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| APPALLING HISTORY OF THE NO.
43 |
76 crimes on the same bus where
man was murdered
Detective Chief Inspector John MacDonald who is leading the
investigation, at the murder scene on Holloway Road |
THE 43 bus, where Richard Whelan was stabbed to death on Friday
night, has been associated with a staggering 76 crimes in just five
months, it was revealed this week.
Amid revulsion over the murder, Islington’s Labour opposition
leader Councillor Catherine West last night (Thursday) called for
an inquiry into why the service from London Bridge, via Islington
and Archway, has such an appalling reputation.
Cllr West who regularly catches the bus from the Town Hall in Upper
Street to her home at the Archway will be raising the issue as a
matter of urgency with Greater London Authority (GLA) member Jeanette
Arnold and Transport for London (TfL).
She said: “This bus service is so bad that last year they had
a police presence which was a deterrent,” she said. “Presumably
police are currently being used elsewhere in the hunt for terrorists.”
She added that she had witnessed several incidents on the 43 including
a theft in which a passenger on the top deck chased the thief off
the bus and along the road.
Cllr West said: “I don’t feel comfortable sitting upstairs
on this bus and it shouldn’t be like this. We need to know
why it’s got such a record for crime. Police issued the figure
of 76 incidents associated with the bus service as they began a
major investigation into the killing of Mr Whelan stabbed six times
by a “grinning killer”.
A shocking account has also emerged of the last moments of Mr Whelan’s
life. The 28-year-old, from Gaisford Street, Kentish Town, was murdered
on the 43 bus in Holloway Road, at the junction with Wedmore Street,
after challenging a man who was throwing chips at his girlfriend.
A clear account has emerged of the final hour of Mr Whelan’s
life. At some time after 9.45pm an argument broke out between Mr
Whelan and his attacker. After a row he was stabbed around half
a dozen times, including a fatal wound to the heart.
Mr Whelan staggered down the stairs, bleeding heavily, and slumped
to the ground. The driver pushed the panic button to alert Centre
Comm, a service which automatically contacts police and dispatches
an emergency response car.
At 10.01pm, a passenger – using the pseudonym Tara McCartney
– made a frantic phone call to London Ambulance Service (Las).
The ambulance service immediately dispatched three vehicles: an
ambulance, a fast response car and the crews of the Helicopter Emergency
Service (Hems) in a car.
The first ambulance was on duty in Tottenham and arrived at 10.08
along with a police patrol car. Another vehicle arrived at 10.10pm
and the Hems were on the scene at 10.15pm.
Police sealed off the scene and Mr Whelan was taken to the Whittington
Hospital less than half a mile away. He went into cardiac arrest
while in the ambulance and the Hems crew continued to treat Mr Whelan
as he arrived in the Emergency Department. He died just under an
hour after being admitted.
Police investigating the murder only detained five passengers for
questioning at Holloway police station where they were kept until
2am.
In an interview with the Guardian newspaper Ms McCartney said: “Of
all the people who were on the bus, all of us potential witnesses
in a murder trial, only five passengers, plus the driver went to
the police station to make statements.”
Islington police officers told the Tribune last night (Thursday)
they are powerless to detain witnesses at a crime scene. They said
they can only ask people to remain at the scene and supply their
details.
Witnesses may also have left the site prior to officers arriving,
said the police. Since the murder police have been seeking witnesses
through television and newspaper appeals.
A police spokesman said: “Maybe people felt they didn’t
see anything. They may have seen something relevant and didn’t
know it.”
The Tribune investigation throws up two questions.
• Why didn’t police keep witnesses at the crime scene?
• Were the emergency services over-stretched with the ongoing
bomb alerts?
Since 2002 a special team of ‘law enforcers’ have been
travelling the Tube and buses at night to keep a watch on passengers.
The Transport Operational Command Unit, (Tocu) consist of TfL staff
and Metropolitan Police officers.
Its 1,300-strong staff – many of who work undercover –
have made more than 12,600 arrests since it was formed.
Detective Chief Inspector John Macdonald, of the Serious Crime Directorate,
leading the investigation said: “It is the casual way in which
the suspect acted and the level of violence used against someone
who was enjoying a night out with his girlfriend that makes it all
the more important that we identify and arrest this man.” |
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