A high court jury has said Mark Duggan, whose death sparked the 2011 London riots, was lawfully killed by police. The 29-year-old was shot dead by police in Tottenham in August 2011, after officers attempted to arrest him on suspicion of planning an attack. Two days later, Duggan’s relatives marched on Tottenham Police Station and events soon spiraled out of control.
They have reacted to this afternoon’s decision with fury. His aunt has claimed that ‘the majority of people in this country know that Mark was executed’. His brother has vowed to ‘fight till we have no breath in our body for justice’. Outside the Royal Court of Justice, the crowd is reported to have shouted ‘murderers’ after hearing the verdict.
Simon Marcus, now the Conservative PPC for Hampstead and Kilburn, wrote in The Spectator in August 2012 that neither the shooting nor gang violence was the motivation behind the riots, but our soft criminal justice system:
‘I was told ad nauseam that the riots were not gang-related because only 19 per cent of those convicted in London were known gang members, and 13 per cent in the country as a whole.
Get Britain's best politics newsletters
Register to get The Spectator's insight and opinion straight to your inbox. You can then read two free articles each week.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just £1 a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just £1 a monthAlready a subscriber? Log in