Friday 7 November 2008
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13:12
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Harriet Harman's trade unionist husband today spoke of the terror he felt when two fathers' rights campaigners climbed onto his house's roof dressed as comic book superheros.
Speaking at the protestors' trial, Jack Dromey said he thought Fathers4Justice campaigners Jonathan Stanesby and Mark Harris were burglars trying to break into his house.
Dromey, who is Labour Party Treasurer and husband of the Labour deputy leader, said the invasion of his home 'was a matter of alarm and continuing distress'.
Two Fathers 4 Justice campaigners at their rooftop protest at the home of Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman
The deputy leader of the Transport and General Workers' Union - who has himself taken part in numerous political protests - went on to criticise direct action on people's private homes as 'out of bounds'.
Jonathan 'Jolly' Stanesby, 43, and Mark Harris, 49, who are both from Devon, scaled Mrs Harman's three-storey home in south-east London on June 8 this year.
Harris was dressed as 'Cash Gordon' and Stanesby was wearing a Superman outfit, but called himself as 'Captain Conception'. Once on the roof the pair unveiled a banner reading: 'A father is for life; not just for conception'.
The protestors later claimed they had got onto the house by simply entering the garden through an unlocked gate and propping a ladder against the building's wall.
It is thought that Miss Harman was targeted because, in her previous role as Solicitor General, she was accused of not doing enough to open up access to the family courts.
Shock: Labour Party Treasurer Jack Dromey and wife Harriet Harman
Fathers' rights campaigners have also claimed that Mrs Harman has done nothing to support their cause, despite hinting that she supported their aims.
As a result of the protest, which started at 8.15am and lasted around six hours, Mrs Harman, 58, and her husband had to temporarily vacate their home.
Yesterday Mr Dromey, 60, related how, on the morning of the protest, he had been woken by loud thumping which he thought was made by burglars.
He told Westminster Magistrates Court: 'This was a heavy thumping just above me which led me to conclude to my horror that somebody was trying to break into our house.'
He added: 'I've lived in that house for 31 years. I love the house. We've brought our kids up in the house. We're proud of the house.
'Our home was invaded, that was a matter of alarm and continuing distress. It's an experience we would never wish to go through again.'
Mr Dromey said he could not condone the protesters' actions, saying: 'Nothing can ever justify invading someone's private home. Private homes and private lives are out of bounds.
'You should never, ever violate their personal privacy, their personal homes.'
Stanesby, a stonemason, and Harris, a driving instructor, have pleaded not guilty to a charge of harassment. Stanesby has also pleaded not guilty to a further charge of failing to follow a police officer's instructions. The trial continues.
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