^{JANUARY 1999}

Plea from Blakelock widow....continued
Mother- of- three Elizabeth Johnson, who has since remarried, spoke out after the Stephen Lawrence inquiry report accused the Met of "institutionalised racism"

Mrs Johnson said Sir Paul's pledge to apprehend Stephen's Killers was a "bitter reminder" that her former husband's murderers were still at large.

A Scotland Yard spokeswomen said "In 1995 the Crown Prosecution service announced that they would not institute criminal proceedings against 11 suspects.

"At that time we announced that we were winding down the inquiry in PC Blakelock's murder and the evidence we acquired remains with us in case it can be used in future proceedings.

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Sickness closes police station.....continued
The assurance came amid public fears about the future of Highgate police station in Archway Road, which has reduced it's opening hours because of civilian staff shortages. It also follows a concern about police strength in Haringey due to manpower cuts across the force.

Acting inspector Richard Watling, in charge of  community policing in Muswell Hill and Highgate, said: "Staff shortages due to sickness were bound to arise from time to time."  But he said the existing opening hours at Muswell Hill - 6am to 10pm Monday to Friday and 10am - 6pm  on Saturday would remain the same.  The station is closed on Sunday.

"Our main priority is to respond to emergency calls from the public," he said. "The duty officer needs to make a decision about policing priorities when people are off sick".  Mr Watling also said there had been no reduction in the number of officers based at Muswell Hill.

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Revamp of Muswell Hill Broadway in Spring......continued
The £450,000 scheme, first unveiled 14 months ago, involves renovating crumbling brickwork, installing period street lights, restoring traditional shop fronts and planting trees.   It is part of efforts to re-establish the "special character" of Muswell Hill around the Broadway, Fortis Green Road and Queen's Avenue.

The Heritage Lottery Fund has promised a £225,000 grant towards the three-year project, on the condition that Haringey Council matches the amount from its own resources and private money.  The scheme, approved by councillors before Christmas, also includes bringing back old-fashioned red phone boxes and restoring the facade of architecturally listed buildings, including Muswell Hill library in Queen's Avenue.  Haringey has described the area built by two family firms of builders, Edmonson and Collins, as an "exceptional example of a complete Edwardian suburb"

But conservation watchdogs say alterations to many turn-of-the-century buildings have not been carried in the "spirit or to the high standard of the original".   Garden and boundary walls have not been repaired properly and shop fronts have been badly modernised.  Historian Jack Whitehead, who has written a book about the architectural history of Muswell Hill, has been commissioned to compile a comprehensive collection of old drawings, maps and photographs of the area.  Many of these original drawings, showing lampposts, cast iron drain covers and other architectural features, have been stored away in council archives.  "Fortunately, there is a wealth of original design drawings still available, which can be used to verify works of repair and conservation," said a report by conservation experts.  "Landscape drawings and design drawings of the buildings on the roundabout also accurately record the changes to it that been made over the years."

But the success of the scheme largely depends on shopkeepers supporting the ideas and securing individual grants to cover the cost.  "Essential to the success of the programme will be the wholehearted support and co-operation of the public.  Initial positive improvements will help people to understand the value of conserving and restoring the street scene of Muswell Hill" says the report.  Shops and businesses in the Broadway and Fortis Green Road are being asked to help pay for the renovation work, due to start next March.  One company, Taylor Walker, has already offered a provisional donation of £15,000.

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Speeding motorists face camera on the hill......continued
Families have taken a major step towards winning their campaign to put the brakes on high speed motorists at one of Haringey's worst accident blackspots. Police and Haringey Council have agreed to consider installing a spy camera to catch drivers breaking the 30mph speed limit on busy Muswell Hill.

One of the problems is the steepness of the hill, where there have been 19 serious accidents in the last 3 years, as cars and buses pick up speed.  Residents claim at least 90% of cars are breaking the speed limit.  A speed camera would slow traffic down, but not solve the problem of the junctions to the side roads. 

