The Commuter Hub goes straight to www.tfl.gov.uk/check . It couldn’t be any simpler. As we are not fans of 0843 numbers we opt out of contacting those BUT you can register for weekend email alerts at https://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/livetravelnews/plannedworks/default.aspx

This weekend there are no planned works on the District, Jubilee, Piccadilly, Victoria or Waterloo & City lines. YAY!! That’s good news.

However:

Underground

• Central line - suspended between Liverpool Street to Leytonstone and Leytonstone to Hainault via Newbury Park while we replace track between Leyton and Leytonstone all weekend.
• Northern line - suspended between Camden Town and High Barnet/Mill Hill East all weekend while London Underground tests new signalling.
• Bakerloo line - suspended between Stonebridge Park and Harrow & Wealdstone on Sunday only due to Network Rail engineering work.
• Circle line - suspended between King’s Cross St. Pancras and Moorgate on Sunday only while London Underground continues to enlarge and rebuild Farringdon Tube station.
• Hammersmith & City line - suspended between King’s Cross St. Pancras and Barking on Sunday only while London Underground continues to enlarge and rebuild Farringdon Tube station.
• Metropolitian line - suspended between Baker Street and Aldgate on Sunday only while London Underground continues to enlarge and rebuild Farringdon Tube station.

DLR

• Suspended between Stratford and Poplar all weekend due to track repairs and maintenance works on station platforms. Replacement bus services will operate between Stratford to Canary Wharf. This bus service will run every 10 minutes 05.30hrs to 01.30hrs on Saturday and 06.30hrs to 00.30hrs on Sunday.

Overground

• Richmond/Clapham Junction – Stratford line - uspended on Sunday until 12.00hrs between Highbury & Islington and Stratford due to Network Rail bridge work.
• Watford Junction – Euston line - suspended on Sunday between Watford Junction and Euston due to Network Rail track work.
• Highbury & Islington – West Croydon/Clapham Junction line - suspended on Sunday between Highbury & Islington and New Cross/New Cross Gate due to London Underground waterproofing work at Canada Water. Suspended on Sunday between New Cross Gate and Crystal Palace/West Croydon due to Network Rail track work. Suspended on Sunday between Surrey Quays and Clapham Junction due to Network Rail track work.

Road

Roadworks at Bow Roundabout
The northbound slip road from Bow Roundabout is closed due to works in the area until 24 June 0500hrs. There will be diversions in place via Twelvetrees Crescent.

Bridge repairs in New Cross
From 2100hrs on Friday 10 May to 0500hrs on Monday 13 May New Cross Road will be closed to eastbound traffic between Amersham Road and Amersham Vale to facilitate repairs to the railway bridge. Pedestrian access to New Cross station will be maintained throughout the weekend.

Street march in Hackney/East London
On Sunday 12 May, a large group will march from Derbyshire Street to Victoria Park via Bethnal Green Road, Cambridge Heath Road and Old Ford Road. Full road closures will be in place to facilitate the event from 1100hrs to 1300hrs.

Phhhhhhhewwww that was a mouthful and some more BUT whatever your plans are CHECK and safe commuting.

On the 4th August 2011 Mark Duggan, a man from Tottenham, north London, was shot dead by a police officer in east Tottenham. As is the case whenever a man dies a violent death a decision was made to hold an inquest to identify when and where the death occurred, how it happened and if the death was the result of an unlawful killing. A judge, by the name of Keith Cutler, was appointed as the deputy coroner, to preside over the inquest, in January 2013. Coroners and their deputies are usually lawyers and can be doctors, but are rarely judges. However in this case it became apparent that the coroner presiding over the inquest would need to consider phone intercept information, which the police had collected and used as part of their operation to apprehend and consequently shoot Mark Duggan. A judge is the only role allowed to view such evidence and so Keith Cutler was appointed deputy coroner to ensure the inquest could consider the phone intercept evidence.

Although the inquest has yet to start, we already know about some of the circumstances leading to the death of Mark Duggan. We know on the 4th August 2011 Mark Duggan was shot dead by a police officer on Ferry Lane in east Tottenham. Duggan was shot twice at 6.15pm and declared dead at 6.41pm. Seconds before the shooting police officers bought the people carrier in which Duggan was travelling to a stop on Ferry Lane. Duggan exited the people carrier on the pavement side. Within two seconds the police shouted something to Duggan and shot him twice, in the chest and then in the arm. At the same time a police officer was struck by a police issue bullet, which lodged into his MPS radio. Having been hit by two bullets Duggan fell to the floor. Meanwhile the police officer, whose radio had been hit, cried out he had been hit. Police officers searched Duggan but were unable to find a gun, applied first aid but did not effectively resuscitate Duggan and declared Duggan dead at 6.41pm. The police officer, whose radio was hit, was attended to by another officer and taken to Homerton Hospital.

