Death of Azelle Rodney

Azelle Rodney was a drugs crime suspect from London shot dead by armed officers of the Metropolitan Police on 30 April 2005. A full inquest into his death has never been held.

Death

On the night of 30 April 2005, Rodney was driven by friends Wesley Lovell and Frank Graham in a Volkswagen Golf to get a haircut. After leaving the barber shop, the three drove across north London. They were seemingly unaware that their car had been under surveillance for some time and that it was being followed by armed police in unmarked vehicles. It was later revealed at the trial of Lovell and Graham for drugs and firearms offences that they had been under police surveillance for two days and that the car had been tailed for several hours on 30 April.^[1]

According to information later released to Rodney's family by the Independent Police Complaints Commission, the armed police following the VW Golf moved at some point to "State Red", meaning that the car was to be intercepted as soon as possible.^[1] This occurred as the car was passing the Railway Tavern on Hale Lane in the London Borough of Barnet at 7:43 pm, the police using a manoeuvre known as a "hard stop". An Audi swerved in front of the VW Golf, a Vauxhall Omega halted alongside, and a third vehicle impacted the rear of the VW.

Fourteen members of the Metropolitan Police's Specialist Firearms Command (CO19) emerged from the cars. Hatton rounds, a form of shotgun Breaching round, were fired to puncture the VW Golf's tyres, while a CO19 officer leant across from the seat of the Vauxhall Omega and fired 8 rounds through the side of the VW Golf at Rodney, six of which hit him in the face, head, neck and chest. Three guns and ammunition were found in the car and a search of Lovell's flat revealed that it had been used to produce a "significant quantity" of crack cocaine.^[1]

News agencies reported incorrectly that Rodney had been holding a gun when he was shot. Newspaper reports also falsely described him as a "drugs baron" and a crack dealer.^[2] The Times mentioned after Lovell and Graham's trial that he had been "visiting a drug factory that he ran".^[3]

Investigation

The shooting was investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission which instead of publishing its report passed it on to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), an indicator of the case's seriousness. However, the CPS concluded in July 2006 that there was insufficient evidence to convict any individual involved for Rodney's death. John Yates, the Metropolitan Police's Deputy Assistant Commissioner at the time, said that "The situation facing our officer that evening clearly left him with no option than to take the course of action he did."

The officer responsible said: "Everything about his actions led me to believe that he was fully ready to fire with a fully automatic weapon." However, the Independent Police Complaints Commission confirmed that Rodney was not seen holding a gun when he was shot.^[2]

Lovell and Graham trial

Wesley Lovell and Frank Graham, who had been in the car with Rodney, were later sentenced to seven years and six years imprisonment respectively at Middlesex Guildhall Crown Court on 24 January 2006 for drugs and firearms offences. The court was told that three guns were found in the car and that Lovell's flat had been used to produce crack cocaine.

The trial also revealed that there was some dispute regarding the guns present in the VW Golf at the time of Rodney's death. In a statement, Scotland Yard said that the guns were "loaded and fully operational", however evidence given by the prosecution differed; it was stated that a Colt .45 pistol which Graham admitted to owning was on the back seat but had been deactivated and could not fire, while Lovell's pistol - which had been converted from a tear gas gun - was found inside a rucksack along with a loaded double-barrelled handgun which was described as so small it was "made to look like a key fob".^[2]

Inquest

In August 2007, coroner Andrew Walker, sitting at Hornsey North London, said that a full inquest into Rodney's death could not be held because of the large number of redactions in police officers' statements. The Rodney family's solicitor, Daniel Machover, said that the redactions were made under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 which covers information obtained from covert surveillance including telephone taps and bugs. He also said that he had written to the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice asking that the law be changed to allow the coroner to proceed with the inquest.^[4]

In May 2009, Rodney's mother filed a case in the European Court of Human Rights, claiming that her human rights were breached by the failure to hold a "reasonably prompt" and public investigation into her son's death.^[5]

A public inquiry into Rodney's death was announced in March 2010 and began on 6 October 2010, chaired by a former high court judge, Sir Christopher Holland. The chair ruled that evidence previously kept secret can in fact be made public.^[6]

See also

• Death of Mark Duggan
• Death of Jean Charles de Menezes
• Death of Ian Tomlinson
• Death of Harry Stanley
• Death of James Ashley
• Blair Peach
• List of people killed by law enforcement officers in the United Kingdom
• Police use of firearms in the United Kingdom

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Police shooting survivors jailed". BBC News. 25 January 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4647830.stm. Retrieved 2008-08-18. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Barkham, Patrick (December 7, 2006). "Why has nobody heard of Azelle Rodney?". The Guardian 
3. ^ Clover, Charles (26 January 2006). "News in Brief:Crack dealer shot by police". London: The Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article719942.ece. Retrieved 2008-08-18. 
4. ^ Summers, Chris (26 January 2006). "Shot man's family want law change". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7076326.stm. Retrieved 2008-08-18. 
5. ^ Cookson, Richard; Sean O'Neill (13 May 2009). "Mother of shot 'gangster' Azelle Rodney takes Government to court". The Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article6275586.ece. 
6. ^ Dodd, Vikram (6 October 2010). "Azelle Rodney evidence should not have been kept secret, says inquiry". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/oct/06/azelle-rodney-police-shooting-evidence. Retrieved 27 August 2011. 

External links

• Coroner's ruling on Azelle Rodney