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November 28, 2006

UK: Members Of "Muslim Boys" Gang Guilty of Killing

The Muslim Boys

We first wrote of the Muslim Boys in September last year. At that time, Marcus Archer, Aaron Irving-Simpson and Marlon Stubbs, all aged 24 and from the gang called the "Muslim Boys", were on trial at the Old Bailey, accused of murdering 20-year old Adrian Marriott by shooting him in the head five times on June 8, 2004.

What distinguished this case from other black gang trials is that the victim was apparently killed after the Muslim Boys attempts to force him to convert to their brand of Islam had failed. The court heard that Adrian Marriott had known Marcus Archer for years, but had started to visit the house of the gang leader, Marcus Archer, accompanied by Marlon Stubbs.

Archer had decided that Adrian Marriott, his sister Tara and her friend Jade Okai were ripe for conversion. Jade and Tara agreed to wear the hijab or Muslim headscarf, but Adrian Marriott did not take the gang's demands seriously. In January this year, Adrian's mother Ruth told an inquest into her son's death, held at Southwark Coroner's Court, that she had heard the shots which killed her son. He had been killed at Loughborough station, south London, and his body had been dumped in parkland nearby.

"The thought did strike me that Adrian could be involved, but it was a fleeting thought. Then we heard from police the following evening what had happened," she said. "Adrian was told on the Sunday prior to his death that he would be killed if he did not become a Muslim by the Wednesday, which was the day he died."

When asked if Adrian had taken the threat to convert seriously, Ruth Marriott said: "I do not think he did."

Adrian Marriott, an accountancy student, was killed shortly before his 21st birthday.

The trial last year of Marcus Archer, Aaron Irving-Simpson and Marlon Stubbs heard evidence from the prosecution. Marlon Stubbs had telephoned Tara Marriott and told her: "Your brother is a little tadpole. He just messed with a big shark, a whale." The Old Bailey trial in the Marriott murder case last year ended abruptly, on September 9. Apparently new evidence was produced by police, and Irving-SImpson and Stubbs were allowed to go free. Charges against all three defendants were dropped.

However, due to a former arrest for possessing an illegal firearm, the leader of the three, Marcus Archer, was jailed for eight years. When he was arrested by armed police outside a Croydon mosque in July 2004, a loaded handgun was found in his pocket.

The Muslim Boys have managed to develop for themselves a fearsome reputation. They use Islam as a cover to justify doing whatever they wish. They are devout, in that they pray five times a day, but their version of Islam is one that follows the "caravan-raiding" of the "prophet" Mohammed and his followers, as described in Sura 8 of the Koran.

Last year, the Evening Standard wrote an interview with a member of the gang, called "Winston" on July 5, 2005. He said: "Knives is fuck-all. Later, my bruvs will be back from their robberies with our skengelengs [guns] and cream [money]. Later there be MACinside-10s [sub-machine guns] all over the floor, laid wall to wall. And moolah! We count it - 10 grand, 20 grand. Then, after midnight," he adds, matter-of-factly, "me and my bruvs go to mosque to pray."

In June 2005, Brixton and Stockwell mosques publicly distanced themselves from the gang, saying there are "criminals masquerading as Muslims" who threaten the good name of their religion. Abdul Haqq Baker, chairman of Brixton mosque, claimed: "What we are seeing is a new phenomenon that I have not seen in my 15 years as a Muslim.....Keep away from our mosques."

"Winston" was not happy at being denounced by the Brixton mosque. He told the Evening Standard reporter: "Fucking cheek!" he said. "Mocking us. There be retribution for this!"

He described his religious beliefs: "I converted when I was in prison. I found it relaxing, we got better food. Now we all go to mosque together. If I refuse, they blow [shoot] me, innit. I pray twice a day: before I do crime, and after. I ask Allah for a blessing when I'm out on the street. Afterwards, I apologise to Allah for what I done."

Prison seems to attract a lot of converts to Islam, and many converts join because from the example of early Muslims, their activities of robbery and killing do not differ too widely from the behavior of the founder of Islam and his followers. Replace "caravan-raiding" with " raiding drug-dealer's apartments" and "attacking infidels" with "anyone outside one's gang" and a simplistic interpretation of Islam appeals to disaffected, violent youth, who do not need to radically change their mindset to call themselves religious.

In prison, the "Muslim Boys" have been responsible for maintaining their religious beliefs through forced conversions. They fraudulently claim to be connected to Al Qaeda as that gives them some cachet, both inside prison and on the streets.

In April this year, the Muslim Boys' activities at the Category A prison, HMP Belmarsh, made the news. A member of the group was savagely attacked for his "apostasy" after he said he wanted to leave the gang. A group of eight members of the Muslim Boys cornered him in the lavatories, and "punished" him with a severe beating, causing serious injuries to his head. The attack took place on Good Friday (April 14) and only ended when prison officers intervened.

Four prisoners from the gang received "administrative action" from the prison authorities. Two leaders were transferred to other jails. Many members were sent to a segregation unit within the prison. The Home Office said the Good Friday attack had not been a major incident. A leaked prison report claimed the members of the Muslim Boys were recruiting for Al Qaeda within the jail. Other prisoners claimed to be in fear of their lives after the gang attacked victims with razor blades attached to toothbrushes (called shanks).