Whilst some aspects of the circumstances leading up to the shooting of Mark Duggan seem fairly clear, there is less clarity over a range of other events, which occurred before and during the shooting of Mark Duggan, either because there is insufficient evidence to clarify the issue, or because the evidence that exists conflicts. For example, currently no firm conclusion can be reached on what was shouted to Duggan as he exited the vehicle, the direction in which Duggan faced or started to head once he had exited the people carrier, whether he headed towards or away from police officers, whether he broke into a run and whether he attempted to deploy a gun. Neither can a firm conclusion be reached on the position of the officer who shot Duggan, when he shot Duggan. Furthermore, whilst it is clear that police officers claim to have found a handgun in the vicinity of the location in which Duggan was shot dead, nothing is known about how the handgun reached the location it did.

In a recent pre-inquest review meeting the key questions that the inquest will consider were outlined as follows:

• What was the intelligence about the pistol, including its whereabouts and Mr Duggan’s intentions about it prior to picking it up?

• Why was that pistol not seized from the man who is said to have supplied it to Mr Duggan before he supplied it to Mr Duggan?

• Were press reports suggesting Mr Duggan was a gangster whose intention with that pistol was to kill someone part of the intelligence in the hands of the police, and did it inform the plan? If so, was it true?

• If it was part of that intelligence why was Duggan not arrested before he was armed.

• Why was Mr Duggan not stopped as soon as he’d taken delivery of the gun in the box, and before he had a chance to take it out of the box, if indeed that is what happened?

• Was the stop conducted in a safe place?

• Why was Mr Duggan allowed to get out of the minicab?

• Was Mr Duggan ever in fact in possession of the pistol?

• Was each of the shots fired at Mr Duggan absolutely necessary?

• What happened to all the cars, the guns, the cartridge cases, the bullets and other items of forensic interest immediately after the shooting, and what light does what happened to them shed on the shooting itself?”

  There have been significant delays to the starting of the inquest. Over the last two years several inquest start dates have been announced only for the start date to be put back. At the time of writing, April 2013, the start date for the inquest is September 2013, two years after the shooting. The principal reason for the delay seems to be the IPCC investigation into the shooting of Mark Duggan. The inquest cannot start until the IPCC hands over documentation relating to the shooting as well as its final report, but the IPCC has not handed information over until early 2013 and has, to date, April 2013, not handed over a copy of its report. Furthermore the inquest will need to be adjourned if the Crown Prosecution Service, in light of the IPCC investigation findings, determines that criminal prosecutions are required.

  If and when the inquest does get underway it is likely to rouse considerable public interest. This is because the shooting of Mark Duggan was considered the catalyst for the riots, which took place in London in August 2011. Furthermore there is a theory, which many people would like to see tested, that the shooting of Mark Duggan was unlawful. For the fact that the inquest is likely to be of considerable public interest there are plans to make transcripts of the inquest available online at http://dugganinquest.independent.gov.uk/ and to stream the inquest live over the internet.

  ]]> http://inquestintodeathofmarkduggan.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/the-decision-to-transmit-the-inquest-on-the-internet/ Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:41:56 +0000 Inquest into the death of Mark Duggan http://inquestintodeathofmarkduggan.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/the-decision-to-transmit-the-inquest-on-the-internet/ In January 2013 it was reported that judicial officials were considering plans to stream the inquest live over the internet. The Guardian, however, notes that some of the inquest will not be available, including testimonies from firearm officers, who will be given anonymity and will be able to testify from behind screens.”
  ]]> http://inquestintodeathofmarkduggan.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/reasons-for-delays-of-the-inquest-into-the-death-of-mark-duggan/ Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:41:01 +0000 Inquest into the death of Mark Duggan http://inquestintodeathofmarkduggan.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/reasons-for-delays-of-the-inquest-into-the-death-of-mark-duggan/ There are several reasons for why the inquest was not able to start earlier than two years after the shooting of Mark Duggan. The two principal reasons are the trial and retrial of Kevin Hutchinson-Foster, and the investigation of the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

  The Criminal Trial of Kevin-Hutchinson Foster

  Following the shooting of Mark Duggan the Crown Prosecution Service decided to press charges against Kevin Hutchinson-Foster, for supplying a hangun to Mark Duggan, fifteen minutes prior to Mark Duggan being shot dead. Under Section 16 of the Coroners Act 1988, where criminal proceedings are being taken with regards to issues relevant to the inquest, the inquest should be adjourned until the proceedings are concluded.Consistent with this law, a decision was made to adjourn the inquest into the death of Mark Duggan until the trial of Kevin Hutchinson-Foster had been completed. The first trial of Kevin Hutchinson-Foster was held in September 2012, but the jury could not reach a verdict, and a retrial was planned for January 2013.

