15 years ago on this
day, a British policewoman, WPC Nina Mackay was was fatally stabbed on 24
October 1997 by a paranoid schizophrenic man she was attempting to arrest. In
loving memory of her, I will post an article from Wikipedia and The Daily Mail,
before giving my thoughts.
WPC Nina Alexandra
Mackay was a police officer serving with London's Metropolitan Police Service
who was fatally stabbed on 24 October 1997 by a paranoid schizophrenic man she
was attempting to arrest. She is the only female police officer in Great
Britain to have been stabbed to death while on duty and her killing was the
first of a female officer since the murder of Yvonne Fletcher in 1984.
Background:
Mackay was from Essex,
the only daughter of Sidney MacKay, a former chief superintendent with the Metropolitan
Police Service. She was educated at Bancroft's School, a co-educational independent
school in the town of Woodford Green, in the suburb of Woodford in north-east
London, where her classmates included journalist and presenter Anita Anand.
Mackay joined the
Metropolitan Police and served in the service's Territorial Support Group for
five years until her death.
Death:
On 24 October 1997,
Mackay went with colleagues to a property in Arthingworth Street in Stratford,
east London, to arrest a man who was in breach of bail conditions.
After forcing entry
into the bedsit Mackay led her colleagues into the hallway where she was
confronted by a man armed with a seven-and-a-half inch bladed kitchen knife. He
stabbed the officer once in the chest. She was taken to hospital by ambulance
but died two hours later from her injuries. The suspect was arrested and later
charged with her murder.
Aftermath:
At the Old Bailey in
October 1998, unemployed paranoid schizophrenic Magdi Elgizouli was convicted
of Mackay's manslaughter. The British-born 30-year-old of Sudanese origin had
been charged with murder but the jury accepted his defence of diminished
responsibility. He was detained indefinitely, initially at Rampton Secure
Hospital in Nottinghamshire and later at St. Bernard's Hospital in west London.
It was subsequently
reported that prior to killing Mackay, Elgizouli had served time in prison for shoplifting,
was on bail for assaulting a police officer and possessing a knife, and had
stopped taking his medication for his schizophrenia. He had also smoked cannabis,
which had apparently exacerbated his condition, and he had an expressed hatred
of the police.
A 1999 inquiry into
Mackay's death recommended that mentally-ill people should be given greater
support and that guidance on helping patients take their medication needed to
be improved. Despite calls from Mackay's family, the report did not recommend
that patients be compelled to take their medication.
Ten years after his
conviction, Elgizouli was released.
Memorial:
In 1998, the Police
Memorial Trust erected a memorial to Mackay at the place on Arthingworth Street
in Stratford where she was fatally stabbed. The memorial was unveiled by Tony
Blair.
Pandering to a WPC killer: Knifeman with a hatred of police is 'safe to be freed'... but only to an area where there aren't too many officers on the beat
PUBLISHED:|
UPDATED:
A
notorious police killer is being released after 15 years – but he must be
housed in an area with few police on the streets to protect his mental health.
Magdi
Elgizouli, 44, was diagnosed as having a pathological hatred of the police
after he knifed a young WPC to death in 1997.
The
schizophrenic has now been deemed well enough to be transferred from a secure
unit to a community hostel, but psychiatrists still fear his mental state could
be adversely affected if he sees police on patrol.
 |
|
Police killer: Magdi Elgizouli (right), who
was diagnosed as having a pathological hatred of the police after he stabbed
WPC Nina Mackay (right) to death in 1997 has been released and will now live in
a London suburb with less police on the beat
|
Although there are concerns about how Elgizouli will react to seeing police officers, psychiatrists claim he is not a danger to the public.
Jobless drifter Elgizouli stabbed WPC Nina Mackay, 25, to death with a seven-and-a-half-inch kitchen knife as she went to arrest him at a flat in Stratford, East London, in October 1997.
