Keith Blakelock
Nicholas Jacobs was found not guilty of the Blakelock murder during the 1985 Broadwater Farm Riots. From the Huffington Post: “Nicky Jacobs, who was 16 at the time, went on trial at the Old Bailey accused of being one of the rioters who together stabbed the officer more than 40 times and tried to decapitate him.
There were cheers from the public gallery as the verdicts were returned by the jury of five women and seven men, who took just six hours to clear the 45-year-old.
Following the verdict, Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said: “No matter how difficult an investigation it has been to carry out – given the many years that have passed, the lack of forensic evidence and CCTV plus the main witnesses to Keith murder’s being those taking part in the riot – it was important we exhausted every possible lead we could.
We will not give up on bringing Keith’s killers to justice. There are people who know exactly who took part in the attack on Keith and people who took part themselves.
“It is not too late for you to come forward. Almost 30 years on, people’s’ lives are very different, their allegiances broken or shifted. Help us now.”
From what I read, the prosecution brought jail house snitches to the stand and others whose credibility were in question. I did not read anything about the knife found or whether there have been any new forensic results. I am not surprised by this outcome. As much as I feel for the Blakelock family, you cannot convict if you have credibility issues and lack the hard evidence to tie a man to the crime.
Pc Keith Blakelock, a 40-year-old father of three, was murdered by a machete-wielding gang during the Broadwater Farm Riots in Tottenham, North London, in October 1985. Pc Blakelock and his colleague, Pc Richard Coombes were attacked as they tried to protect firefighters as violence spiralled on the estate. The unrest was sparked by the death of Cynthia Jarrett, 49, who collapsed during a police raid on her home.