Last year, Detective Chief Superintendent John Coles, who heads Operation Trident, the Scotland Yard unit that targets gun crime in the black community, about 20 "hardcore" members of the group have been imprisoned, there are about 20 still on the streets, with other members who "attach themselves" as hangers-on.

The gang numbers on the street could be as high as 50 to 100 members. These groups, drawn from other local gangs with names such Peelden, the Stockwell Crew, the SMS (South Man Syndicate) and PDC (Poverty Driven Children), come from neighborhoods in Brixton, Peckham, Lambeth, and Streatham, in south London.

Tarique Ghaffur, a senior policeman and Muslim, said last year: "My priority is to sort out these thugs and reassure people that we will take a collective approach to ensuring no community is stigmatized. I would love to give these thugs an Islamic knowledge test. I doubt many would pass."

Wanoo Sheshmi, who runs a project to assist alienated young males in south London called the From Boyhood to Manhood Foundation, said: "We know that they are targeting young people, vulnerable young people who are receptive to this message because they themselves are empty, they need something to believe in."

Gun Possession

Marlon Stubbs, who had been cleared of killing Adrian Marriott a year ago, has today been jailed, along with two other members of the Muslim Boys gang, 23-year old Stefon Thomas and 20-year old Sanjit Webster.

The three were found guilty at the Old Bailey of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, states IC South London.

They were arrested after a shooting incident which took place on October 10 last year, a month after Stubbs had been acquitted of Adrian Marriott's murder. Eyewitnesses had identified Stubbs and Thomas but a jury at the Old Bailey had cleared them of attempted murder.

The shooting incident had taken place at Condell Road in Battersea. Marlon Crooks was showing his family a BNW convertible outside their home. A gang, wearing Muslim-style headscarfs had fired upon Crooks, his eight-year-old daughter, his mother, grandmother, sister and brother. All individuals had escaped injury.

A week after the incident, Stefon Thomas was arrested in possession of a D-32 Derringer pistol. On November 3, the Old Bailey heard, Sanjit Webster and Marlon Stubbs were caught with a .44 caliber weapon, while traveling in a taxi from Brixton to Stratford. Webster and Stubbs had been going to Stratford to pick up the .44 pistol on the last day of Ramadan. They were overheard saying: "When Ramadan ends the snake is going to strike"

Stubbs, who lives in Kennington, has a previous conviction for rape, where two schoolgirls were his victims. He was told by the judge at the trial that he will serve at least four years in jail before being considered for parole, as will Thomas. Sanjit Webster will serve at least three and a half years. Additionally Thomas, of no fixed abode, will serve two concurrent sentences of six years' jail for possession of a prohibited weapon and four years for two counts of possession of prohibited ammunition.

Stubbs and Thomas were cleared on two charges of attempted murder and one of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Murder

Three more members of the Muslim boys were also convicted in a different courtroom today of killing a man, states IC South London. A 23-year old nursing assistant, Charles Anokye, had been stabbed to death on August 1, 2005. He had received 13 knife wounds in his chest and back after being attacked by five assailants. His attackers rifled through his pockets, taking his valuables, as he lay bleeding to death.

Anokye was at the Mass nightclub at St Matthew's Church, Effra Road, Brixton with a friend, James Idamakin. Both worked at the Rosedale Nursing Home in Tooting Broadway. Idamakin gave evidence to the court that Anokye had been dancing when another person had said to him "You're blocking my view".

Anokye knocked another dancer with his drink bottle, and Idamakin had excused his friend by saying that Anokye was drunk, and had not intended that to happen. When the pair left the nightclub at 4 am, Idamakin said that he saw the "Muslim Boys" running out of the club, and had to run for his life.

"I saw Charles with some boys.They were running after him. There were about six of them. hey were kicking and punching him. He was on his feet then he fell," Idamakin said.

The jury heard evidence from two eyewitnesses, who spoke after being placed under witness protection. Additionally, closed circuit television footage was shown to the court.

Two individuals from The Muslim Boys gang were convicted of manslaughter, and one was found guilty of murder. 17-year old Anwar Hussain was convicted of murder, and 18-year old Edwin Banfo and 20-year old Aaron Roberts were convicted of manslaughter.

Two others, 18-year old Rico Tracey and 17-year old Ben Jatto, were cleared of killing but were convicted of violent disorder.

Another individual, 18-year old Everald Howell, was cleared of wrongdoing, and was set free.

The jury failed to reach a verdict on two others, who will be facing a retrial. These are 20-year old Daniel Brown and a 16-year old who cannot be named.

All the individuals before the court, who lived in south London and belonged to the Muslim Boys gang had denied murder and violent disorder. During the trial, both Rico Tracey and Anwar Hussain had been allowed time off from the court to perform their prayers. The case has gone on for three months.

Judge Richard Hone adjourned sentencing until a date will be made next month. Hussain, Bamfo and Roberts will almost certainly get custodial sentences, and Hussain is guaranteed to receive a life sentence for murder.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at November 28, 2006 10:19 PM

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