PROTEST BY BRITAIN AS RUSSIANS AGAIN DELAY DRUG RETRIAL

By Alan Philps in Moscow

THE British embassy was last night preparing a stiff protest to the Russian
authorities after the retrial of Karen Henderson, the teenager accused of
trying to smuggle 10lb of cocaine into Moscow, was adjourned for a third time.

Henderson's lawyers, who opposed the adjournment, accused the court of
playing "dirty tricks" and suggested that the authorities were trying to
delay the hearing as long as possible.

The delay was prompted by the failure of the head of the customs service at
Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, where Henderson was arrested, to appear in
court. It was the third time he had disregarded a summons.

Though the defence was willing to proceed without his evidence, the
prosecution insisted on his presence and the judge adjourned the trial
until Dec 1. Henderson, 19, has been in detention in overcrowded,
liceinfested cells since February last year.

Karinna Moskalenko, one of the defence team, said: "These adjournments are
no coincidence. The court is playing dirty tricks with us."

She added: "No one should be forced to stay in jail awaiting the appearance
of a witness who in any case is not so important. Karen is in effect
serving a sentence that has not been handed down by a court of law. This is
not justice."

Henderson's mother, Patricia, said after the hearing: "We are upset,
disappointed and angry." She accused the Moscow prison authorities of
moving her daughter from cell to cell in order to weaken her spirit and
"show who is boss".

"At the moment, she is sharing a cell with 60 people," said Mrs Henderson.
"She has been moved twice in the last fortnight. While Karen is being quite
strong, she gets upset when she is moved. No sooner has she learned to cope
with the unhygienic conditions the lice and the cockroaches than she is
moved on. This upsets her terribly and gives her nightmares. One of the
prison officers knows that is Karen's weak point."

A British embassy spokesman said a strong protest was being prepared and
was likely to be delivered to the Russian Foreign Ministry today.

"We intend to make our concerns known about these delays and stress the
importance of bringing this case to a conclusion," the spokesman said.

Henderson, who was born and lives in Holland, was found guilty of drug
smuggling in October last year and sentenced to six years in jail. But the
judgment was overturned on appeal because of a lack of proper
interpretation at the trial.

The retrial was scheduled for Sept 30 but has been repeatedly delayed
because of the chronic disorganisation of the Russian justice system.

Henderson began her pretrial detention in Moscow's ancient Butyrskaya jail
but is now in a more modern prison, newly converted from a dryingout
centre for alcoholics.