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The Terry Gregory Murder Case

The list of Freedom of Information requests dealt with by the Metropolitan Police can make fascinating reading. The most recent from the beginning of March concern questions about ‘road spike apparatus accidents’, statistics on pickpocketing and the number of victims of knife crime in 2010 and 2011.

We have previously featured the Met’s five year list of murders and the list of unsolved murders going back to 1999.

In February there was specific request concerning Terry Gregory, who was stabbed to death in Woolwich in 2003.

Please advise us how many officers are investigating the murder of Terry Gregory… as to date nobody has been convicted of his crime.

The Met responded:

Currently no officers are dedicated solely to this investigation. However should any new and relevant information be forthcoming, then it would be investigated as a matter of course.
It is also important to note that The MPS’ Murder Review Group reviews each unsolved murder every two years, on a rolling basis, to identify and develop investigative opportunities.

At around the same time there was also a question put to the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, in the context of the recent convictions of two men for the murder of Stephen Lawrence.

Hate Crime Double Standards
Question No: 361 / 2012
Richard Barnbrook
Please explain why 23 officers are still investigating the murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence in 1993 and no officers are investigating the murder of white teenagers Richard Everitt murdered in 1994 and Terry Gregory murdered in 2003?
Written response from the Mayor
Neither of the murders of Richard Everitt nor Terry Gregory are the subject of re-investigation as both were solved. Neither murder was determined as a racist killing. The facts and circumstances did not suggest that.

[Richard Barnbrook, now an independent member of the London Assembly, was elected as a candidate for the BNP in 2008.]

So we decided to look back in the archives and work out what exactly happened in the Terry Gregory case – is it solved or unsolved? The answer may actually be: Neither.

Terry Gregory was 19 when he was stabbed to death outside a pub in Woolwich, southeast London, on December 28, 2003. A suspect, George Edwin, 65, was charged with his murder and went on trial at Inner London Crown Court the following year.

Edwin claimed he pulled out a knife to frighten Terry Gregory and his friend and stop them from attacking him, but said he did not believe the knife ever made contact with the teenager.

The jury failed to reach a verdict and at a retrial in November 2004 a second jury was again deadlocked. As a result the prosecution dropped the case and it appears to have been left on file.

It is possible that further information could result in another trial but it seems highly unlikely. The Met do not include Terry Gregory in its list of undetected homicides, because the man they believe was responsible was charged and put on trial. In this sense it counts as a ‘detected’ homicide. There was also no evidence that it was a racist killing – in fact it seems to have started as an argument over an umbrella.

We listed the case of Terry Gregory on murdermap as unsolved rather than solved, although it does not easily fit into either category.

Tragically, Terry’s older brother Billy Gregory was murdered at the Earl of Chatham pub in Woolwich almost exactly two years later. In that case a man was convicted and jailed for life.

Old Bailey Farewell to Stenographers

Think of the major criminal trials that have taken place in the Old Bailey since the beginning of the 20th Century: Dr Crippen, John Christie, Ruth Ellis, The Yorkshire Ripper, the Soham Murders…

In each and every case the cast list has included, along with judges, journalists, clerks, barristers, and curious members of the public, a man or woman sitting in the corner recording every word spoken.

Since 1907 they have noted the proceedings down by hand – either in shorthand or on a stenography machine – that is until 4.15pm on Friday, March 23, 2012.

For from Monday cases will be recorded digitally by machines in an attempt to cut costs.

The Old Bailey’s famous Courtroom No. 1 – the stenographers sat at the far left of this photo, on the same row as the judge. The jury sits on the left, the defendant in the dock on the near right and the barristers in the rows on the right. Below and in front of the judge sits the court clerk.

Judge John Bevan QC, sitting in the Old Bailey’s famous Court No. 1, marked the occasion with a short speech marking his regret at the change.

“This is the last day in which this court, which has been well served by stenographers and shorthand writers, is going to have their assistance.

“There is going to be a machine in future which, having been organised by the Ministry of Justice, will no doubt work perfectly.

“We deeply regret the stenographers will not be with us. They will be behind the scenes trying to make the system work. They will not be in court, which some of us might regard as a pity.”

The stenographers are being kept on one more week just in case the new digital system breaks down. After that they will be called on only if a transcription of the audio file is required by any of the legal teams involved.

Another victory for the machines. But that doesn’t mean anybody can capture proceedings using a digital recorder – their use is banned under the Contempt of Court Act.

Links:

Stenography and Charles Dickens – our blog piece when the news was announced.

For the record, stenographers put down their pens at the Old Bailey – Evening Standard

The Unsolved Murder of Andrew Cunningham – A Sister’s Plea for Help

The sister of a father-of-five who was murdered three years ago blames The Sun newspaper for the failure to catch his killers.

In December 2011, Sarah-Jane Cunningham spent the third anniversary of her brother’s death handing out police appeal notices.

She was prepared for indifference. But she was genuinely shocked when some members of the public not only refused to take the flyers but also made comments like ”No, I am glad.”

