Partner Ernest Aduwa comments on the acquittal of Labour councillor Ricky Jones in The Daily Mail, ​​The Independent and The Evening Standard

Partner Ernest Aduwa comments on comparisons drawn between the acquittal of Labour councillor Ricky Jones and the conviction of Lucy Connolly, following a high-profile verdict that has sparked widespread debate around the concept of “two-tier justice.”

Ernest’s comments were published in The Daily Mail, ​​The Independent, The Evening Standard, MSN UK, AOL News, Yahoo News and 153 regional news publications.

“We need to be honest about what is going on here. The verdict in the Ricky Jones case was not political, it was legal. A jury listened to the evidence, tested it, and decided unanimously he was not guilty. That is not bias or “two-tier justice” – it is the justice system doing what it is supposed to do: separating facts from noise.

“Comparisons with the Lucy Connolly case are misplaced. Lucy Connolly pleaded guilty. There was no trial, no cross-examination, no jury. She admitted the specific offence: stirring up racial hatred online. That is a distinct charge with its own legal test.

“Ricky Jones faced a different charge: encouraging violent disorder, with a high burden of proof. The jury decided the Crown had not met it. That does not mean the protest was not passionate or loud – it means there was not enough evidence to prove intent to incite violence. That distinction matters.

“I understand why emotions run high. But flattening two different situations into one misleading narrative does no favours to justice. Each case turns on its facts. The fact that a black man at a protest can receive a fair trial and be acquitted should be seen not as an injustice, but as proof the system can still get it right.

“The law is not perfect, but it must rest on evidence – not opinion, pressure, or politics.”