  The Independent Police Complaints Commission Investigation into the death of Mark Duggan

  A second reason for the inquest not starting until two years after the shooting of Mark Duggan was the fact of the Independent Police Complaints Comimssion’s investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting of Mark Duggan. Following the death of Mark Duggan the Independent Police Complaints Commission concluded it would need to investigate the police shooting. The IPCC’s investigation has taken over a year to complete, and is planned to report back in April 2013. During the planning of the inquest it became clear the inquest would require access to information collated by the IPCC as part of its investigation. However the IPCC refused to make some 60 lever arch files available to the inquest until early 2013, which effectively meant the inquest could not start until 2013.

  The reasons for the IPCC’s decision to delay handing over the 60 lever arch files until early 2013 are not completely clear. The IPCC explained in June 2012 that it would not hand the files to the inquest, becaue it felt the remaining files should be handed over all in one batch, after the investigation was completed, and that a handover of just some of the files would be dangerous. The IPCC’s rationale would suffice as a full explanation for their behaviour, if its beahviours had been consisted with its rationale. The fact is that the IPCC gave the inquest some information within the first year of the death of Mark Duggan and it handed over a substantial number of files between January 2013 and March 2013, before the investigation report was completed, and therefore, before the IPCC could be sure that the files handed over were all the files that would be in the possession of the IPCC at the end of the investigation.

  The IPCC investigation has also caused a postponement to the start of the inquest because the inquest would like to view a draft or a final copy of the IPCC’s investigation report. Up to now April 2013, the IPCC has refused to make such a report available. The IPCC’s refusal includes a renegal on an agreement made with the coroner in a January 2013 pre-inquest review to submit a ‘work in progress’ copy of the report for February 2013. This renegal caused the judge presiding over the inquest to comment that the IPCC commissioner was in contempt of court. In a March 2013 pre-inquest review the IPCC agreed to submit a copy of their report to the judge for May 2013.

  The IPCC investigation may cause further postponement because the investigation might produce conclusions and evidence, which leads the Crown Prosecution Service to conclude that criminal charges need to be bought against police officers. By law an inquest needs to be adjourned until criminal prosecutions relating to the subject of interest to the inquest are completed, and so, in the event of the Crown Prosecution Service pressing charges, the inquest may be postponed or adjourned.

  The appointment of a judge to deal with sensitive material

  It has been suggested that further delay to the inquest came about in January 2013, with the appointment of Judge Keith Cutler as the Deputy Coroner, for the judge being new to the case, needed time to familiarise himself with the relevant documentation. Certainly had the IPCC investigation not taken place then the appointment of the judge may have delayed the case, but in practice, the postponement caused by the appointment of the judge was dwarfed by the larger delay caused by the IPCC investigation.

  ]]> http://inquestintodeathofmarkduggan.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/chronology-of-delays-to-the-inquest-into-the-death-of-mark-duggan/ Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:40:23 +0000 Inquest into the death of Mark Duggan http://inquestintodeathofmarkduggan.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/chronology-of-delays-to-the-inquest-into-the-death-of-mark-duggan/

  On the 9th of August 2011, five days after Duggan was shot dead, the inquest into the killing of Duggan opened at North London Coroners Court, in Wood Street, High Barnet. During the meeting it was announced that the inquest would be adjourned until 12th December 2011. A pre-inquest meeting was held on the 12th December 2011 at the North London’s Coroners Court in Barnet during which time it was announced that the inquest would be held in September 2012. However an inquest was not started in September 2012, instead a pre-inquest hearing was held on October 23rd 2012, during which time it was announced the inquiry would begin in January 2013 despite Edward Brown QC acting for the Crown Prosecution Service asking a delay until after the retrial of Kevin Hutchinson-Foster, planned for January 2013.

  
  Statement given by Duggan’s family after the October 2012 pre-inquest review meeting.

  On January 9th 2013 it was announced that Judge Keith Cutler would be the assistant deputy coroner, and that he would hold a pre-inquest hearing, rather than start the inquest, on the January 28th at North London Coroner’s Court. On the 28th Judge Cutler announced the inquest would begin in September 2013 with a jury, at the Royal Courts of Justice in central London. A pre-inquest hearing was provisionally scheduled for March 28th at the same court. However on the 18th February 2013 the government website on the inquest into the killing of Mark Duggan reported that a pre-inquest meeting would be held on the 25th of March. On the 25th at the pre-inquest review, the Deputy Coroner noted the IPCC would send their draft report to the inquest for the 13th May and there would be a further pre-inquest review on the 15th July. He announced the inquest would start on the 16th September 2013.

