Damilola: three arrested
Discussion
By Justin Davenport Crime Correspondent, Evening Standard
5 January 2005
Detectives hunting the killers of Damilola Taylor seized three suspects today.
In a dramatic development the three, including two teenagers, were arrested at their homes in early morning raids.
All three were held and interviewed by police during the original investigation into the murder of the 10-year-old but none was charged.
The raids took place at addresses in south London and the suspects were taken to separate police stations for questioning.
Damilola bled to death on a stairwell on the North Peckham estate after being stabbed on his way home from school in November 2000.
Four boys aged between 14 and 17 were charged with the killing after a massive police inquiry but the case collapsed amid controversy.
Today's arrests come after major developments in a new investigation into the murder led by Detective Chief Inspector Nick Ephgrave.
The move is believed to be significant and is expected to lead to charges within the next 48 hours.
Detectives are understood to have made a breakthrough in the inquiry which centres on advances in DNA forensics and evidence gathered from the crime scene.
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zetec said:
Fingers crossed they have nailed the correct people. This is the most important case for the Met since Stephen Lawrence.
Why should it be any more (or less) important than any other murder ? Do they allocate extra resources to solving crimes based on the victim's race now for fear of a backlash ?
Zorro said:
Fingers crossed they have nailed the correct people. This is the most important case for the Met since Stephen Lawrence.
Why should it be any more (or less) important than any other murder ? Do they allocate extra resources to solving crimes based on the victim's race now for fear of a backlash ?
The murder of 2 little girls in Soham attracted similar interest.
I don’t see how race comes into it.
I hope they try them as adults, or however the full penalty goes in the UK. I hate hearing about how someone committed a horrendous crime, but since they're two seconds shy of legal adulthood they'll be tried as minors...and start with a fresh clean record on their birthday or something. Kids, even warped, sick, abused ones, know by the age of 10 when they are hurting someone else and that it's wrong. In the least, lock them up in special "jail for kids" type facilities. Likely to repeat as adults.
mungo said:
C C said:
Zorro said:
zetec said:
Fingers crossed they have nailed the correct people. This is the most important case for the Met since Stephen Lawrence.
Why should it be any more (or less) important than any other murder ? Do they allocate extra resources to solving crimes based on the victim's race now for fear of a backlash ?
The murder of 2 little girls in Soham attracted similar interest.
I don’t see how race comes into it.
Racially motivated incidents get a much higher priority than none racially motivated incidents and the punishments for crime are higher too
Please explain then why the two people found guilty of racially aggravated assault after attacking me and stabbing my puppy were given six month bind-overs and weren't even made to pay my costs. Excuse me for continuing to wonder if it is because I am the wrong race.
>> Edited by Mon Ami Mate on Friday 7th January 05:50
mungo said:
Racially motivated incidents get a much higher priority than none racially motivated incidents and the punishments for crime are higher too
The basic jist then is as follows;
2 friends walking down the street, one black one white. Both get beating up, the white gets called a white to**er, the black lad a black to**er during the assault, hence racially motivated on the part of the black lad.
Two arrests are made and due to current legislation the assault on the black lad generates a higher punishment. Thus the offence on the white lad is felt less important in the eyes of the Law, fantastic
I know I'm generalising quite heavily but basically this is what should happen.
Matt I'm not having a go at you, I appreciate you were just quoting the facts and I did note you made no comment on the legislation youself.
And I appologies for having 'a go' on this tread as the murder of this young lad was horrific
Phil
The police have a lot to answer for.
Last year they arrested four people who were charged, tried but eventually resleased by the judge - because of a (perceived) unreliable witness. Clearly the coppers thought they were guilty because they wanted them to go to court, be found guilty and locked up. Doubtless, many of the public would also have considered them to be guilty but "released on a technicality". I've no doubt that some of these four chaps have had their lives totally destroyed by this accusation, despite their eventual release.
However, now the police have arrested and charged some different poeple. This means that they must have been keen to have locked up innocent people on at least one occasion.
I think it's a disgrace that the police are so fired up to get a conviction that they are prepared to push the boundaries to the point where innocent people are being arrested and tried.
Good on the judge I say. If I was falsely arrested - as at least some have been - I'd be suing the police for damages.
Last year they arrested four people who were charged, tried but eventually resleased by the judge - because of a (perceived) unreliable witness. Clearly the coppers thought they were guilty because they wanted them to go to court, be found guilty and locked up. Doubtless, many of the public would also have considered them to be guilty but "released on a technicality". I've no doubt that some of these four chaps have had their lives totally destroyed by this accusation, despite their eventual release.
However, now the police have arrested and charged some different poeple. This means that they must have been keen to have locked up innocent people on at least one occasion.
I think it's a disgrace that the police are so fired up to get a conviction that they are prepared to push the boundaries to the point where innocent people are being arrested and tried.