Muswell Hill Councillor Lynne  Featherstone, who has led the calls for action reduce the speed of traffic, said she was disappointed that a decision on the issue had to wait until January next year. But she welcomed the decision of the council to acknowledge that Muswell Hill merited attention "in view of its accident record".  She said "It will now be considered priority status in the new round of spending after the January review of safety schemes. "I am also pleased that discussions are now going on with the police to consider the use of Muswell Hill's first anti-speed camera.   Speed is a killer, and we must act to ensure that the accident record of this road is urgently improved.

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Man wins case to clear name in police assault......continued
Desktop publisher Ralph Burgess, pictured below with his dog Rufus, has won a two-year battle to clear his name over allegations that he assaulted a custody sergeant at Hornsey police station.  Mr. Burgess, of Muswell Avenue, Muswell Hill, was arrested in August l995 on suspicion of making a series of threatening phone calls to the Greek owners of a fish and chip restaurant.  Sergeant Andrew Condon claimed that Mr. Burgess deliberately yanked his arm through a cell door hatch, causing bruising to his forearm.   But after a three-day appeal hearing at Wood Green Crown Court last week his conviction for assaulting the policeman was overturned.  Judge Martin Binning, sitting with two magistrates, ruled that 46-year-old Mr. Burgess had not been given the opportunity to prepare his defence case properly.  He said Mr. Burgess was at a disadvantage because statements had not been collected from other police station prisoners on the night of his arrest.  "We are of the view more could and should have been done to address these issues and come to the conclusion Mr. Burgess was deprived of preparing his case, and therefore the proceedings are unfair," he said. 

A 14-day prison sentence imposed by Haringey magistrates for the alleged assault was also lifted.  Mr. Burgess has already been cleared of making nuisance phone calls to the Ttofalli family, former owners of the Toffs fish and chip restaurant in Muswell Hill Broadway.  After the latest hearing, Mr. Burgess said: "This is a big load off my mind."  He is now seeking a judicial review of his private prosecution against a member of the Ttofalli family, which was thrown out by magistrates.  Mr. Burgess said he was also pressing ahead with a claim for malicious prosecution against the Metropolitan Police. 

Tenant complains about health official
Haringey Council environmental Health Officer Alan Warren was summoned to appear at Highgate Magistrates Court on 23rd October, 1998 to answer a complaint that alleged breaches of the Eviction Act 1977.  The complaint was made by  tenant, Ralph Burgess, a desktop publisher, of Muswell Avenue, Muswell Hill, who alleged breaches of gas safety regulations at the same address.

Burgess Sues
Desktop publisher Ralph Burgess has brought a new private prosecution against Haringey Council and the police over claims that they failed to investigate his complaints.

Mr Burgess and three of his neighbours are trying to sue the Council and Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Condon for allegedly breaking health and safety regulations by failing to act over complaints about a heating system at their privately-rented home.

They have also accused the police of failing to respond to 999 calls by Mr Burgess and conspiring to have him falsely arrested and removed from his flat.

Mr Burgess claims he has been the subject of a long-running campaign of harassment and intimidation by police and civic officials.

In another case, Mr Burgess has accused four police officers of causing him actual bodily harm at Wood Green police station last April.

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Psychics help solve Queen's Wood murder...continued
Yvette Tamara and Paul Soutcott visited the scene of the murder of Brandon Hale in Queen's Wood, Muswell Hill to see if they could pick up any physic clues as to the murderers identity.

Mr Hale who was thought to have been involved in a gangland money-laundering operation, was found with a bullet wound to his head earlier this year. He had previously spent and lost £100,000 in a number of London Casinos.

The two psychics have not been engaged officially by the police, but hope that some skills will shed some light on the case. However, the police are sceptical about any useful information being discovered. Detective Inspector Bob Jones said that the force was regularly approached by psychics but that he did not think that such help had ever been effective.

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