  ]]> http://inquestintodeathofmarkduggan.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/people-with-a-proper-interest-in-the-mark-duggan-inquest/ Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:36:14 +0000 Inquest into the death of Mark Duggan http://inquestintodeathofmarkduggan.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/people-with-a-proper-interest-in-the-mark-duggan-inquest/ Persons, recognised by Judge Cutler as having a ‘proper interest’ in the inquest into the death of Mark Duggan are the Duggan family, Ms Semone Wilson; Ms Precious Douaihy; Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC); Metropolitan Police Service (MPS); Officers Q63, R31, R68, V48, V53, V59, V72, W39, W42, W55, W56 and W70; Officer Z51; and the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA).

  Ms Semone Wilson is the mother of three of Mark Duggan’s children, and was said to be engaged to Mark Duggan at the time of the killing.

  Ms Precious Douaihy was made the subject of a news article by The Sun newspaper on August 13th 2011, eight days after the shooting of Mark Duggan, in which The Sun claimed that Mark Duggan had had an affair with Ms Precious Douaihy.

  Officers Q63, R31, R68, V48, V53, V59, V72, W39, W42, W55, W56 and W70 are all likely to have had roles in the apprehension or shooting of Mark Duggan or management of the scene of the killing. In the trial of Kevin Hutchinson-Foster officer V53 claimed he shot the bullet, which entered Mark Duggan’s chest, and which was said to have proven fatal. Officer W70 claimed that no sooner had Mark Duggan been shot than W70 raced to catch Mark Duggan as he fell to his knees and then subsequently searched Duggan for possession of a firearm. Officer R31 claimed he had found a handgun in some bushes behind railings, some minutes after Mark Duggan had been shot dead.

  ]]> http://inquestintodeathofmarkduggan.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/sources-of-evidence-that-will-be-used-in-the-inquest-into-the-death-of-mark-duggan/ Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:35:54 +0000 Inquest into the death of Mark Duggan http://inquestintodeathofmarkduggan.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/sources-of-evidence-that-will-be-used-in-the-inquest-into-the-death-of-mark-duggan/ IPCC documents

  The nature of the circumstances surrounding the death of Mark Duggan became subject of an investigation for the Independent Police Complaints Commission on the evening Duggan was shot. In fact the inquest was put on hold until the IPCC investigation was completed. During the two years that it took for the IPCC investigation to complete it became clear to the coroner that the IPCC was collating material that would be useful to the inquest. Ashley Underwood QC, Counsel for the inquest, described how the coroner considered handling the IPCC information in one of two ways. One way was to use just the IPCC investigation report, assuming the data collected by the inquest, of relevance to the IPCC, would be covered in the report. A second way, chosen by the coroner, was to receive the raw data and review it together with the IPCC investigation report.

  Although the inquest made it clear to the IPCC in the months following the death of Mark Duggan that it required the documentation available to the IPCC, the IPCC whilst making a small amount of information available to the inquest within the first nine months of the investigation, refused to make the majority of the documentation, some 60 lever arch files, available, until between January and March 2013. The reasons for the IPCC’s delay are unclear. The IPCC has argued it would be dangerous for the inquest to have only some of the information, and that it would be safer for the inquest to have all the information at the same time. However the IPCC has contradicted its own advice by giving information to the inquest within the first year of the death of Mark Duggan, and handing over a substantial number of files between January 2013 and March 2013, before the inquest was finished, and therefore, presumably, before the IPCC could be sure all the files handed over were goint to be all the files in the possession of the IPCC by the end of the investigation.

  Furthermore, although the coroner made it clear he would like to see a copy of a draft of the IPCC investigation report the IPCC have held back on providing a draft report to the inquest. The IPCC reneged on an agreement made with the coroner in a January 2013 pre-inquest review to submit a ‘work in progress’ copy of the report for February 2013 which caused the judge presiding over the inquest to comment that the IPCC commissioner was in contempt of court. In a March 2013 pre-inquest review the IPCC agreed to submit a copy of their report to the judge for May 2013.
  

  MPS documents

  In the March 2013 pre-inquest review Ashley Underwood QC, Counsel fo the inquest reported having received approximately 20 files of documents from the MPS.

  Request for documents from the Kevin Hutchinson-Foster trial

  In the March 2013 pre-inquest review Ashley Underwood QC, Counsel fo the inquest reported having received the transcripts from the trial and retrial of Kevin Hutchinson-Foster.

