Dear Dr Wozniak
EXCLUSION FROM LIBRARY PREMISES
I write to inform you that the Head of Library and Information Services has now had the opportunity to consider your letter of 4 October addressed to the Chief Executive and in particular the nineteen paragraphs dealing with events on 17 September 2002 at Exeter Central Library.
It is acknowledged by you that you did indeed rip up a number of forms on display. Your legal sophistry in justifying such actions fails to impress. The concern must be that you were prepared to behave in such a manner when it was abundantly clear that your recent behaviour had caused the local authority to consider exercising its powers to exclude you from library premises.
The Council can have no confidence that you will behave in an appropriate fashion whilst on library premises in the future. Nowhere in the voluminous correspondence you have entered into with the Council do you make any concession to modify your behaviour. Indeed, it seems clear that you will continue to act in the same way regardless of entreaties to the contrary.
It is also noted that you have not raised any particular matters in your letter of 4 October in support of continuing to be allowed to visit libraries in Devon.
As such, the Head of Library and Information Services has decided to exercise her power to exclude you from all library premises provided by Devon County Council with immediate effect. Her power to do so is contained in Byelaw 24 of the relevant Byelaws. This provides:
"Every person, who within the view of the library officer, contravenes any of the foregoing Byelaws may be excluded or removed from the library by such an officer if:
"(a) his name and address are unknown to and cannot readily be ascertained by the officer; or "(b) from the nature of the contravention or from any other fact of which the officer may have knowledge or be credibly informed there is reasonable ground for belief that his continuance in the library may result in another contravention of the Byelaws or that his exclusion or removal from the library is otherwise necessary for the proper use and regulation thereof."
The need for any continuation of the ban will be reviewed in six months time, that is to say on or around 15 April 2003. Any representations you wish to make so far as the ban is concerned will be considered.
The exclusion of anyone from library premises is a serious step which is not taken lightly. The Council expect you to comply with what is in effect a ban from library premises. If you do not, then further action will be taken.
Finally, there is one further matter which I need to raise with you and that is the question of future communication with the Council. Please desist from sending unsolicited e-mails to employees of the Council. I have advised staff that such e-mails should be treated as "junk mail". Any future correspondence you wish to have with the Council should be addressed to the County Solicitor. You can expect no response if you write to other officers or to Members.
Yours sincerely
J A SWEENEY
Assistant County Solicitor