BY DAVID SAPSTED
Daily Telegraph, 21.03.2000, p.3.
Not many of the SAS soldiers who served with John White during the Gulf war would have recognised
him in court yesterday. The maroon dress, matching lipstick, rather fetching moon-and-sun earrings and the three cuddly toys clutched to his bosom never have been the stuff normally associated with a 13-year Army veteran, let alone the special forces.
White, though, still packs a manly punch, according to prosecutors. Despite being hit with a baton and squirted with CS spray, he still managed to injure all eight of the officers required to arrest him after he was spotted acting suspiciously in Maidstone a year ago.
White, 37, who stands 6ft 2in, now prefers
to be known as Joanna. "I left the Army last year because I liked wearing
dresses," he said before yesterday's hearing. The former signaller with
the SAS, whose
"exemplary" service record included stints
with the SBS and intelligence services, denied assaulting four of the officers.
Police were called last April after White, then dressed as a man, was allegedly seen in O'Neill's pub in Maidstone with a claw hammer. The two female officers who attended immediately called for back-up.
When two male officers arrived, they tried
to handcuff him but a brawl broke out that spilled into an
alleyway. Four other officers became involved
in restraining him, and all suffered minor injuries, said Sara Haroon,
prosecuting.
One of the officers, Sgt Conrad Gerrard,
told Maidstone magistrates: "I started to search White and
noticed how strong and muscular he was.
"I warned White I was going to handcuff him but I just couldn't get his
arms behind his back. "I had hold of his right arm but he swung it
and I was thrown aside like I
wasn't there. He was just stronger than
all of us put together."
As the brawl moved into the alley, Sgt
Gerrard shouted to colleagues to spray White with a CS
canister, though "it seemed to have no
effect on him". The officer drew his baton and hit White across the
legs but it made no difference. "We were tossed around like rag dolls,"
said the 6ft 4in 16-stone officer.
White, from Heathfield, East Sussex, is
separated from his wife. They have one adopted child. The case continues.