LAST NOVEMBER Engin Raghip and Mark Braithwaite walked free after five years in jail, when their convictions for the killing of PC Blakelock were quashed.
The third person from the Tottenham 3 - Winston Silcott - 15 still inside, unjustly convicted of murdering the north London gangster Anthony Smith.
Smith had several times threatened to kill Winston for his part in defending a Broadwater Farm youth whom Smith's gang were after. The gang attacked Winston with knives in December 1984; in the ensuing fight Smith was stabbed.
He was taken by two gang members to the London Hospital where he died a week later. They were questioned by police at the hospital; they gave false names, were carrying knives, and were arrested.
Winston surrendered himself to the police in February 1985, when he vas charged with Smith's murder. He was on bail fos this in October 1985 when he was charged with the Blakelock killing.
Publicity Winston was tried February 1986, in the midst of the blaze of publicity around Blakelock. Smith's two gang members, no peared as prosecution witnesses Winston was the only defence witness.
Under pressure and in a vulnerable and frightened state, Winston failed to put his true defence of self-defence. He has since swor an affada vit that he did this on the ad vice of his legal representatives story, raising questions of professional conduct. Changing his story was disastrous. Winston was seen as an unreliable witness even though Smith's friends admitted possession of knives. The him guilty and he was sentenced to life tion. Lord Lane refused the appeal on thi though it was possible to accept that the lawyers had behaved improperly and that Winston had acted in self-defence, it was his fault that he had accepted their professional advice.
Floodgates
of negligent defence would 'open the floodgates' to many other similar appeals. This recalls Scarman's comment on refusing the Guildford 4 appeal, of the 'appalling vista' that would open up if it could be sh own that the police had lied Winston had been tried and convicted by the media for Blakelock's murder before either case came to curt. The Smith jury were given special protection during the case.
This could only prejudice the jury into seeing Winston as a dangerous criminal. He was found cause he had already been declared Blakelock's kil Winston's case is by no means unique. The Guildford 4, Bir mingham 6, Maguire: shown the lengths British justice is prepared to go in attacking white working class peopie. meanwe the baumness aeren Maxwell brothers next year no doubt, have their trials stopped or receive minimal sentences.
British justice is class justice. Racism, against black or Irish people, is the servant of class justice. Police frame-ups demonstrate the strength of the state against those who try to fight back.
July/Aug, 1992 No. 26 Campaigning freed Engin Raghip His lawyers deny this but clearly went along with the altered In 1988 Winston applied for leave to appeal the Smith convicgrounds that even Lane was also concerned that allowing an appeal on grounds niltv of killing Smith be 7, Winchester 3 and Judith Ward have ce charged from the Wapping dispute, and the 1 8 6 The fascist threat: a BNP member heckles the Rolan Adams demonstration e. • they will be denied