The murders of Leonard, Valerie, Tim, Sasha Stephen and Derek!

The murder Valerie Curtis

On 2 June 1999, 52-year-old Valerie Curtis was stabbed to death in New Barnet, London.

She was killed by Turkish-born Eliya Karako, a civilian worker at Colindale police station. Valerie had formed a slight relationship with Karako but had ended it soon after he sought help from the psychiatric department of Barnet Hospital, where she worked as a secretary.Valerie had gone to his flat to try and finish their relationship once and for all. Once there, however, he stabbed her through the heart and then stabbed himself.

Her daughter Nicola told police at least once before the killing that Karako had been stalking her mother and that he had assaulted her. Coroner, Dr William Dolman, also described a series of letters written to Valerie by Karako, containing barely veiled threats.Nicola and her father formally complained to the Police Complaints Authority a few days after the murder. They believe that her mother might still be alive had officers had taken action.Michael and his daughter claimed that officers failed to act when told that a civilian woeker at Barnet Police Station had assaulted Nicola. Michael said:

"We complained twice to police when Nicola was beaten up, once in the street when she told him to get out of the house. She ended up in hospital. If police had taken action Valerie might be alive today. Even officers who visited us after the murder told us to go ahead with a complaint. They were horrified."

A disciplinary panel found PC Alistair Muirden guilty of one charge of neglect of duty for failing to thoroughly investigate allegations against Karako. He was cautioned and transferred to Whetstone police station.Karako died of his injuries five months after he murdered a lovely woman.

This is Valerie:

The Murder of Tim Baxter 

In June 1999, 25-year-old university graduate, Tim Baxter, was thrown off Hungerford Bridge, in Central London, and killed.

A teenage gang mugged and beat him and his friend, Adrian Cornish, senseless before they threw them both into the Thames. 16-year-old Toni Blackson, the only girl in the gang screamed, 'do it, do it' as they were lifted over the parapet of the bridge. John Riches told police he could hear Tim's head 'banging on the bridge' as his friends stamped on him and said there were cries of 'come on! Let's chuck him in.' Riches said his friends then picked Tim up and sat him on the edge.

"He was asking them, 'Do not do this'. He was screaming. I see him go over. I see him in the water, he just went under the water and went under the bridge. They kept on laughing and just picked up the other one... I see him go over."

A few minutes later, CCTV at Waterloo station caught Blackson, a 14-year-old boy and Cameron Cyrus, laughing hysterically, and singing rap songs. The same camera also caught Blankson enjoying an passionate clinch with Copeland.

John Riches, Sonni Reid, Cameron Cyrus, Shaun Copeland, who was just 14 at the time of the killing, his girlfriend, 16-year-old Toni Blackson and Alan West were convicted of Tim's murder. They are all black.No MP has ever mentioned Tim Baxter in the House of Commons.

This is Tim pictured with Sonni Reed.

Twelve Months for Each Wound 

In July 1998, 24-year-old Stephen Hughes was stabbed six times in Manchester city centre and died in hospital later that night. After Stephen's girlfriend refused Dale Grant a cigarette, he punched her and threw her to the ground. At this point Steven intervened and was attacked in the manner described above. Grant, who is black, was jailed for just six years by Judge Michaels Sachs.

He will be out in three.

Steven's father condemned the leniency of the sentence, saying:

"Six years is a joke, it's just 12 months for each wound."

The Murder of Derek Nolan 

On 14 July 1998 Derek Nolan was stabbed to death whilst cycling home in Leyton, East London. Derek was known to have been having problems with 'anti-social neighbours' and had said that he felt threatened by them. His front door had previously been slashed with a knife.

The description issued by the police of the man they wished to interview regarding Derek's death was of a dreadlocked black man. Derek's home was burgled after his death. The police had previously refused his mother entry and, as a result, all the most cherished mementoes of her son were lost.Mrs Coombes told The Guardian:

"None of us has ever been allowed into Derek's flat despite the fact that the murder took place on July 14. We wanted to sort things out in his property and, at the very least, clear out the rubbish."

