yybo L1011 international fame when he ',Yds accused a being the "gentleman banditinYolved in a series of robberies ls making good use of the publicity.
I r Bernard Pagano is lOrming a lobbying and educational organisation called Justice fin. All to help people who cannot afford the high costs (il going to Collrl to defend themselves, I r Pal„.■tinti was cleared or all the robbery
charges in a court in America last year when another man admitted he was the criminal. The case resulted in a legal bill of about £35,(XX).
He said recently: "If 1 mere plain Bernie Pagano with a wife and kids. a house with a mortgage and cars that still had to be paid for. maybe I 11 OLIIO have done things a little differently, l'or their benefit — like pleas bargaining. -.I was lucky not to be black or Hispanic or I wouldn't ha‘c swod a chance, l'he fact is these people can't supply hail money. they sit in jail.
"It was a real shocker for me to discover how much a good defence really costs. No wonder a guy gets convicted and ends up in jail. Even if he has a good chance of appeal,
hen: is he to get the money? These are some of the injustices in our system that have to he corrected.