  Witnesses

  In the March 2013 pre-inquest review Ashley Underwood QC reported that the inquest had identified a list of 82 witnesses.

  Redactions

  In the March 2013 pre-inquest review Ashley Underwood QC explained that a process would be put in place for redacting the materials received by the coroner for use in the inquest. The inquest staff would first redact the materials for data protection reasons, then each document would be sent to its respective owner to see if they wanted to claim any other public interest immunity, after which inquest staff would make further redactions for data protection and anonymity reasons.

  ]]> http://inquestintodeathofmarkduggan.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/what-is-known-and-what-is-not-known-about-the-shooting-of-mark-duggan/ Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:35:24 +0000 Inquest into the death of Mark Duggan http://inquestintodeathofmarkduggan.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/what-is-known-and-what-is-not-known-about-the-shooting-of-mark-duggan/ The purposes of and questions to be asked during the inquest have been detailed in a section above. Here we look at what is already known about the circumstances leading to the shooting of Mark Duggan, and what has yet to be clarified. There are a number of aspects about the circumstances leading to the death of Mark Duggan, which seem fairly clear. We know that on the 4th August 2011 at 6.15pm officers bought the people carrier in which Duggan was travelling to a stop. Duggan exited the people carrier on the pavement side. Within two seconds the police shouted something to Duggan and a police officer shot Duggan twice, first in the chest and then in the arm. At the same time a police officer was struck by a police issue bullet, which lodged into his MPS radio. Having been hit by two bullets Duggan fell to the floor. Meanwhile the police officer, whose radio had been hit, cried out that he had been hit. Police officers searched Duggan but were unable to find a gun, applied first aid but did not effectively resuscitate Duggan and declared Duggan dead at 6.41pm. The police officer, whose radio was hit, was attended to and taken to Homerton Hospital.

  Whilst some aspects of the circumstances leading up to the shooting of Mark Duggan seem fairly clear, there is less clarity over a range of other events, which occurred before and during the shooting of Mark Duggan, either because there is insufficient evidence to clarify the issue, or because the evidence that exists conflicts. For example, no firm conclusion can be reached on what was shouted to Duggan as he exited the vehicle, the direction in which Duggan faced or started to head once he had exited the people carrier, whether he headed towards or away from police officers, whether he broke into a run and whether he attempted to deploy a gun. Neither can a firm conclusion be reached on the location of the officer who shot Duggan when he shot Duggan. Furthermore, whilst it is clear that police officers claim to have found a hangun in the vicinity of the location in which Duggan was shot dead, nothing is known about how the handgun reached the location it did.

  Finally there are other events, which have been reported to have taken place, which would require an alternative source to verify, given that the source of the information clearly benefits from reporting events in the way they did. For example, police officers have provided a fairly clear account of the motives and perceptions, which led to a decision to shoot Duggan and which informed their behaviour in the events leading up to the shooting. Officers claimed to have tracked the movements of Duggan from the afternoon of the 4th of August because they suspected Duggan would that very day attempt to get hold of a gun, as part of a strategy to avenge the killing of a relative. Police also claim to have watched Duggan taking a silver people carrier taxi to Leyton, from where he was said to be seen taking a shoebox from an associate called Kevin Hutchinson-Foster, from which point he was driven on to Ferry Lane. Police officers believed the box Duggan had received from Hutchinson-Foster had a gun in it, which was sufficient reason for them to subsequently arrest Duggan. Furthermore, the police officer, who claims to have shot Duggan twice, claims that Duggan, on exiting the people carrier, attempted to deploy a handgun. However, whilst officers are clear about the motives and perceptions, which informed their behaviour, some of their perceptions have been contradicted by witnesses, and there is little independent or documentary evidence to verify their accounts. Other events, reported to have taken place, which would require an alternative source of verification, given that the source of information clearly benefits from reporting events in that way, include the suggestion of the mother of three of Mark Duggan’s children, that before Duggan had exited the people carrier he had sent a text indicating that he was aware his movements were being tracked by police officers from Trident. They also include police officers ‘claim’ to have found a gun in the vicinity of where Duggan had been shot some minutes after the shooting.

