Murder of Tom ap Rhys Pryce

Tom ap Rhys Pryce
Born	13 October 1974 Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, UK
Died	12 January 2006(2006-01-12) (aged 31) Kensal Green, London, UK
Cause of death	Murder by stabbing
Nationality	British
Ethnicity	White British
Occupation	Lawyer
Known for	Murder victim

Thomas Mervyn "Tom" ap Rhys Pryce (13 October 1974 – 12 January 2006) was a 31-year-old British lawyer who was robbed and murdered by two teenagers as he made his way home in Kensal Green, northwest London, England, on the evening of 12 January 2006. The two, Donnel Carty and Delano Brown, apparently showed little remorse and are currently serving life sentences.^[1]

The crime gained national notoriety for the particularly brutal way in which Pryce was murdered, only metres from his own home, and had only his Oyster card and mobile phone taken from him, but no money (the case being widely reported as an example of steaming). The murderers were later tracked down when the police examined CCTV footage of where the Oyster card was used after the murder. The crime caused a political uproar and condemnation of railway station security. The Tom ap Rhys Pryce Memorial Trust was set up after the murder,^[2] and a school was built in his honour.

Life of Tom ap Rhys Pryce

Tom ap Rhys Pryce was a 31 year-old lawyer who worked for Linklaters, a leading London corporate law firm. Pryce was born in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, England.^[3] At the age of three, the Pryce family moved to Somalia after Pryce's father, John, a civil engineer, was sent to work there as part of a project to build a sugar factory, there he "enjoyed an idyllic early childhood".^[4] After 18 months they returned home to Hertfordshire before moving in 1980 to the family home in Weybridge where Tom grew up. His ancestry was one well known within the military and among his ancestors was his great-grandfather, General Sir Henry Edward ap Rhys Pryce (1874–1950).^[5] At 13, Tom won an academic and music exhibition which was later upgraded to a full scholarship at 16 to attend Marlborough College, Wiltshire, England.

The last picture taken of Tom ap Rhys Pryce and his fiancée Adele Eastman, on New Year's Eve 2005, in Italy.

There he achieved passes at A-levels in Greek, Latin and English Literature, with three grade As. From there Pryce went on to gain a First-Class honours at Trinity College, Cambridge in June 1996, where he read Classics staying on to study for a masters.^[6] Pryce was also known to be a talented musician^[7] and lived on Bathurst Gardens, Kensal Green in a flat which he shared with his fiancée Adele Eastman, 31, a solicitor specialising in employment law with Farrer & Co, the Queen's solicitors.^[8]

Events of 12 January 2006

Childhood friends,^[9][10] Donnel Carty, 18, and Delano Brown, 17, had earlier that evening robbed chef Mr Kurshid Ali,^[11] a middle-aged man in Kensal Green station, just 20 minutes before Tom ap Rhys Pryce arrived at the station on his way home from work.^[1] Pryce was walking from Kensal Green Tube station at about 2300 to 2330 GMT,^[12][13] when he was attacked. According to witness reports, Pryce was running along Bathurst Gardens from two black youths. According to testimony from Delano Brown, Donnel Carty stabbed Pryce after they had chased him from Kensal Green Tube station where police found a trail of blood and belongings, including a pair of gloves and papers regarding Pryce's wedding arrangements.^[1] As the youths chased Pryce, Carty "fly-kicked" him in the back and he dropped to the floor. As Pryce attempted to stand up, Carty kicked him in the face. Trying to get away, Pryce began to fight Carty, as Carty stopped him.^[13] Some time during this Pryce was stabbed twice in the chest and once in the hip, the wounds penetrating vital organs including his heart. He also suffered cuts to his head, hands and torso.^[8][12][14] As Pryce's belongings lay scattered around him, Carty and Brown took Pryce's mobile phone and Oyster card, the only possessions of value Pryce was carrying.^[12] Carty then shouted 'What else have you got?' to which Pryce responded 'Nothing. You have got everything'.^[13] Carty and Brown then ran off towards Clifford Gardens, heading to Carty's home leaving Pryce dying on the ground.^[8][13] Pryce was later taken to Central Middlesex Hospital, where he was confirmed dead shortly after midnight.^[8]

The scene of the crime which took place along Bathurst Gardens showed the course of events of the violent confrontation. Pryce's book and gloves were lying outside No 56, a silver Audi car was smeared with blood outside No 82 and a list of wedding venues outside 84. Pryce was found collapsed in the gutter between parked cars outside No 90.^[15][16]

Donnel Carty and Delano Brown

Donnel Carty and Delano Brown

Carty and Brown were, according to Brown, childhood friends who thought of each other as cousins.^{[11] [17]} Carty lived with his grandparents in Burrows Road, Kensal Green, and Brown lived with his mother in Rosebank Avenue, Sudbury, northwest London. Carty had one conviction for assaulting a police officer when he was 16 years old, and a caution for possessing cannabis. Brown has no previous convictions. The pair were members of a violent gang calling itself the KG Tribe, taking part in the unlawful wounding of two commuters in December 2005 as well as other robberies. At the time of the murder of Pryce, Carty and Brown were 18 and 17 respectively.^[11]

