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Metric martyr delighted as case dropped
A so-called metric martyr has spoken of her delight after charges accusing her of labelling the weight of groceries using the wrong measurement were dropped.
Market trader Janet Devers, 64, was charged with failing to price goods in metric.
She was due to stand trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court, east London, yesterday faced with four charges of failing to label groceries such as dates and sweetcorn in the metric system as well as selling by the bowl.
But the four charges were dropped after the prosecution offered no evidence and said it was not in the public interest to pursue the case.
Last year the trader, who operate out of a market in Dalston, east London, was convicted of eight charges under the Weights and Measures Act in a prosecution brought by Hackney Council.
She was given a two-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay 5,000 costs.
Through choice Mrs Devers opted that four similar charges – the ones that were dropped yesterday – be heard by a jury.
She has since launched an appeal against those eight initial convictions. It is due to be heard next month at the court.
European Union Commissioners have previously ruled that Britain can carry on using imperial measurements such as pints, pounds and miles.
After the hearing Mrs Devers said she was delighted the charges had been dropped but could not understand why her appeal was still being contested.
She said: "I never wanted to be a metric martyr in the first place.
"I'm very pleased that Hackney Council have used common sense at last and I'm very happy about the outcome of today."
On her appeal she said: "I thought it was all going to be over and finished with today. I can't quite understand why they want to go ahead with it... I've really had quite enough now. It's 19 months of stress and aggravation."
Judge Judith Beech ordered that Mrs Devers would not have to pay costs for three previous court hearings connected to yesterday's case. The costs would now be met by central funds.
Neil Herron, spokesman for the campaign group Metric
Martyrs, said these costs could run into thousands of pounds.
He said the decision to drop Mrs Devers's case was a "watershed" and a "mark in the ground".
He added: "Finally we've got a victory before the court. We hope that common sense prevails in Hackney Council and they decide that it isn't proportionate and it isn't in the public interest; they will be able to get a great deal of support if they decide enough is enough and drop the case.
"I don't think there's a politician in the country who would disagree."
He said public defiance in fighting the metric laws had been vital.
"If it hadn't been for the British public standing behind us and standing shoulder to shoulder with Janet and everyone else the little guy would have been squashed a long time ago."
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