  Given the conflicting accounts, conflict of interest and lack of evidence, the findings from forensic analyses have a key role to play in informing any attempt to reach a judgement on what occurred in the lead up to the shooting of Mark Duggan. Findings from forensic examinations, made available to the public, include that:

  • A bullet reported to have lodged into the police radio of a police officer, during the shooting of Mark Duggan was a “jacketed round”, a police-issue bullet “consistent with having been fired from a [police] Heckler and Koch MP5″. The implication of this finding is that the bullet, which hit the police officer’s radio was fired by another police officer, and not by Mark Duggan.
  • A gun, wrapped in a sock, which was reported to have been found in some bushes close to the location at which Duggan had been shot dead ‘some minutes’ after the shooting was found to have been a converted BBM Bruni self-loading pistol containing a “bulleted cartridge” in the magazine. There was no evidence that the gun had been fired.
  • There were no fingerprints, blood or DNA belonging to Mark Duggan on the weapon or on the sock.
  • Two types of blood were found on the gun, but neither belonged to Duggan.
  • Analysis of Mark Duggan’s clothes found that there was no meaningful gun residue on his clothes.
  • A box, which the police claim to have found in the people carrier and seen handed to Mark Duggan, which police believed contained a gun at the point it was handed over to Mark Duggan was said to have had the fingerprints of Mark Duggan on it. The fingerpints of Mark Duggan were said to have been found on a part of the box which could not be accessed if the lid was fully down.
  • Fingerprints of a woman at whose address Kevin Hutchinson-Foster was claimed to have been when he was alleged to have handed a shoebox containing a gun to Mark Duggan, were said to have been found on the shoebox.

  It has been argued that the implications of these findings are that:

  • There is no forensic evidence to demonstrate Mark Duggan handled the gun, which police officers claim had been handed to Duggan by Kevin Hutchinson-Foster in a shoebox, fifteen minutes before Duggan was shot. Furthermore there is no forensic evidence to demonstrate Duggan had been holding a gun moments before being shot, contrary to the accounts provided by two police officers, one of whom shot Mark Duggan dead.
  • There is forensic evidence to suggest Duggan’s hands made contact with a shoebox, which police officers claim Duggan received from Kevin Hutchinson-Foster fifteen minutes before being shot dead, and which officers believed contained a gun.
  • There is forensic evidence to suggest that the shoebox had been in the possession of a woman at whose address Kevin Hutchinson-Foster was said to have been when he handed the shoebox to Mark Duggan.
  ]]> http://inquestintodeathofmarkduggan.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/activities-to-be-carried-out-by-the-inquest/ Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:34:50 +0000 Inquest into the death of Mark Duggan http://inquestintodeathofmarkduggan.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/activities-to-be-carried-out-by-the-inquest/

  During a pre-inquest review in January 2013 Andrew Underwood QC, Counsel to the Inquest, identified the following activities to be carried out to help the inquest answers its questions:

• A forensic examination of the fingerprints on the shoebox, said to have been passed from Kevin Hutchinson-Foster to Mark Duggan, fifteen minutes before the shooting, to ascertain if somebody had lifted the lid of the shoebox off? Ashley Underwood QC said: “Now no trace of Mr Duggan’s DNA was found on the pistol, or on the sock which contained it. Neither were his fingerprints on either of those. His fingerprints were found on the outside of the cardboard box which was found in the minicab. Those prints were found on a part of the box which was only accessible if the lid was part way up. What is not at all clear is whether there were any prints consistent with somebody having lifted the lid. That’s a matter which we suggest would repay some more careful, or more attention at least with the forensic scientists”.

• A reconstruction of the shooting to test accounts of the shooting. Ashley Underwood QC said, “There’s a conflict of expert opinion about what could be inferred from Mr Duggan’s wounds in order to show precisely how he was holding his right arm as he was shot. That’s a matter of some significance to do with the threat which he may have been perceived as posing with the gun. And again that’s something upon which further scientific work could usefully be done we say. Mr Duggan was wearing a short padded jacket when he was shot. There was no bullet hole in the right-hand upper side corresponding with the chest wound. There was however a series of four holes in the lower-left front part of it, which is said to have been consistent with that part being bunched up and in some way held up over the right chest area. And again one needs to look at that with great care by way of some sort of reconstruction exercise to test the accounts that have been given here.”

• Ascertaining whether either of the two bullets, which hit Mark Duggan, ricocheted off the interior of the people carrier, in which Mr Duggan had been travelling. Ashley Underwood QC said, “In terms of trajectory of the shots, one of the two rounds which was fired and which struck Mr Duggan apparently hit him and then hit another police officer, in fact in the radio, who was apparently standing behind him. The other shot appears to have ended up inside a plastic bag in the minicab, without putting a bullet hole in that plastic bag, so presumably then having got there through the opening. I’m not clear yet whether ballistics work was done on the minicab to see whether there could have been a ricochet from the interior. Again that’s something we’d like to consider with great care when all the materials are to hand from the IPCC.”

