Stunned shoppers watched as paramedics tried to save
the victim's life after the Oxford Street attack Shoppers witnessed horrific scenes as two men pounced on Mr Bigby as he left McDonald's, then stabbed him and slit his throat.
Posted on 05/13/2008 8:07:35 AM PDT by yankeedame
Last updated at 15:04pm on 13th May 2008
Thugs found carrying knives should not be jailed under new proposals announced on the day a man died after his throat was slit on London's Oxford Street.
Britain's most senior judge, Lord Chief Justice Phillips, says people found with knives for the first time should escape with a community order.
The sentence could even be lowered to a fine if there were mitigating circumstances, according to his advice which has been issued to magistrates' courts by the Sentencing Guidelines Council.
His guidelines emerged today, as police named the victim of yesterday's fatal stabbing in Oxford Street as Steven Bigby, a 22-year-old from north London.
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Stunned shoppers watched as paramedics tried to save
the victim's life after the Oxford Street attack Shoppers witnessed horrific scenes as two men pounced on Mr Bigby as he left McDonald's, then stabbed him and slit his throat.
People scattered as he stumbled out onto the street and collapsed.
Two men were seen running away from the scene and a blood-stained pen-knife was found outside a bookshop 50 metres away.
It is the fifth fatal stabbing in London since Boris Johnson became mayor less than a fortnight ago, pledging a zero-tolerance policy to knife crime in the capital.
Lord Phillips has said those found in possession
of a knife could be let off with a fine
A spokesman from Scotland Yard said today: "We do not believe that he was targeted. We do not believe that it is related to another crime."
Detectives are today examining footage from CCTV cameras which is believed to have caught the murder on film and are calling for the public to come forward with any pictures of the scene.
Acting Detective Chief Inspector Bob Mahoney from the Met's Homicide and Serious Crime Command, said: "We would be very keen to see these photographs as they could hold key information.
"This attack took place at a peak time in one of the busiest streets in London.
"We are very keen to speak to anyone who was in the Oxford Street area at the time of the incident who either witnessed this violent attack or who saw people running from the area."
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A bloody knife found lying on the street 50 metres away could be the murder weapon
Witnesses claimed the man was stabbed and had his throat cut as shoppers scattered
Oxford Street was sealed off yesterday as paramedics fought to save the victim as hundreds of shoppers and commuters looked on. He was taken to St Thomas' Hospital but died shortly after arrival.
A worker at the HMV music store, which is opposite McDonald's, said: "I heard that first they stabbed him and then lunged back at him and slashed his throat. I can't believe someone would do this in broad daylight. It could have happened to anyone of us. It could have happened to me. It's crazy."
Joe Hill-Wilson, 26, said: "He stumbled into the road. There were lots of paramedics around him giving him CPR, and hundreds of people watching." Another witness said: "So many people were around I can't believe those guys thought they could get away with stabbing someone. You just don't expect something like this to happen
One woman said a member of the public had tried to help the dying man.
She said: "He was on the floor. There was a woman with him, her hands covered in blood. She was trying to help him."
Since January, last year there have been 39 teenage murders in the capital.
The latest killing follows the death of 16-year-old Jimmy Mizen in Lee, South-East London, on Saturday. He was the 13th teenager to be murdered in London this year.
On Sunday, two youths were wounded in a double stabbing in Holloway, North London, and 68 young people under 25 have been killed with guns or knives since the start of the year.
losed of part of the street while paramedics battled to save the man's life
Such a shame this young man dies and then even more that his killer gets away with it....what kind of justice is that???!!!
“I can’t believe they thought they could get away with this in broad daylight.” Ummmm, they DID get away with it. That’s why they thought they could. Sounds like it is law based on ‘feelings.’
A spokesman from Scotland Yard said today: "We do not believe that he was targeted. We do not believe that it is related to another crime."Well, that makes it alright, then. As long as he wasn't TARGETED, then it's perfectly ok to slit the guy's throat.
(How much do the a$$-clowns who run that country get paid? What an easy job.)
“I can’t believe they thought they could get away with this in broad daylight.” Ummmm, they DID get away with it. That’s why they thought they could. Sounds like it is law based on ‘feelings.’
What do you expect from a country whose police officers are wearing ballistic style vests but no firearms for protection and citizens cannot carry weapons for proctection? See picture above.
Saddened but not surprised. When you outlaw the means in which citizens can defend themselves and then soften or completely remove the consequences for such criminal acts, you’re going to get this as a result.
This story has a disconnect. This story is about knife-control and wanting to jail people simply for the possession of knifes (they can't have guns you know). They illustrate the dangers of knifes. If the people were caught that made the stabbing, of course they would go to jail. But this story is advocating jail time for everyone who carries a knife.
First outlaw guns. And they still have murders. So now outlaw knifes.
Yep, very. But what else would you expect from knife-control advocates.
This doesn’t say that the thugs who killed him will only get a fine. I think it means that anyone who wants to protect themselves from thugs by carrying a knife will only get a fine. And that’s not good, according to the wimp writing this. So most of us on this board, we’re the thugs.
Yep. Notice how they tie this in with the election of Boris Johnson, as if this is his fault; ignoring the sickening rule of Red Ken which has lead to this sort of environment. I understand now why despotic societies totally control their mass media. The people who work in it are pathological.
I say this only because if they were white British youths, the judge would throw the book at them and make examples of them.
Simply carrying a pocket knife in Britain is a serious crime nowadays, and slitting someone's throat, killing him...well you have to wonder.
That is a multi-threat jacket: good against both knives and bullets. As you might imagine policemen in the UK face a lot of knives and very few guns.
No description of the thugs? I’m guessing it’s politically incorrect to describe the darlings.
So if you’re part of the general public, just move along. This doesn’t concern you. Don’t be on the lookout for anyone. Back to sleep, you great dozing herds of sheep.
But, if you happened to pose with the perps for autographs and polaroids, please contact us asap; we need your help else we just won’t be able to catch these guys.
I wish Jesus would come back to Earth and stop this shit.
I can't quite figure out what the thrust of this article is. The writer of the article seemed to be more disturbed that people could carry knives than by the fact the someone was killed implying that the killers would get off for killing the guy because the law didn't punish them for carrying knives.
Doesn't matter anyway; all of the important people have bodyguards. Who cares if a few little people get killed in the gun free (and soon to be knife free ) utopia that the morons in Britain have inflicted on themselves.
We can look forward to having our freedoms severely curtailed if Hillary, Obama of McCain gets elected president.
The second issue, that knife carriers will only have to pay a fine is A GOOD IDEA, but it doesn't go far enough. (Don't let the word 'thug' fool you.) What Britian needs to do is lower the charge for gun carriers to a fine, or not make it a crime at all, but this is a good first step.
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