Good on the judge I say. If I was falsely arrested - as at least some have been - I'd be suing the police for damages.
mungo said:
[quote=C C]
[quote=Zorro]It does in a rather large way =
The Stephen Lawrence case was not treated as a racist attack at the time with police officers involved holding the exact same opinions "I don't see what difference the race makes"... the case was given no more priority than any other none racist attack, the Lawrence family felt they were treated insensitively, and as a result of this and a number of other factors of poor investigation, the police were bashed by the public and press over this... the report labelled the police "institutionally racist"
The Stephen Lawrence inquiry reccomendations include the definition for a racist incident... "a racist incident is any incident which is percieved to be racist by the victim or any other person"
Racially motivated incidents get a much higher priority than none racially motivated incidents and the punishments for crime are higher too
... in which case, the Police have moved from being non-racist, to being racist?
Oli.
mungo said:
Please explain then why the two people found guilty of racially aggravated assault after attacking me and stabbing my puppy were given six month bind-overs and weren't even made to pay my costs. Excuse me for continuing to wonder if it is because I am the wrong race.
>> Edited by Mon Ami Mate on Friday 7th January 05:50
I don't know mate I'm not the courts.
However, that would have been given a higher priority and sentance - The mind boggles as to what the sentance would have been if it was not racially aggravated - Too many shits getting away with a punishment that doesn't reflect their crime.
Were they juveniles?
No. Both 19.
Mungo, this was that time that two kids assaulted Mon Ami Mate and stabbed his dog while he was trying to walk her in the park. They both said racial slurs to Mon Ami Mate (who I think is white), and both offenders were of some Asian minority.
You can't help but wonder if the legal system is becoming intimidated by the threat of racial retaliation against "perceived" racism, so they overcompensate in the other direction? I'm sure you've heard "It's OK to be racist if you're a minority." It's the pendulum swinging in the other direction and causing the same sort of problems all over again. It's too bad cases can't be tried for what they are: the event, evidence, and suspects, but rather the whole proceedings of the trial can be steered by anticipated reactions of the public and nebulous social ramifications. I think all that advanced interpretation keeps those involved in the case from seeing what is really in front of them. The press draws very broad conclusions from individual cases and seems not to keep them in their own context, either.
You can't help but wonder if the legal system is becoming intimidated by the threat of racial retaliation against "perceived" racism, so they overcompensate in the other direction? I'm sure you've heard "It's OK to be racist if you're a minority." It's the pendulum swinging in the other direction and causing the same sort of problems all over again. It's too bad cases can't be tried for what they are: the event, evidence, and suspects, but rather the whole proceedings of the trial can be steered by anticipated reactions of the public and nebulous social ramifications. I think all that advanced interpretation keeps those involved in the case from seeing what is really in front of them. The press draws very broad conclusions from individual cases and seems not to keep them in their own context, either.
Let's be frank - it's been such blown up into such a big deal because it was (a) a child, and a (b) a black child. OK, I shouldn't have said that, I meant a child from an ethnic minority. Phew.
I really do think the whole thing got totally out of control. If a murder can be solved and the perpetrator/s caught and punished, then of course they should be. But how many lawyers have grown fat from the taxpayer's pocket on this one as they chew the fat interminably in one court after another?
I really do think the whole thing got totally out of control. If a murder can be solved and the perpetrator/s caught and punished, then of course they should be. But how many lawyers have grown fat from the taxpayer's pocket on this one as they chew the fat interminably in one court after another?
zcacogp said:
The Stephen Lawrence case was not treated as a racist attack at the time with police officers involved holding the exact same opinions "I don't see what difference the race makes"... the case was given no more priority than any other none racist attack, the Lawrence family felt they were treated insensitively, and as a result of this and a number of other factors of poor investigation, the police were bashed by the public and press over this... the report labelled the police "institutionally racist"
The Stephen Lawrence inquiry reccomendations include the definition for a racist incident... "a racist incident is any incident which is percieved to be racist by the victim or any other person"
Racially motivated incidents get a much higher priority than none racially motivated incidents and the punishments for crime are higher too
... in which case, the Police have moved from being non-racist, to being racist?
Oli.
Exactly.
By showing a racist attack higher priority than a none racist attack is itself racist...
If 2 white youths beat a black youth it is always portrayed as a "Racially Motivated" assault. When its the other way around its an assault.
And yes, I have first hand experience.
C C said:
zetec said:
Fingers crossed they have nailed the correct people. This is the most important case for the Met since Stephen Lawrence.
Why should it be any more (or less) important than any other murder ? Do they allocate extra resources to solving crimes based on the victim's race now for fear of a backlash ?
The murder of 2 little girls in Soham attracted similar interest.
I don’t see how race comes into it.
In the Damilola case my guess is that a disproportionate amount of resources are being applied not because of any kind of newly found compassion in the Met towards EMs rather a worry about what the press reaction/perception will be if they fccuk it up. Positive discrimination creep.
I sometimes wonder what that Mcpherson guy was on.
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