Killing of David Wilkie

The killing of David Wilkie occurred on 30 November 1984 when David James Wilkie (born 9 July 1949), a Welsh taxi driver, was killed by two striking miners during the miners' strike that was staged across Britain from March 1984 to March 1985.

Background

Wilkie was working in Treforest, Mid Glamorgan as a taxi driver, driving a Ford Cortina for City Centre Cars, who were based in Bute Street, Cardiff.Tim Jones, "Two miners charged with murder of taxi driver", "The Times", 1 December 1984.] He was regularly engaged in driving non-striking miners to work, as the bitter industrial dispute had made them targets for physical retaliation by those miners who were on strike. The Merthyr Tydfil area was said to be the strongest in support of the strike of any mining area in Britain.

Killing

On 30 November, Wilkie's fare was David Williams, who lived in Rhymney and worked at the Merthyr Vale mine, six miles (10 km) away. Wilkie was driving the same route as he had done for the previous ten days. He was accompanied by two police cars and a motorcycle outrider, and had just turned on to the A465 road north of Rhymney at the "Asda roundabout" when two striking miners dropped a 46 lb (21 kg)Tim Jones, "Miner's taxi driver killed in minutes by 46 lb concrete block, QC says", "The Times", 8 May 1985.] concrete block from a bridge 27 feet (8.2 m) over the road. Wilkie was killed instantly; Williams was only slightly hurt.

Reaction

Even in a strike marked by violent attacks, the death of Wilkie caused shock. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said, "My reaction is one of anger at what this had done to a family of a person only doing his duty and taking someone to work who wanted to go to work." Kim Howells, speaking for the South Wales National Union of Mineworkers, blamed the attack on the attempts to persuade miners to return to work. Arthur Scargill said he had been "deeply shocked by the tragedy" of Wilkie's death."Scargill shocked by 'tragic death'", "The Times", 1 December 1984.] Extra sympathy was felt for Wilkie's family. His mother had a heart condition and was taken to hospital when she was told the news. Wilkie lived with his fiancée, who was the mother of his 2-year-old daughter and was pregnant with a baby who was born six weeks later. He also had a 12-year-old daughter and a 5-year-old son by a previous partner.Tim Jones, "Unlikely killers in a bitter dispute", "The Times", 17 May 1985.] Funds were opened to help the family; among the donors was Paul Getty."Dispute in the coalfields", "The Times", 19 December 1984.] The Bishop of Llandaff lead Wilkie's funeral service; he called for "some sort of moratorium" and a return to work by the miners in return for an impartial board to investigate conditions in the coal industry.Tim Jones, "Bishop's plea as driver is buried", "The Times", 12 December 1984.]

Murder trial

The two men who caused Mr Wilkie's death, Dean Hancock and Russell Shankland, were found guilty of murder by a majority verdict on 16 May 1985 and sentenced to life imprisonment. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/16/newsid_2512000/2512469.stm Miners jailed for pit strike murder] , BBC News online (16 May 1985)] Tim Jones, "Miners get life for taxi murder", "The Times", 17 May 1985.] A third man, Anthony Williams, had been present on the bridge but was found to have actively discouraged them from dropping a concrete block, and he was acquitted.Rupert Morris, "Welsh officials to meet over dismissed pitman", "The Times", 24 June 1985.] The life sentences caused an outcry among the striking miners, who felt that the death of Wilkie was not a deliberate act; the strike had ended by the time the verdict was brought in, but 700 miners at Merthyr Vale walked out on hearing the news.Tim Jones, "Miners walk out over life terms", "The Times", 18 May 1985.]

On appeal, their convictions were reduced to manslaughter, and their life sentences were replaced with eight-year jail terms. The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Lane, explained that the crime would be murder if the death was a "natural consequence" of the miners' actions, but the legal phrase "natural consequence" was potentially misleading without further explanation.Frances Gibb, "Miners win murder charge appeal", "The Times", 1 November 1985.] The appeal verdict of guilty to manslaughter was upheld in the House of Lords.Frances Gibb, "Manslaughter verdicts are upheld on miners who killed taxi driver", "The Times", 13 December 1985.] Hancock and Shankland were released on 30 November 1989, which was coincidentally the fifth anniversary of David Wilkie's death.

Aftermath

Kim Howells, the South Wales NUM official who commented on the killing of David Wilkie, later became a Member of Parliament for the Labour Party and served as a government Minister in the Blair government. In 2004 he said that when he heard that a taxi driver had been killed, he thought "hang on, we've got all those records we've kept over in the NUM offices, there's all those maps on the wall, we're gonna get implicated in this". He then destroyed a large number of papers, because he feared a police raid on the union offices. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/3435161.stm "Howells' strike papers admission - inquiry"] , BBC News, 27 January 2004.]

References

ee also

R v Hancock