Man charged with murder of PC Keith Blakelock at Broadwater Farm riots

Nicholas Jacobs will stand trial for murder of police officer hacked to death during unrest in north London in 1985

PC Keith Blakelock, who died in violence that erupted after the death of Cynthia Jarrett, who collapsed from heart failure after a police raid on her home.

A man has been charged with the murder of PC Keith Blakelock, who was repeatedly stabbed after being surrounded by a mob during the 1985 Broadwater Farm riots.
The Crown Prosecution Service announced that Nicholas Jacobs, 44, would stand trial for the murder, which took place during some of the most ferocious rioting seen in Britain.
Blakelock, 40, a father of three, was hacked to death during the disorder.
The violence erupted after the death of Cynthia Jarrett, 49, who collapsed from heart failure after a police raid on her home in Tottenham, north London.
The decision by the CPS follows a Scotland Yard reinvestigation into the murder of Blakelock 28 years ago.
Alison Saunders, chief crown prosecutor for CPS London, said: "Following a thorough investigation by the Metropolitan police service, we have decided that Nicholas Jacobs should be charged with the murder of PC Keith Blakelock during the disorder at Broadwater Farm in October 1985.
"This decision was taken in accordance with the code for crown prosecutors. We have concluded that there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to prosecute."
During the rioting Blakelock became detached from other officers and was surrounded near the Tangmere estate.
He was stabbed 42 times and suffered extensive injuries. Another officer, PC Richard Coombes, was also attacked that night but survived.
Blakelock died from his injuries while Coombes was so severely wounded he never resumed active duty. The riots on 6 October 1985 saw shots fired at the police and their ferocity caused public shock despite a series of riots that broke out in urban areas in the 1980s.
The Met police investigation to hunt down Blakelock's killers ended up pursuing the wrong men, with six charged with the killing, including three juveniles, but all were eventually cleared.
Winston Silcott, Engin Raghip and Mark Braithwaite were convicted of the murder in 1987 but cleared by the court of appeal four years later over allegations that the police officers fabricated evidence used to support their convictions.
New scientific tests meant that Silcott's alleged confession could no longer be relied upon. There were no witnesses and no forensic evidence against the men.
Silcott was jailed solely on the basis of an unsigned statement police had taken in the absence of a solicitor.
On 26 July 1994 the former Det Chief Supt Graham Melvin and Det Insp Maxwell Dingle were cleared at the Old Bailey of fabricating evidence in the Blakelock case.
Three juveniles, aged 13-15, were also charged in connection with the murder but the judge threw out the case against them.
In 1999 Silcott received £50,000 in an out-of-court settlement with the Met although the force refused to admit liability. He was released from a sentence for another murder in 2003 after serving 17 years.
In January 2000 the Met announced a review of evidence in the Blakelock murder case. In 2003 it said it believed it had found new evidence and began a full-blown investigation.
Blakelock's widow, Elizabeth Johnson, has been informed of the latest developments, it is believed. The couple had three sons. Johnson has since remarried and lives near Sunderland.
Yard officers have spent years sifting through 10,000 statements and resubmitting exhibits for forensic testing in an attempt to find a breakthrough in the case.
In 2010 the re-investigation led to the arrest of 14 men on suspicion of involvement in the murder of Blakelock or attempted murder of Coombes. In 2011, nine of those were eliminated from inquiries.
On Tuesday the CPS said the four other men who had been arrested would not face charges.
Jacobs will appear on Wednesday at City of Westminster magistrates court.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk-news/2013/jul/23/keith-blakelock-murder-broadwater-farm