You will, no doubt remember the case of Gwenton Sloley, one of the countries leading anti violence, anti gang practitioners, who was illegally targeted and arrested by the Metropolitan Police Service just before Christmas last year.
Unbelievably, the Metropolitan Police has arrested and raided Gwenton’s old home for a second time.
Please make sure you subscribe to both my YT channel and this blog.
Please like the video and most importantly, given the mainstream media boycott of these type of issues, that you share industrially all over the social media.
Gwenton was initially snared into a Met police investigation, which had absolutely no connection to him, when they ‘mistakenly’ raided his home in October last year.
In the first raid they claimed they were looking for a previous tenant, who last lived at Gwenton’s current address, some 5 years previously.
Prior to that raid, the Met Police were caught off guard, attempting to tamper with the lock of Gwenton’s front door, some 4 days prior to the police raid. Plain clothes officers were witnessed trying to pick the lock on his front door seeking to gain entry to his property.
Gwenton reported this incident to the police
Gwenton reported this incident to the police
After the raid, the police, then disgracefully disclosed his address to the public. As a result Gwenton was issued an Osman warning by the very same Lewisham Police who disclosed this address. An Osman warning is an official police notice, informing him that his life was under threat, as a consequence of the police disclosing his address and advised him to leave the property immediately.
He hasn’t stayed at his old property, since that initial raid in October 2018.
Then, unbelievably on the 22nd January 2019, against a backdrop of rising outrage and concern expressed by many politicians and community leaders. the Met Police stepped up their harassment, and provocatively arrested Gwenton. Despite raised concerns about the first raid, the Police raided his old home yet again, literally busting down the front door, whilst simultaneously planning to arrest Gwenton who was out driving with his wife, in central Croydon.
Surveillance.
In order to do that the Police must have been following Gwenton, that means the Metropolitan Police, instead of focusing on arresting real serious criminals in our community, is spending time spying on, following and harassing Gwenton.
He was arrested at 3 PM in the afternoon and released at 12 midnight. Whilst at the police station, the police seemed confused as to what charges Gwenton should face and were admonished by the Custody Sergeant, who told the arresting officers, to go away and get their story straight.
Unbelievably, when they finally determined the basis of his arrest they cited "new intelligence" that they’d secured from the second raid on his old home.
This "damning evidence" turned out nothing more than a parking ticket. Stop right there people, okay back it up and reverse it.
A parking ticket? Are you kidding me?
A parking ticket? Are you kidding me?
What the hell is happening to Gwenton? It appears to me that the Met are intent on, smearing his good name, as well as finding any old excuse to harass and arrest him. I suggest to you they're trying to provoke a reaction out of him, no doubt so they can find a meaningful basis to arrest and further discredit him.
It was also reported to me, that the Mayor of Lewisham was told that Lewisham Police officers, that they had found "drugs" when they initially raided old Gwenton’s home, that’s simply a stone cold lie.
This is pure political and illegal harassment by the Metropolitan police.
My first You Tube interview with Gwenton, immediately after the initial raid, attracted over 18,000 views, and sparked lots of additional news coverage.
Why is this happening you may say? In short, the Metropolitan Police Service, I believe have targeted Gwenton because of his relentless commitment to challenging the routine failures of statutory agencies. to adequately safeguard families whose children are at risk of serious violence or criminal activity.
These failures are most tragically illustrated by the case of 7 year old Lewisham boy, Joel Uhrie, whose Mother begged both Lewisham Council and the Police for protection. She feared for her family’s safety, after her wayward son was recently released from prison. Gwenton supported her desperate pleas for help.
This mother was ignored, and as a direct consequence of Lewisham Council and the Metropolitan Police Services failure to rehouse this family, resulted in the utterly avoidable and tragic murder of Joel.
Such catastrophic failures, will only serve to reinforce a deep reluctance by the community, to approach the police when families fear criminal violence. This is a case of national significance for all of those working in the practitioner field of violence reduction and safeguarding, the implications for which are profound.
 |
| Lewisham Councillors begin to ask questions about Gwenton arrest. . |
Lewisham Council has subsequently launched an "official inquiry" into this case, but after the avoidable death of a seven-year-old boy, such a clumsy, bureaucratic response appears woefully inadequate, lacking in empathy, apology or acknowledgment of responsibility.
All those involved or responsible for the horrendous failure that led to Joel's murder and the subsequent illegal harassment, visited on Gwenton should be immediately suspended, pending investigation
Gwenton believes he was targeted as a consequence of refusing to keep quiet, about this and many other statutory failures that exposed the cruel realities of the lack of safeguarding support in Lewisham.
These issues will deeply affect levels of public trust and confidence, and many families, may well now decide to make their own arrangements to keep their families safe, rather than approaching the police or local authorities.