What was it about this murder that aroused so little sympathy?

Andrew Cunningham was 52 when he was found dead in his caravan in Tooting, southwest London, at 7.40am on Wednesday, December 10, 2008. He had suffered multiple stab wounds, including what police describe as ‘unusual injuries’ to his genitals.

His home had been ransacked and his wallet containing between £4,000 and £6,000 was missing. The killer or killers had also opened boxes containing Christmas presents for Andrew’s friends.

Detectives now believe robbery is the most likely motive but early reports suggested the reason lay in the victim’s history as a registered sex offender.

The Sun led with a front page headline ‘MOB KILL PAEDO – vigilantes mutilate sex offender’. It also reported that Mr Cunningham had spent four months in prison in 2001 for raping a girl under 13 and had recently been accused of fondling a barmaid’s two year-old daughter. Other newspapers repeated the allegations and the following day the Sun ran an interview with the victim’s ex-wife in which she described him as ‘pure, cold evil.’

Mr Cunningham had in fact been jailed for having sex with a 15 year-old girl. He spent seven years on the Sex Offenders’ Register but his name was taken off in 2008, a few months before his death. And detectives have described the reports of a mob as ‘nonsense.’

Detective Chief Inspector Nick Scola told the Independent in July 2009: “There is no two-year-old girl. This was a rumour that we do not believe was true. As for the mob theory, we have looked at various CCTV images and there is no evidence of a mob being in the area. Certainly, if there was they all left individually. There were no burning torches or anything like that.”

But for Tracy-Jane Cunningham the damage has already been done.

“Why is my brother case not receiving public support with information to catch his killers?
Well the answer to this is negative media reporting mainly by the Sun and News International Group who in order to sell their story decided to profile him to the world as a Evil Sexual monster out for sex with children.
Sarah-Jane Cunningham

Sarah-Jane was also upset by comments left online by members of the public under the stories which effectively approved of the murder.

It was this same attitude that she experienced personally while out on the streets of Tooting on December 10, 2011.

On the Anniversary of this murder I was present with Police at the location of this crime as I needed to be there and doing something to help solve this horrific case.
For the last three years my life been on hold waiting for that knock on the door from officers to say ‘Yes we have them.’
It will only be when I hear those words will I be able to lay in my bed and sleep the whole night without waking up crying for a beloved caring man who was my big protective brother I loved with all my heart.
Some members of the public refused to accept to take one of the Appeal Notices from me making comments like “No I am glad”.
Had they of known that I was in fact Andrew’s sister I really do not believe they would have had the bottle to make such careless comment and what was more shocking that some negative remarks and actions were from women.
Sarah-Jane Cunningham

Detectives have offered a £20,000 reward for information and continue to appeal for help solving the murder.

All I can say now is if you have any humanity in you and you have information about this case, be that the offenders or any material evidence such as the whereabouts of the weapon or things stolen from my brother, or know where the clothing is of any suspect or suspects, call the police with that information.
I know of no place where there is an offence of murder for a likeable person ‘A’ but no offence of murder of ‘B’ if we do not like the person past history. Murder is Murder regardless of who we are and or what we have done in our lives.
Like everyone who has had a loved one murdered my reaction at first is bring back the death penalty but I am not religious and in my heart I know that even the death penalty for such an offence is in itself murder by that by the State.
There’s just no justification for any act of taking another persons life. So Please help and do the right thing and help the police because one day you may need the public and police’s help too.
Sarah-Jane Cunningham

Any witnesses or anyone with any information should contact the incident room at Sutton on 020 8721 4005. Information can be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

A Brief History of Cameras in Court

Earlier this month Sky, ITN and the BBC lobbied the government to allow cameras in court. The hope is that criminal trials could be televised as early as early as 2015.

The ban on taking photographs goes back to 1925 but even before then cameras had to be smuggled into courtrooms in hats or bags.

Probably the most famous ‘snatched’ courtroom image is that of ‘Body in the Cellar’ murderer Dr Crippen and his mistress Ethel Le Neve, in 1910.

Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen in the dock of Bow Street Magistrates Court. Source: Library of Congress

Two years later a photographer decided to go one better by taking a picture of the poisoner Frederick Seddon as he was being sentenced to death at the Old Bailey. You can just make out the black cap on the head of the judge, Mr Justice Burchill.

Frederick Seddon (left, in the dock) being sentenced to death. Source: Wikipedia

This photo’s publication in an illustrated paper in March 1912 led to questions in the House of Commons. The MP Alexander MacCallum Scott suggested the government should ‘introduce legislation either to prohibit altogether the taking of such photographs or to provide that cinematograph proprietors will have equal facilities of photographing such proceedings and making a public spectacle of them.’ (Hansard 18/3/12)

Sadly the idea of allowing proceedings to be filmed with a ‘cinematograph’ (an early motion picture camera) was not pursued.