• Establish the existence of and examine the content of the satnavs or any other data collection instrument from the police cars used in the apprehension of Mark Duggan. Ashley Underwood, QC said , “The police and the CPS did a good deal of work in pursuit of the case against the man who is said to have supplied the gun, including a download of the satnav in the minicab, with the aim of reconstructing its routes, and to attribute timings to the stopping in Ferry Lane. I’m not yet clear whether the same was done for any satnavs or anything else in the police cars so that the timings of the shooting can be juxtaposed with the time that was given by officers and by CCTV and any other coverage there may be. And that too is likely to repay extra work”.

• Encouraging witnesses to some of the events immediately after the shooting to cooperate with the inquest. Ashley Underwood said, “I think it’s well known that the BBC has obtained footage taken from a position overlooking the scene which appears to commence from a short period after the shooting. The BBC has made that available to the IPCC. The IPCC in turn has identified one of the persons connected with recording it. That person isn’t cooperating with the IPCC, and neither is another person thought to be involved in that. It’s possible that they may cooperate with you, and we will of course make every effort to invite them to do that”.

  Michael Mansfield QC speaking at the January 2013 pre-inquest review advised the Deputy Coroner Judge Keith Cutler not to assume that the officers who had carried out the shooting of Mark Duggan were aware of the intelligence that was available to senior officers, who had given the strategic order to those officers to apprehend Duggan. Reflecting on evidence given by officers in the trial of Kevin Hutchinson-Foster, Mansfield pointed out that at no stage did the police officer witnesses say that what happened at the scene was determined by intelligence information.

  ]]> http://inquestintodeathofmarkduggan.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/questions-to-be-answered-by-the-inquest/ Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:34:25 +0000 Inquest into the death of Mark Duggan http://inquestintodeathofmarkduggan.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/questions-to-be-answered-by-the-inquest/

  The purposes of the inquest, as indicated by the Judiciary of England and Wales webpage for the inquest into the death of Mark Duggan, are to ensure that:

• The full facts surrounding [Mark Duggan's] death are brought to light.

• That any culpable and discreditable conduct is exposed and brought to public notice.

• That suspicion of deliberate wrongdoing, if unjustified, is allayed.

• That dangerous practices and procedures, if discovered, are rectified.

• That Mr Duggan’s relatives and loved ones may at least have the satisfaction of knowing that lessons learned from his death may save the life of others.

  During the pre-inquest review meeting of March 2013 the following six key questions were identified as important for the inquest to answer:

• What was the intelligence about Mr Duggan and his intentions on the 4th August 2011?

• Was there any information available to the planners that affected or should have affected the way the stop was conducted? Was this acted upon to minimise recourse to lethal force?

• Was the stop conducted in a way that minimised the greatest possible recourse to lethal force?

• Was the stop conducted in a location that minimised the greatest possible recourse to lethal force?

• When Mr Duggan exited the minicab was he in possession of a handgun?

• Was each shot fired by the police officer absolutely necessary?

  During a pre-inquest review meeting on the 28th January 2013, Ashley Underwood QC, Counsel for the inquest, outlined the following questions to be answered by the inquest:

• What was the intelligence about the pistol, including its whereabouts and Mr Duggan’s intentions about it prior to picking it up?

• Why was the pistol not seized from the man who is said to have supplied it to Mr Duggan before he supplied it to Mr Duggan?

• Was the notion that Mr Duggan was a gangster whose intention was to kill someone part of the the intelligence in the hands of the police? If so, was it true? If it was true, why was Mr Duggan not arrested before he was armed?

• Why was Mr Duggan not stopped as soon as he’d taken delivery of the gun in the box, and before he had a chance to take it out of the box?

• Was the stop conducted in a safe place?

• Why was Mr Duggan allowed to get out of the taxi cab?

• Was Mr Duggan ever in possession of the pistol?

• Chronologically, which shot was fired first and what was the consequence of the shot?

• Was each of the shots fired at Mr Duggan absolutely necessary?

• What happened to all the cars, the guns, the cartridge cases, the bullets and other items of forensic interest immediately after the shooting, and what light does what happened to them shed on the shooting itself?

  Other relevant inquestions include:

• Was the force used which led to Mr Duggan’s tragic death, strictly proportionate to the aim of protecting persons against unlawful violence, i.e. was it no more than absolutely necessary?