Practitioners in the arena of violence intervention, need to read about this case, and make sure that they are not being targeted, set up, undermined, by their local police constabulary and local authorities in their areas.
The acute and tragic failure of Lewisham Council to prevent the avoidable death of a seven-year-old Joel amounts to a national scandal that has barely registered, above the frenzied, news media, hubble and bubble of Brexit, but which nevertheless, has resonated deeply into the soul of British black communities.
That's why we need your support to ensure that you share this story right across social media. We rely on you to help us to campaign, challenge and break the back of institutionalised racism and political harassment by the Metropolitan Police Service.
For the purposes of this article, I was given exclusive access to confidential internal Met Police emails, expressing concern about community tensions and issues resulting from the initial botched raid on Gwenton's home
A senior Met Officer, breached privacy data protocols and procedures, sending an confidential email to senior figures in Lewisham, specifically referencing Gwenton, to a member of the public, but not just any member of the public, more about this later. The officer later apologised but frankly its too little too late
Every aspect of this case, is characterised by malicious intent or rank incompetence, just, look at the evidence objectively, and you can conclude nothing other than Gwenton is the subject of sustained police harassment and illegal arrest and detention
The Metropolitan Police Service, appears to be engaging in "fishing trips" intent on finding something, anything they can charge Gwenton with. This second raid is deeply provocative, offensive and will further aggravate and inflame community tensions with the police.
Further, how is it that confidential Police emails, end up in the public domain, compromising Gwenton right to privacy and constituting a gross breach of data confidentiality?
We are still awaiting the actual detail of why, and what basis the Met raided his old home for a second time.
As I stated earlier, I suspect that Gwenton is the victim of an on-going police campaign to falsely arrest and charge, him in a determined attempt to smear his name, marginalise his voice and discredit his evidence.
In another curious twist to the story, the confidential email sent to a member of the public, was actually delivered to a young Mum, who was dealing with her own son, who had been involved in gang activity.
She had volunteered to take part in a training video with the Metropolitan Police Service told her would be used to help officers and practitioners understand the consequences of violence and its effects on families and communities.
She was reassured that the video would not be for public use, and agreed to take part. She subsequently found out, this police training service video, was made publicly available on You Tube, without her permission or knowledge and thereby endangering her and her entire family.
So in a curious twist, this mother was sent, by mistake confidential details around Gwenton’s initial raid, arrest and release.
Of course she complained bitterly and pointed out, that not only had they compromised Gwenton's confidentiality, Lewisham police had also placed both her and her family in real danger, by publishing what was supposed to be a police training video, in the public domain.
Of course she complained bitterly and pointed out, that not only had they compromised Gwenton's confidentiality, Lewisham police had also placed both her and her family in real danger, by publishing what was supposed to be a police training video, in the public domain.
There is a serious and critical failure to provide protection to those families in danger of criminal attack or retribution, as a result of their children's violent lifestyles. Desperate for help, these families approach the statutory authorities, only to be faced with the galling reality that in many cases, they cannot be effectively helped or supported.
Watch my interview with four prominent black men who were arrested above. Ask yourself, why the Met would target men like them ? All of whom are leading members of the community, all with outstanding individual track records in seeking to improve community relations with the police ? It beggars belief.
You can see my interview with Stafford Scott about his arrest here.
Like Gwenton, all have either faced harassment, arrest and malicious prosecution by the police. These include people like Stafford Scott, Ken Hinds, Cllr Mohammed Hashi, all prominent community leaders targeted by the Metropolitan Police Service.
The political implications for London should be clear, firstly the Mayor has to get a grip of what has now developed into an acute crisis of confidence between the Met and London's black communities.
This crisis also includes the statutory response to youth violence, in particular London's ability to effectively safeguard and support families when seeking to tackle rising violence. Slip streaming this crisis in police relations, many local councils and statutory agencies are also failing to adequately safeguard black families at risk.
In light of these two cases, there is great specific concern about Lewisham Council and the Metropolitan Police Service.
Their combined failures and hostile intent have combined to acutely aggravate community relations and public trust in statutory authorities. This can only further undermine the already precipitous and toxic state of black communities relations with both the Met and many statutory safeguarding agencies and organisations in London.
The Mayor or the Home Secretary must intervene, listen, recognise and respond to London black communities, who are becoming increasingly alienated and enraged as a consequence of the toxic deterioration of police/community relations.
That Gwenton should be subject to yet another baseless police arrest, continue to suffer, the on going campaign of police harassment and intimidation should be condemned by all deceit people. Those responsible for the failure that led to Joels Uhrie's murder should be held to immediate account.
The Mayors of London and Lewisham, their advisers, the Home Secretary, all need to urgently look into this case and intervene focusing on Lewisham failure to protect Joel, and prevent the disgraceful hounding of an innocent man and the active prosecution of profound injustice.
