Key witness in police funded civil action is a proven liar

In a sensational and very recent development it can now be proved that the central witness in North Yorkshire Police‘s High Court pursuit of two journalists over harassment claims is a liar.

And not just a little white lie, either. There is at least one whopper that could land Jane Kenyon-Miller in a criminal court.

Documents seen by me as part of extensive enquiries into the background of a police investigation, codenamed Operation Hyson, show that she made a false statement in an earlier and directly connected police probe, Operation Rome. Both these operations sought to silence critics of the force who were seeking to expose police corruption.

As Mrs Kenyon-Miller’s statement was made pursuant to Criminal Procedure Rule R27.2, Criminal Justice Act 1967 and under a declaration that states ‘I shall be liable to prosecution if I wilfully state in it anything which I know to be false, or do not believe to be true’, this leaves the police with a serious problem. Do they apply the law without fear or favour, or bow to her influence as former Chair of North Yorkshire Police Authority and friend of the Deputy Chief Constable, Tim Madgwick (pictured above with Jane Kenyon as she was then known).

That particular lie concerns Mrs Kenyon-Miller’s association with troubled American company, Belvedere Computers Inc. She remains listed as the Chief Financial Officer and Agent for Service: A matter of indisputable fact that she has consistently tried to conceal.

In her CJA statement, given to Operation Rome detectives in 2012, she stated that Belvedere was wound up in 1983. The truth is that the company’s two officers left a trail of creditors and unpaid staff behind them when they returned to the UK. The company is still listed as suspended – not wound up – and there are ongoing Federal and State tax liabilities accruing. It was unpaid taxes that led to the suspension of the company by the California Franchise Tax Board (see graphic above).

The Chief Executive Officer of Belvedere Computers Inc is Thomas William Miller, the long-term life partner and recent husband of Jane Kenyon-Miller.

Mrs Kenyon-Miller has also claimed in another statement that she resigned as Secretary from Belvedere in 1980. Below is an image of a microfiche of the last company document ever filed with the California Secretary of State. It shows her still holding two official postions with the computer company.

Belvedere is not the only failed company with which the Kenyon-Millers have been associated. In 2009, Pickering based Dales Timber Ltd crashed owing over £200,000. Bill Miller was sole Director and Jane Kenyon was Company Secretary. A police investigation followed this latest failure, but no charges were brought. The victims of the alleged fraud, which include one of Mr Miller’s sons, remain bitterly disappointed in how the matter was dealt with by the police. I have interviewed Jeremy Miller and his wife, Karen, at length regarding this. I have also spoken to Bill Miller’s ex-wife, Pamela.

Since then, other lines of enquiry have been opened up and two other crucial witnesses have come forward to also give witness statements and provide contemporaneous documents. New light can now be shone onto these failed ventures and the emerging picture is one that does not show the best side of North Yorkshire Police. There appears to have been a sustained cover-up designed to shield Bill Miller and Jane Kenyon from any form of sanction.

The police cannot claim that they haven’t been provided with the necessary clues: A more detailed analysis of the chequered life and business times of Bill Miller, and the former Jane Kenyon, can be absorbed from this outstanding piece of forensic journalism posted on the Real Whitby website as long ago as 2012 (click here).

Returning to the Jane Kenyon-led harassment claims, Operation Hyson is the codename for the civil court action being financed from police funds. It is estimated that the final cost of Hyson may be in excess of £500,000. Mrs Kenyon-Miller’s personal benefit, in free legal fees, would in that case be in excess of £50,000. Her friend, DCC Madgwick is also claiming to have been harassed by journalists and is receiving a similar amount of free legal fees.

It is a well grounded belief that Mrs Kenyon-Miller, a Borough and County Councillor for many years, was the driving force behind Operation Rome. A spectacular and embarrassing failure for North Yorkshire Police which, they say, cost the taxpayer a sum close to £410,000. More than the money spent on the second stage of the murder hunt for the killer of Claudia Lawrence (read more here). Operation Hyson was started immediately after Rome collapsed, seemingly on the same money no object principle.

Given her business background, and chequered family history, it is almost beyond incredible that Jane Kenyon held the legal and financial portfolios at Scarborough Borough Council until recently.

Other official documents that I have seen confirm that Mr Miller is currently the subject of at least one Department of Work and Pensions fraud investigation with a hearing planned within the next few months: A matter about which his wife, Mrs Kenyon-Miller, claims to have no knowledge.

The civil court case is on-going so further comment regarding its merits or likely outcome is not possible at this time.

Comment has been sought from Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan, who has authorised the legal funding of Mrs Kenyon-Miller’s civil harassment claim, and the Chief Constable, David Jones, who is a co-claimant in the civil action and fellow recipient of free legal fees. Both (pictured below) claim to be committed to embedding the Code of Ethics into their police force.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson provided this response on behalf of the two police chiefs: “Due to ongoing legal proceedings it is not appropriate for them to make comment at this time”.

A follow-up question has been put to the force that does not impact on the civil court case: ‘Is it the policy of NYP to prosecute offenders who make deliberately false CJA statements in criminal investigations?’

This is their response: ‘It would be inappropriate for North Yorkshire Police to comment’.

A further clarification has been sought on the basis that they did not understand the question. The question regarding CJA statements was then passed to the Chief Constable’s office on 4th March, 2016.

A more detailed background piece I wrote last year on Jane Kenyon-Miller, a person whom I met when I was Managing Director of the Scarborough Evening News, can be found here.

This page last updated: Friday 4th March, 2016 at 2125

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© Neil Wilby 2015-2016. Unauthorised use or reproduction of the material contained in this article, without permission from the author, is strictly prohibited. Extracts from and links to the article (or blog) may be used, provided that credit is given to Neil Wilby, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.