LONDON–On Wednesday 10 September 2014 at Westminster Magistrates Court, London, a former police officer who can only be identified as Echo 7 (E7), was vacant at the dock at the preliminary hearing to his trial for the murder of 24-year-old Azelle Rodney.
Instead, his place was occupied by two African court custody officers.
On Saturday 30 April 2005, Azelle, a young African man was travelling as a backseat passenger in a car with two other persons who were supposedly under police surveillance.
According to the police, “Operation Taypor,” a battalion of Specialist Firearms Officers, were concerned they had a sub-machine gun and were on their way to a robbery.
During the stakeout the officers observed Azelle being driven to a barber shop on High Street, Harlesden where he had his haircut.
The officers, who had ample opportunity to apprehend the young men when they walked to and from the barber, simply observed them and followed them a further distance to Hale Lane, Mill Hill where the officers, for no good reason, moved to “state red,” which meant the car had to be stopped as soon as possible.
At 7:43 pm the targeted car was “hard-stopped” by police cars who swerved in front, alongside and back-rammed the vehicle.
Fourteen armed officers jumped out of their vehicles and further punctured the car with "Hatton rounds," which are designed to open car doors and/or disable them, as shocked pedestrians and customers of a nearby pub and shops ran and ducked for cover.
Still in the passenger seat of the car he was in, the cop known only as “E7” with 20 years firearms experience leant over his left shoulder and at near point blank range fired 8 shots at the targeted car.
Azelle, still wearing his seat belt, was shot once in the arm, once in the chest and four times to his head. When the police removed Azelle’s body from the car, they laid him on the pavement and left him there for more than 16 hours.
The ambulance that eventually took him away was seized by the police.
As the norm for the African community, the media within a few hours of the incident began the character assassination of Azelle, misreporting that he was holding a gun when shot and that he was a drug baron who sold crack.
24 hours after their killing of Azelle and with the media lies in full swing, the police visited his mother, Susan Alexander who had already found out about her son through the news.
Further on her visit to the scene of the crime, Azelle’s blood was not cleaned away and so Ms Alexander and family cleaned it away with water they had got from the pub nearby.
Ms Alexander, who understandably cannot grieve properly until she knows exactly what happened to her son stated "I do not seek to justify what Azelle was doing on the day he died, but he was entitled to be apprehended and, if there was evidence, to be charged and brought before a court of law to face trial before a jury."
"The fact that he was strongly suspected in crime does not justify him or anyone else being summarily killed."
In September 2012, a three month public enquiry commenced into the killing of Azelle Rodney in which “E7” was granted anonymity resulting with the public and the media banned from the court room and only allowed to hear his evidence through an audio feed in another room.
The conclusion of the public inquiry found that “E7” “could not rationally have believed” and “had no lawful justification” for shooting Azelle.
“E7” who served on the Special Patrol Group that was implicated in the death of Blair Peach (a white protester who was killed at a demonstration against racism in April 1979 and was arrested after a fight at a London nightclub, retired from the Metropolitan Police Service just a few months after killing Azelle Rodney to avoid internal police disciplinary proceedings and to ensure his police pension.
Besides murdering Azelle Rodney, “E7” has wounded two and killed two others as well as a dog for which he was reprimanded.
In July 2014 the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced it was going to charge “E7” with the murder of Azelle Rodney.
On entry to UK courts there is a security check for “potential weapons” but never another check to enter the courtrooms or their precincts.
However on entry to Courtroom One “only” and its precinct where the preliminary trial of “E7” is to be heard there were [by court order] a number of security and court staff as well as a out of place desk for the surrender of all electronic equipment (ie mobile phones, laptops, i-pads, cameras and other types of electronic device).
On the basis of being granted an anonymity order at the public inquiry into Azelle Rodney killing, “E7” at his preliminary trial for murder was not present in the dock of the court room.
The reason being he had instructed his barrister, to make an application for the anonymity order to remain in place.
This meant that, “E7’” the defendant, and now non serving police officer [not that this should matter for a criminal charge particularly one of MURDER] name, address, date of birth and physical appearance will be concealed from the general public throughout his trial for murder!!!
After approximately an hour and a half the judge at Westminster Magistrates Court dismissed “E7’s” application and ordered him to appear before the court but not before granting “E7” an unofficial anonymity order.
In other words the judge ordered those in court not to reveal “E7’s” name; date of birth; address or a description of how he looks.
In the afternoon “E7” was transferred to the Central Criminal Court or the Old Bailey where the case was allocated a court room that required members of the public to climb 120 steps.
Or assessed by a unavailable matron to see whether eligible to use the lift [that can only be accessed by the reception staff raising the barrier that is in place] which left 2 disabled Africans (one of whom soon to be retired) unable to hear the trial.
At the Old Bailey the judge reinstated the anonymity order and because he found there was "no grounds, let alone any substantial grounds" not to grant bail, “E7” walked out of court on the condition he attend appointments with psychiatrists nine years after the killing of Azelle Rodney [indicating “E7” is to walk free on the basis of some kind predetermined mental health issue].
Further it transpired during the preliminary trial at Westminster Magistrates Court that although “E7” has been charged with murder, he has not in fact been officially charged with murder.
Therefore “E7” was not placed in police custody, no official interview was carried out, no fingerprints, no mug shots were taken and no custody record exist.
“E7” has been bailed to return to court Friday 3 October 2014.
This charade shows once again that the state cannot put itself on trial, and that those who serve the white ruling class, despite overwhelming evidence against them, have nothing to fear.
At least nothing to fear from the court system. But the people’s justice is near.
The white ruling class will use all the might of the court syatem and of the press to protect the police who carried out the colonial will of the white rulers.
Our people need to understand the political will and the program of the white rulers is to maintain status quo, which means to prevent a stable, organised, prosperous and fighting black community against oppressive white rule.
British police is a colonial police, with the primary task of maintaining the relationship between white oppressor nation and the oppressed black nation and other oppressed peoples in UK.
To break this colonial status quo, we must build a mass movement to stop the British police violence and brutality against our people, as part of a bigger movement for national democratic rights and self determination.
We cannot leave our lives in the hands on the white ruling colonial ruling class, which has been oppressing us for over 500 years! It is just too long and it is detrimental to our lives. It must end.
Support these demands
End the anonymity of the white police officer
Jail immediately the killer cop
Pay Reparations to the family of Rodney Azelle.
What can you do?
Attend the next court Day Friday 3 October 2014.
Attend the November 1, 2014 "Peace Through Revolution" protest at British Prime Minister' residence at 10 Downing Street, Westminister, London, SW1A 2AA
Contact: inpdum_london@yahoo.co.uk
Join InPDUM today!
Join the Struggle for Social Justice and Self Determination.