Moments before her death, WPC Mackay removed the body armour that could have saved her life because the protective vest was hampering her movement.
 |
|
Funeral: The coffin of WPC Nina Mackay leaves
St John the Baptist Church in Loughton, Essex, following her death in 1997
|
At
the time, Elgizouli – a frequent user of cannabis – was in breach of bail
conditions for assaulting a police officer and possessing an offensive weapon,
a knife, 11 days earlier.
He
was detained indefinitely after admitting manslaughter on the grounds of
diminished responsibility.
WPC
Mackay’s father, retired Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent Sidney
Mackay, reacted angrily last night as he confirmed news of Elgizouli’s release.
Mr
Mackay, 68, told the Daily Mail: ‘I can confirm that I have been informed by
the relevant authorities of Elgizouli’s impending release. The content of these
discussions has to remain confidential.
‘However
I think it a matter of great public interest that people are aware that he is
back on the streets with freedom of movement.
‘Despite
being given assurances about his suitability for release, I have great unease
that contact with the police or public could have tragic consequences. My
personal view is that his detention should continue.
 |
|
Angry:
WPC Mackay's father, retired Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent Sidney
Mackay has reacted angrily to the news about the release of his daughter's
killer
|
‘My
daughter’s gone and he should have taken the consequences, and not be allowed
to resume a normal life when we are living with her loss on a daily basis.
‘I
hope that his freedom of movement does not allow him to return to his old
practice of taking large quantities of cannabis.’
Mr
Mackay, who lives in Essex, added: ‘I was not in a position to object to the
decision to release him. All that had to be resolved when I was informed of his
release was where his place of residence would be.’
It
is understood a Mental Health Review Tribunal hearing paved the way for
Elgizouli’s release, on the basis that he is no longer deemed to be a danger to
the public and that his psychiatric state can be controlled by him taking
regular medication.
He
is expected to live in a licensed hostel, where he will be free to come and go
as he wishes each day.
A
number of Metropolitan Police Federation officials have expressed serious
concern about the decision to release the British-born killer, who is of
Sudanese descent. Pete Smyth, chairman of the Federation, said: ‘This man
should only be released when the authorities are absolutely convinced he is no
longer a danger to police and the public. It’s as much about protection as
punishment.’
He
added: ‘We have always maintained a position that life means life. In this
case, being locked up indefinitely should mean exactly that.’
Four
years ago, the Mail revealed that police had been warned of the dangers of
approaching Elgizouli, after he was given occasional day release from a secure
unit.
Elgizouli
was granted four hours of leave a week in preparation for his permanent
release.
 |
|
Murdered: Metropolitan Police WPC Nina
Mackay, pictured with pigtails as an eight year old, was stabbed to death
during a police raid in Stratford in East London in October 1997
|
He
was also allowed out a further five hours each month to visit his brother.
Mental
health chiefs said at the time they believed that Elgizouli’s psychiatric
condition had improved significantly, and that they had granted him supervised
release to help him reintegrate.
However
an urgent message was issued to police under Scotland Yard’s ‘officer alert
system’ warning he was a grave threat to officers’ safety and should not be
approached.
WPC
Mackay’s father was furious about the decision.
In
a letter to the Mental Health Review Tribunal in 2008, he said: ‘We owe
it to the memory and love we bear our daughter not to see her death
disappear as another statistic . . . while the person responsible resumes
his life as if nothing happened.’
My
thoughts:
I find it absurd that the UK Justice
System can allow a paranoid schizophrenic man to walk free from prison when he
should be at least locked up for life and never be released. If this was
Post-World War II and before 1965 in the UK, this cop-killer would be at the
end of the rope. We need a Chief Justice Rayner Goddard! Here is another reason
why the public is in favor of the death penalty for cop-killers.
This is another perfect example of
Abolitionists who do nothing to eliminate the inhumane parole and allow a
violent criminal to go and (maybe) kill again. The abolitionists has strongly
misjudged his character, so be careful of Magdi Elgizouli when you are on the
streets in London.
Rather than pay too much attention
to this paranoid schizophrenic loser, let us remember WPC Nina Mackay who died
today 15 years ago. Let us pray for the abolishing of the European Court of
Human Rights who are the friends of criminals.
No comments:
Post a Comment