‘It is like the justice system has given up’

Sometimes the justice system fails the family of murder victims.

Five years ago Nattallie Correa, 27, was found battered to death after a fire at her flat in Dagenham. Her boyfriend, who escaped the blaze with her two youngest children, was charged but acquitted after a retrial at the Old Bailey.

Nattallie’s family are now left in limbo.

As her sister Mellissa says in a letter to murdermap:

The worst thing is the murderer is walking free right now due to the justice system. It is a disgrace and the pain my family are still going through is never going to leave us, because it is like the justice system has given up on the whole case, when really someone from outside the case should look over everything properly because my sister is too special to get forgotten about.

My sister’s case is listed as unsolved. So what does that mean that she murdered herself and set herself on fire? Please if anything at all could be re-looked in to or could be done please we will be so grateful or please let me know if I could do anything by myself to get my sister’s case open again. I need help I can’t forget what has happened and I will never give up on my sister’s memory.

Mellissa still remembers the day that she was told about her sister’s death.

On the 19th November 2009 at 4am in the morning I got a knock on my address, I answered the door it was a police constable standing there he asked if I was Mellissa Correa and could he come in I said yes his first words was could I sit down I went no tell me what’s wrong please, he’ said I’m so sorry there has been a fire at your sister’s address and the children and the male are out safe but I’m sorry your sister was inside and has been pronounced dead, my heart felt like it crushed I fell to the floor and lost my breath crying, the first words I cried out to the officer was no it isn’t true my sister has never smoked or had candles lit at night, never, I said there’s something seriously
wrong here I tell you. That afternoon the police came and informed us that my sister was murdered the family were distraught even more.

Mellissa also accuses the police for a ‘lack of effort and commitment’ during their investigation. She adds:

Hopefully my sister’s case will get looked at carefully and thoroughly like it should have been in the first place.

Anyone with new information should contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Is the murder rate rising again?

An article in The Times newspaper last week  (Three deaths in a weekend sends murder rate soaring) highlighted the increase in London homicides so far this year.

In January and February 2015 we counted 26 homicides compared to 12 across January and February 2015.

So does this suggest a new trend or is it just an unusual spike?

A look at the Metropolitan Police’s rolling 12 month homicide figures suggests the last two years (up to January 2015) both saw 104 homicides, suggesting this is just a spike after a very quiet summer and autumn of 2014.

It should also be noted that we counted 12 homicides in March 2014 (equal to both January and February 2014 combined). As of today (14 March 2015) we only know of two homicides this month.

We will keep an eye on the statistics over the coming months and return to this subject in a later blog.

UPDATE on 4 April: We counted six homicides in March 2015, bringing the total to 32 this year, compared to 24 over the first three months of 2014.

Detected and Undetected Homicides 2003-2013

Last month the Metropolitan Police released data on the number of homicides between 2003 and 2013 under the Freedom of Information Act.

The data also reveals the number of homicides classed as ‘detected’ and ‘undetected’.

Sanction Detections refer to ‘police generated detections’ where the accused receives a punishment or sanction (charge, caution, summons) from the police.

Non-Sanction detections (Other) are used for cases resolved through administrative means, such as when the accused dies or the CPS decide not to prosecute.

The percentage of undetected homicides during this period range between six per cent (2009 and 2011) to 14 per cent (2007).

YearOffencesSanctionOtherUndetected 
2003216181926
2004188171314
20051811432018
2006172147322
2007163134623
2008155140114
200913012028
2010125111113
201111810927
201210694210
201310889415

Other Freedom of Information releases include:

The number of homophobic and transgender hate homicides between financial years 2007/8 and 2012/13 (four homophobic and one transgender hate)

The nationalities of murder victims in 2013 (28 UK Nationals, 29 Overseas Nationals, 37 not recorded).

Review of 2014

The Metropolitan Police official homicide list gives a total of 92 homicides for 2014.

This figure, which includes murders, manslaughters, corporate manslaughters and infanticides, is a 15 per cent decrease on the previous year, 2013, with 109.

We have added 85 cases to the website for 2014 and are awaiting further updates on several others which have not been confirmed publicly as homicides (rather than suspicious or unexplained deaths).

This post and the graphics shown below will be updated as more information arrives. Updates will be listed at the end.

Looking at the confirmed cases for 2014 and comparing them to previous years, we can see that the number of shootings has reached a new low, while fatal knife attacks have increased.

The number of female victims also decreased to 22 (from 39 of 108 in 2013).

The number of teenage victims remains relatively low at eleven, compared to 12 in 2013.

Now here is the spread of victim ages for each year from 2011 to 2014. This shows that while most victims are aged between 21 and 30, the number of victims in this age range has almost halved during this period.

NOTE: This post was updated on 1 February 2015 to include the manslaughter of Tommy Main (previously classed as unexplained death) and on 14 February to include the manslaughter of William Boots (following the charging of the suspect). In May 2015 the manslaughter of Adam Hird was added after suspects were charged.

Unsolved Murders in London: 2014

These two murder cases in London in 2014 remain unsolved. Can you help?

  • Mashboor Hussain
  • Luke Jackson

Mashboor Hussain, 73, collapsed and died during a suspected burglary at his home in Tooting on 11 February 2014.

Police were called to the house in Selkirk Road at 11.45am after passers-by reported seeing two men banging on the front door. The suspects, one of whom was armed with a gun, forced their way into the house after Mr Hussain opened the door. After a scuffle in the hallway they fled on foot with a red Nike shoe box containing cash and a mobile phone.

Mr Hussain, a grandfather-of-eight, collapsed after police officers arrived at the scene and was pronounced dead at 12.53pm. His wife and daughter were in the house at the time of the incident. A post-mortem examination gave cause of death as coronary heart disease but the pathologist concluded his collapse was likely to have resulted from the disturbance at his home.

Two men were charged with aggravated burglary and manslaughter but the case was dropped in June 2014 after the Crown Prosecution Service discontinued the case due to insufficient evidence. The case remains unsolved.

DCI Graeme Gwyn said: “I believe there are still people who have yet to speak to us and would urge them to contact us. Were you in the area of Selkirk Road at the time? Did you see or hear anything? Mr Hussain’s family remain desperate to see those responsible for his murder brought to justice.”

Call the incident room on 020 8721 4622.

Radio DJ Luke Jackson, 33, was stabbed to death at his mother’s home in Pimlico on 19 December 2014. Police were called to the address in Lumley Flats at 6.05pm and he was pronounced dead at the scene. A post-mortem found he had suffered multiple stab wounds including a fatal injury to his heart.

Police issued CCTV footage of two people they wanted to identify.

CCTV of two people police wanted to identify

Detective Inspector Jon Meager said: “We believe that on the night of his death, Luke had arranged to meet two people at the flat where he was stabbed and killed. Officers are keen to find out why that meeting was arranged, and who arranged it.”

An inquest heard that Mr Jackson, known as MC Bluetooth, had been trying to arrange to sell £300 worth of MDMA.

Police made several arrests but nobody has ever been charged. Contact the incident room on 020 8358 0200