When both men where arrested on 18 January, Carty said he was innocent of the allegations and claimed he had been in a pub in Kilburn with relatives and friends, and stayed the night at a relative's house. When police searched his home, they found a pair of trainers that forensic tests showed had a drop of Mr ap Rhys Pryce's blood on one toe.^[18] DNA from several people, including Brown, were found on the trainers. Officers also found a top with traces of Brown's DNA, and fibres found on Pryce's overcoat were microscopically indistinguishable from the material of that top. Brown also said he had been in Kilburn the night of the murder and initially claimed that he had nothing to do with either the robbery of the other man or the robbery and murder of Pryce. When the mobile phone of the other victim (Mr Ali) was discovered at his home, he claimed he had bought it from two men.^[18] Detectives also found that Brown had hoarded press cuttings of Pryce.^[19]

In a separate and unconnected incident, Lloywen Carty, 25, cousin of Donnel Carty, was found guilty of murdering a Jamaican man, Lee Subaran, at a party following the Notting Hill Carnival in August 2004 and was sentenced to life imprisonment. Subaran, 27, was shot dead at point-blank range for "showing disrespect" to members of a Harlesden gang, "Mus Luv Crew". Five other men have been convicted in connection with the murder.^[20] Lloywen and Donnel both lived together with their grandfather in Burrows Road, Kensal Green.^[21]

Trial of Carty and Brown

Police caught Carty using CCTV footage showing him using Pryce's Oyster Card (which he claimed to have found) at Kensal Green station, forensic evidence found at the homes of Donnel Carty and Delano Brown, and Pryce's mobile phone.^[14] When they were taken to court Carty and Brown both denied murdering the City lawyer but admitted they had robbed Pryce and another man just before. Delano Brown was 17 when taking part in the murder so initially could not be named for legal reasons.^[22]

The two men stood trial on 30 October 2006 at the Old Bailey. Throughout the trial Brown declared that it was Carty who had stabbed Pryce and that it had simply been a 'robbery gone bad'. This led to an alleged attack on Brown by three youths at Feltham Young Offender Institution during the Old Bailey trial, in which his attackers reportedly said: "You are snitching on your co-d (co-defendant)." Carty denied any involvement in the incident, claiming it had been the result of an argument Brown had with the youths earlier.^[23] On 27 November 2006, Donnel Carty and Delano Brown were found guilty of murdering City lawyer Tom ap Rhys Pryce.^[12] Carty and Brown reacted calmly to the guilty verdicts, turning to each other, shaking hands and embracing.^[12]

On 28 November 2006, the sentences for Carty and Brown were announced by the Old Bailey trial judge. Both men were sentenced to life imprisonment, with the trial judge recommending that 19-year-old Carty should serve a minimum of 21 years, and 18-year-old Brown should serve at least 17 years.^[24] The judge said he could not tell who wielded the knife but considered Carty and Brown equally guilty.^[24] The pair reportedly fought back tears and sniffed loudly as the sentences were read.^[11] The High Court later ruled that Brown should serve a minimum of 20 years.^[25]

Reaction

Balbir Mathura

The then Prime Minister Tony Blair's immediate response to the murder was to pledge the investigation of public safety at the station close to where Pryce was murdered, Kensal Green Station, and this was later improved.^[26]

No amount of poverty or deprivation can excuse crime: the blame belongs to the criminal. If Carty and Brown had been arrested at the beginning of their crime spree and sentenced to a stiff punishment, Mr ap Rhys Pryce might be alive today.

— David Cameron

David Cameron criticised the Labour Government's criminal justice system and the absence of father-figures in ethnic minority cultures, which he claimed as causes in the murder of Pryce. Cameron stated that lack of strong deterrent sentences for knife crimes and the failure of police to stop prolific criminals had played a role in the killing of Pryce. He insisted that parental background had a key role in preventing crime and called for zero tolerance of knife crime, claiming that not enough criminals were being sent to jail.^[27]

In January 2006 the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair created considerable controversy when he described the media as institutionally racist.^[28] This accusation had also been levelled at the police for their allegedly unbalanced coverage of black-on-white crimes, such as this murder, as compared to that given to crimes against ethnic minorities.^[29] The example Blair cited was that of Balbir Mathura, an Asian man murdered on the same day as Pryce. Mathura was run over and dragged almost 40 metres by a car driven by thieves he had disturbed as they broke into a van parked outside his workplace. Newspapers argued that the number of stories printed regarding the two victims were similar, though a survey of national newspapers after the two murders showed that longer and more in-depth articles were written about the murder of Pryce than that of Mathura.^[29]