The Home Secretary Reginald McKenna gave his reply a few days later (Hansard 21/3/12): ‘I find that no permission was given for the taking of the photograph in question or of any photograph in the Court. It must have been taken without authority and surreptitiously. The Lord Mayor, the Sheriffs, and the officers of the Court strongly disapprove of such photographs being taken, and share my hon. Friend’s indignation that anyone should have been guilty of such an outrage.’

However McKenna wasn’t sufficiently outraged to bring in any legislation and in 1915 a photographer managed to grab a shot of the ‘Brides in the Bath’ murderer.

The ban only appeared ten years later as a small section (no. 41) in the Criminal Justice Act 1925, which mainly dealt with the system of probation.

No person shall (a) take or attempt to take in any court any photograph, or with a view to publication make or attempt to make in any court any portrait or sketch, of any person, being a judge of the court or a juror or a witness in or a party to any proceedings before the court, whether civil or criminal; or (b) publish any photograph, portrait or sketch taken or made in contravention of the foregoing provisions of this section or any reproduction thereof;

The act stated that the maximum punishment for breaking the law was a fine of £50.

Since then newspapers and TV companies have used sketches by court artists, made outside court from memory.

More recently, the taking of photographs in court has been dealt with as a contempt of court rather than under the 1925 Act. A 19 year-old man who took pictures inside Luton Crown Court on his mobile phone was jailed for two months while a Frenchman was kept sweating in the cells for two hours after taking a picture during Julian Assange’s appearance at the High Court.

This restriction on the use of mobile phone cameras in court is likely to remain even if the 1925 law is relaxed. Similarly, the ban on sound recording equipment under the Contempt of Court Act 1981 will probably only be partially lifted.

All that will be shown and heard, according to the Justice Secretary Ken Clarke, is the judge delivering his sentencing remarks. No defendant in the dock, no witnesses, no prosecutor or defence barrister. Still, it’s a start.

Gangs, Murder and the Police

The launch of the new ‘Trident Gang Crime Command’ is being backed by the mother of murdered teenager Negus McLean.

Negus was 15 years old when he was stabbed to death by a gang of youths in Edmonton, north London, on April 10, 2011.

The case remains unsolved thanks to a ‘wall of silence’ preventing witnesses from coming forward to help police arrest the killers.

Ingrid Adams, Negus’ mother, said in an interview: “I go to bed thinking of Negus and wake up thinking about him. I will always remember his smile. Even if a child isn’t in a gang they probably know someone who is in a gang or is affiliated with a gang.

“The police need to start with children very early. When I was growing up the police used to come into my school. You have to start young and talk to them to gain their trust. I know there is a problem with so called snitching and loyalties. But keeping quiet isn’t helping the problem.

“There is this wall of silence that needs to be broken down. They need to come forward to talk to the police. The wall of silence needs to stop. Since Negus there has been so many others.

“Negus was murdered on a Sunday; it was a bright sunny day. It could happen to anybody. It is anybody this problem doesn’t just affect the poor, people from broken homes or gang members, it could happen to anyone.”

The Met police have 4800 ‘nominals’ and 435 gangs recorded on their gangs database and estimate that 250 are criminally active. They claim 62 of those are responsible for two thirds of gang-related offences.

Gang members are thought to be responsible for 17% of all personal robbery, 40% of ‘cash in transit’ and commercial robbery, 12% of residential burglary, 26% of aggravated burglary, 14% of rape, 22% of serious violence, 20% of stabbings and 50% of shootings.

It’s difficult to put a figure on exactly how many murders are ‘gang-related’ but there are several high-profile cases every year.

Take 2010 as an example: In April Agnes Sina-Inakoju, 18, was shot dead with a submachine gun by two members of the ‘London Fields’ gang (the same gang was responsible for the murder of 15 year-old Shaquille Smith in 2008). Nicholas Pearton was stabbed to death by members of the ‘Shanks and Guns’ gang in Sydenham in May 2010. Samuel Ogunro was shot dead on the orders of a member of the ‘Peckham Boys’ in June 2010. Zac Olumegbon was stabbed to death by members of the Brixton GAS gang in July 2010. Sylvester Akapalara, 17, was shot dead by members of the GAS gang in December 2010. The murders of Gulistan Subasi and Ezra Mills in March 2010, Michael Ofori in June 2010, Marvin Henry in October 2010 and Sylvester Senyah in November 2010 were also said to be carried out by members of London gangs.

According to the Met Police the new Trident Gang Crime Command will be made up of 1,000 officers.

In a statement, it said: “The new command will retain responsibility for the prevention and investigation of shootings, but will now work more closely with boroughs to proactively tackle gang crime.

“The new command will be enhanced with additional specialist resources from the MPS, including Operation Connect and the Serious and Organised Crime Command (SCD7). It will take responsibility for real time monitoring of gang activity across London and work with new ‘Grip and Pace’ centres to coordinate and task corporate resources, both overt and covert, quickly at the relevant places.”

The Trident Gang Crime Command also has a new logo:

The focus is on 19 ‘priority’ boroughs – Brent, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Haringey, Islington, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth, Merton, Camden, Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham.