £18 million) destined for Liverpool as part of a larger investigation into 'Volkan', a Turkish heroin smuggler. As the officers arrested many members of the gang in and around Liverpool, Haase and Bennett nearly slipped through the net, but were arrested in Croydon, south London.

Trial and sentence

After sentencing the pair to 12 years each in prison, Judge David Lynch wrote privately to the Home Secretary, recommending that he 'exercise the Royal Prerogative of mercy' on account of information that the pair had given that had led to the seizure of illegal firearms. Michael Howard ordered their release, and they served less than a year of the sentence. Police recovered many firearms, including Kalashnikov assault weapons, Armalite rifles, Thompson machine guns, Uzi sub-machine guns, shotguns, ammunition and Semtex explosive.

Perversion of the Course of Justice case

Doubts were expressed as to the authenticity of the information that Haase and Bennett gave, and local Liverpool MP, Peter Kilfoyle campaigned for an investigation.