Legacy

Kensal Green Station, left with no security during evenings

Following the murder of Pryce, his friends and family set up The Tom ap Rhys Pryce Memorial Trust to enable individuals who could not otherwise afford it to achieve their potential by gaining access to appropriate educational facilities.^[2] It aims to raise at least £1million to help educate society's poorest children.^[30]

This incident sparked a major public discussion on station safety and security, mainly because the station was unstaffed when the suspects mugged Ali on the platform. The only security present was CCTV cameras, and the ticket barriers were left open allowing the suspects to enter the station freely. Many high-profile politicians spoke on the issue of station safety and called on rail companies to provide security or staff the station until the last train had left the station. The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone assailed Silverlink, the train company who managed the station, for not providing all-night staffing or security. The new provider of every franchise across the rail network will have to provide staff at all times the station is open.^[31]

A school is to be built in Vietnam in memory of Pryce. His colleagues raised enough money to have the school built to leave a lasting legacy in his honour. The primary school is expected to open in 2007. Its cost is being met by the Hong Kong office of Pryce's employer, Linklaters.^[32]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Neighbour 'saw lawyer's murder'", BBC News. URL accessed 28 November 2006.
2. ^ ^{a b} The Tom ap Rhys Pryce Memorial Trust. Linklaters website. URL last accessed 22 December 2006.
3. ^ Our angelic boy, set to have a brilliant life, Evening Standard (London), 26 January 2006, URL last accessed 24 January 2007
4. ^ CCTV shows murdered solicitor's last journey, Timesonline. URL last accessed 22 December 2006.
5. ^ 'I feel as though Carty and Brown have ripped out my heart with their bare hands and torn it into pieces', TimesOnline.co.uk. URL last accessed 13 January 2007
6. ^ "Lawyer's life cut cruelly short", BBC News. URL last accessed 28 November 2006.
7. ^ Tom and his perfect girl, Evening Standard (London), 27 November 2006
8. ^ ^{a b c d} "Solicitor, 31, stabbed to death by muggers yards from home", John Steele, The Daily Telegraph. URL last accessed 28 November 2006.
9. ^ "Man admits robbing lawyer, but 'said cousin stabbed him'", The Times. URL last accessed 28 November 2006.
10. ^ Lawyer Murder: 'Let's Rob This Guy', Yahoo News. URL last accessed 28 November 2006.
11. ^ ^{a b c d} Greedy Robbers Guilty of City Lawyer Murder, Life Style Extra. URL last accessed 22 December 2006.
12. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Two men guilty of lawyer's murder", BBC News. URL last accessed 28 November 2006.
13. ^ ^{a b c d} "Man blames his friend for murder", BBC News. URL last accessed 28 November 2006.
14. ^ ^{a b} "Attackers left lawyer dying outside tube station, Old Bailey told", The Guardian. URL last accessed 28 November 2006.
15. ^ 'Greedy' teens guilty of City lawyer murder, This is Local London. URL last accessed 22 December 2006.
16. ^ Teenagers guilty of lawyer's murder, news.aol URL last accessed 22 December 2006.
17. ^ Teenagers guilty of City lawyer murder, Metro news. URL last accessed 22 December 2006.
18. ^ ^{a b} Teenagers guilty of murdering lawyer, The Guardian. URL last accessed 22 December 2006.
19. ^ Tears in the court, but as killers got life they could only hide their faces, TimesOnline. URL last accessed 29 December 2006.
20. ^ Cousin of Tom's killer is convicted of murder, Evening Standard (London), 12 December 2006. URL last accessed 17 January 2007.
21. ^ Killer's cousin guilty of murder, ananova.com. URL last accessed 17 January 2007.
22. ^ "Teenagers deny murdering lawyer", BBC News. URL last accessed 28 November 2006.
23. ^ "Accused 'had defendant beaten up'", BBC News. URL last accessed 28 November 2006.
24. ^ ^{a b} "Life for killers of City lawyer", BBC News. URL last accessed 22 December 2006.
25. ^ "Lawyer killer's jail term raised", BBC News. URL last accessed 30 June 2007.
26. ^ Blair to probe safety at murder station, Evening Standard (London), 8 February 2006. URL last accessed 27 January 2007.
27. ^ Tory leader's tough message on crime, Evening Standard (London), 30 November 2006. URL last accessed 18 January 2007.
28. ^ "Met chief accuses media of racism", BBC, 26 January 2006
29. ^ ^{a b} The story of two murder victims, BBC, 27 January 2006
30. ^ The Tom ap Rhys Pryce fund. Evening Standard (London), 8 February 2006, URL last accessed 17 January 2007.
31. ^ Night staff for unmanned stations. BBC News. URL last accessed 16 January 2007.
32. ^ School built in honour of murdered lawyer Tom, Evening Standard (London), 18 May 2006. URL last accessed 17 January 2007.