Derek had told her that he didn't feel comfortable in his flat and that he felt threatened by some of his neighbours. She said:

"Last summer the front door of his flat in Hollydown Way was slashed with knife marks and I was scared for his safety."

Colin Donovan was later convicted of Derek's murder.

The Murder of Sasha Davies 

On 24 June 1998, The Sun informed us thus:

"Drunken Anthony Volney threw his little grand-daughter to her death from a seventh-floor balcony, a jury heard yesterday.

Three-year-old Sasha Davies screamed in terror before Volney allegedly picked her up and dropped her over the edge... moments before she was dropped a neighbour heard Sasha crying hysterically and pleading 'I want to go home'. But every time she spoke Volney swore at her.

Mr. Lovell-Pank told the Old Bailey: 'There was one last scream, then he saw the defendant pick up the girl in both hands and drop her over the edge'.Witness Stuart Leveridge said he looked up and saw a man on the top floor. He addded:'This thing was slung over. I heard one big thump. I walked over and it was a child'.

Volney, 59, was looking after Sasha for his daughter Nadia Davies, 21, but the prosecution said he was angry after being told to leave a local club for causing trouble...Another witness saw Volney shove Sasha so hard her head smashed against a wall. She heard the impact 40 yards away, said Mr. Lovell-Pank.Volney told police he fell asleep and Sasha could have climbed over the balcony."

I reckon there might be one or two somewhat unsavoury white granddads knocking about in this country.

However, I must confess, I've never heard of a nasty, white old-timer doing what Anthony Volney did. Nope, no matter how hard I rack my brains, I just can't bring such a case to mind.

Volney and the poor, little girl who had the misfortune to be his granddaughter are pictured below.

A Killer at Liberty to Kill Again 

On 16 June 1998, 79-year-old Leonard Harris and his wife were attacked at their home in Finchley, north London.

It was twelve days before they were discovered. Remarkably, they were both still alive. However, Leonard died five months later from head injuries he received on the day he was attacked. Leonard and Gertrude had both been battered about the head by a career criminal called Michael Weir and, on 12 July 1999, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for this crime.

A pair of gloves had been found in the Harris' home that were stained with both their blood and Weir's so the case wasn't too difficult to prove.However, at a later appeal hearing, a judge ruled that DNA samples linking Weir to the gloves were legally inadmissible as they had been taken by police investigating an earlier drug offence for which Weir was acquitted, and, on that basis, should have been destroyed.

For this reason, the original judgement was quashed and a murderer walked free. He was freed despite the fact that a second, legally admissible, DNA sample had been taken which proved that he WAS the killer.Weir spent less than two years in jail for committing this crime.The Law Lords later decided that the appeal court judges had got it wrong. Lord Steyn's actual words were:

"I would therefore rule that the Court of Appeal's rulings in the reference, as well as in the appeal of Weir, were wrong."

Not only did they get it wrong, the Crown Prosecution Service was hoping to take the case to the House of Lords for a final appeal, but missed the deadline for lodging papers by ONE DAY. A CPS spokeswoman said:

"We did make an administrative error which meant we missed the deadline by one day... We are looking at our procedures to see if anything needs changing."

The pensioners' son, Frank, wrote a letter of complaint to the Director of Public Prosecutions which said:

"Since the debacle concerning the Court of Appeal ruling you've caused me and my family considerable anguish, mental trauma and depression that I had hoped I had overcome following the initial jury verdict. It makes me even sicker to feel that the perpetrators in your organisation are seemingly getting away scot-free."

At a later time, Frank added:

"They are totally incompetent, 100 per cent incompetent. Nothing else can happen now... I'm furious and want somebody's head to roll as I feel the way we have been treated is disgusting."

Weir is still free.

Here is a photo of murderer, Michael Weir.

 

Rogues' Gallery cont.