Man charged with Keith Blakelock riots murder

A MAN has been charged with the murder of a police constable who was hacked to death during the Broadwater Farm riots in 1985.

The Broadwater Farm housing estate in Tottenham was the site of rioting in October 1985. Picture: Getty

Nicholas Jacobs, 44, is accused of killing Keith Blakelock, 40, who was attacked and stabbed dozens of times when he tried to protect firefighters as they tackled a blaze at a supermarket during the height of the unrest in Tottenham, north London.

Jacobs, who was a 16-year-old at the time, will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today.

No further action will be taken against five others suspected of taking part in the fatal assault “as there is insufficient evidence to warrant a prosecution”, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

Alison Saunders of the CPS said yesterday: “We have concluded that there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to prosecute [Jacobs].

“We have also concluded that no further action should be taken against five other individuals suspected of taking part in the death of PC Blakelock, as there is insufficient evidence to warrant a prosecution.”

PC Blakelock’s family said they welcomed the news and had “never given up hope in getting justice for him”.

PC Blakelock, a father-of-three from Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, had been sent to the Broadwater Farm estate with colleague PC Richard Coombes, when they were attacked by a mob armed with knives.

He was stabbed 42 times and suffered extensive injuries, before being pronounced dead later that night.

PC Coombes also suffered serious injuries and never returned to duty.

Riots had been sparked by the arrest of West Indian Floyd Jarrett, 24, whose vehicle had been stopped while police inspected his tax disc.

He was taken to nearby Tottenham police station and charged with theft and assault. He was later acquitted of both charges.

Detectives subsequently raided the home of his mother, Cynthia Jarrett, 49, who collapsed from heart failure after a police raid on her home in Tottenham.

Her death sparked a wave of riots at a time when community leaders were already citing aggressive policing and claims of “institutional racism” on the part of the Met.

Three men – Winston Silcott, Mark Braithwaite and Engin Raghip – were convicted in March 1987 of PC Blakelock’s murder but all three convictions were quashed four and a half years later, after forensic tests on pages of key interview records suggested they had been fabricated.

Three juveniles, aged 13 to 15, were also charged in connection with the murder at the time but the judge threw out the case against them.

The case was reopened by Scotland Yard in 2003.