Melanie escapes jail after mysterious shed blaze

　

Melanie Shaw with her MP, Chris Leslie who supported
her throughout her prison ordeal.

 

This article from Neon Nettle provides a bit more information.

The sentence, for starting a shed fire and throwing paint on a neighbour’s home, came as a welcome surprise to supporters lining the gallery at Nottingham Crown Court. Some, having observed irregularities in the October trial, had been convinced of a secret agenda to silence the witness to a high ranking paedophile ring.

For Melanie Shaw, who is still fighting to clear her name through the High Court, it was the best result she could have hoped for, except for one unpalatable condition. She had to agree to a mental health diagnosis that she’s never had before. 

Speaking exclusively to Neon Nettle, she said: "I was told by my legal team to admit you’re delusional and paranoid schizophrenic, otherwise you’re going to jail. And when I got in the dock, that’s what Judge Pert said: ‘If you hadn’t been mentally ill, I’d be jailing you’. Now this is the same judge that stated Operation Daybreak is a conspiracy theory." 

"I’ve been diagnosed as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder from all the rapes as a child. But I’ve not ever been described as being delusional paranoid schizophrenic, ever."
 
"I’ve done time in prison on remand and on tag – and now I’ve got a three year probation order. There has been a miscarriage of justice."
 
The firm of solicitors acting for Melanie Shaw claimed there were no grounds to appeal the arson conviction, but the legally trained advocate who has been at Melanie’s side throughout her ordeal says she identified several.
 
"The prosecution barrister maintained that the fire service took two hours to get the blaze under control but no one came [to the trial] from the fire service to substantiate that," she said.
 
^{http://www.neonnettle.com/news/1330-victory-at-last-as-whistleblower-melanie-shaw-escapes-jail\}

The last paragraph is particularly interesting  because it was reported in the Nottingham Post that there were two gas cylinders inside the shed at the time of the blaze, but they did not explode. If it took the fire service two hours to get the blaze under control that is something which is difficult to believe.
 

See also http://www.neonnettle.com/news/1304-paedophile-ring-whistleblower-melanie-shaw-sentenced-without-evidence-