• Was the police operation planned and controlled so as to minimise, to the greatest extent possible, recourse to lethal force?
  ]]> http://inquestintodeathofmarkduggan.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/the-jury/ Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:34:03 +0000 Inquest into the death of Mark Duggan http://inquestintodeathofmarkduggan.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/the-jury/ The inquest into the death of Mark Duggan will have a jury. In March 2013 a pre-inquest review dicsused whether the jury should be granted anonymity. The question hinges on whether jurors would be considered at risk of harm by their participation. It has been argued jurors might feel more comfortable and may be better able to concentrate on the evidence were they granted anonymity, the implication being that jurors, known to the public, would reasonably fear repercussions, and arrive at a conclusion, based on a desire for repercussions, rather than on evidence. However it has also been argued there is no evidence to suggest jurors are at risk of harm and that to grant anonymity would incorrectly promote the perception there is a potential risk of harm, which could also bias their judgement.
  ]]> http://inquestintodeathofmarkduggan.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/the-appointment-of-judge-cutler-to-the-inquest-owing-to-sensitive-information/ Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:33:44 +0000 Inquest into the death of Mark Duggan http://inquestintodeathofmarkduggan.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/the-appointment-of-judge-cutler-to-the-inquest-owing-to-sensitive-information/ <a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jun/28/mark-duggan-coroner-police-watchdog“>Judge Keith Cutler was appointed as the Deputy Coroner and given jurisdiction over the inquest in January 2013, because it came to light that the inquest may have to take into account police intercept evidence, which <a href=”http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jun/28/mark-duggan-coroner-police-watchdog“>under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, only a judge can see.</a>
  ]]> http://inquestintodeathofmarkduggan.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/the-nature-of-an-inquest/ Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:33:23 +0000 Inquest into the death of Mark Duggan http://inquestintodeathofmarkduggan.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/the-nature-of-an-inquest/ An inquest is held with the occurence of a violent death, an unnatural death, a sudden death of unknown cause or a death in prison. Inquests are conducted by a coroner who, with or without a jury, hears evidence relating to the body and circumstances of the death of the deceased person. An inquest is an inquisitorial process, a process of investigation to establish who died and how, when the death occurred and where the death occurred. Possible verdicts include death from natural causes, accident, suicide, unlawful or lawful killing and industrial disease. An open verdict may be reached when there is insufficient evidence for any other verdict. A narrative verdict sets out in narrative form how the person died.

  An inquest is not the same as a trial, the verdict cannot include a determination of matters of criminal or civil liability on the part of a named person. During an inquest, if the conclusion reached is that the death was by suicide or unlawful killing, then the conclusion must be proven beyond all reasonable doubt (the criminal standard). In the event of any other conclusion being reached, then it needs to be shown that the conclusion was more likely than not, on the balance of probabilities, which is known as the civil standard. Following the inquest, the coroner may report the death to an appropriate person or authority, if action is needed to prevent more deaths in similar circumstances. The Coroner has the power to investigate not just the main cause of death, but also ‘any acts or omissions which directly led to the cause of death’.

  The role of the coroner

  An inquest is presided over by a coroner, whose role it is to be an ‘independent judicial office holder’ acting on behalf of the Crown to investigate the cause and circumstances of the death. Coroners can be lawyers or doctors, although most are lawyers. Coroners are paid by the local authority for their district, although they are independent of that authority. Coroners appoint Deputy Coroners, and in larger districts, Assistant Deputy Coroners, to assist them. In complex cases senior members of the judiciary are appointed and effectively given jurisdiction over the inquest. The Coroner has the power to compel witnesses to give evidence if the witnesses are in the jurisdiction and are properly summonsed.

  The role of people with a ‘proper interest’

  Anyone deemed by the Coroner to have ‘a proper interest’ may ask relevant questions of a witness at an inquest. People with a ‘proper interest’ include parents, spouses, children, partners, representatives of the estate of the deceased; anyone who gains from a life insurance policy on the deceased; any insurer having issued such a life insurance policy, anyone whose actions the Coroner believes may have caused or contributed to the death, accidentally or otherwise; the chief officer of police (who may only ask witnesses questions through a lawyer); any person appointed by a government department to attend the inquest; and anyone else who the coroner decides also has a proper interest.

  Complex inquests and pre-inquest reviews

  In complex inquests the inquest case file is monitored to ensure the coroner has the correct documentation prior to starting the inquest. The Coroner may call a public court hearing, known as a pre-inquest review, during which time relevant parties participate in a review of the materials collated, the Coroner gives direction as to what should be achieved prior to the next review or to the beginning of the inquest, and interested parties can request acess to redact and review documentation submitted to the inquest.

  ]]> http://inquestintodeathofmarkduggan.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/background-information-on-the-inquest-into-the-death-of-mark-duggan/ Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:31:53 +0000 Inquest into the death of Mark Duggan http://inquestintodeathofmarkduggan.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/background-information-on-the-inquest-into-the-death-of-mark-duggan/ On the 4th August 2011 Mark Duggan, a man from Tottenham, north London, was shot dead by a police officer on Ferry Lane in east Tottenham. Duggan was shot twice at 6.15pm and declared dead at 6.41pm. There are some facts we can be reasonably certain of in accounting for what occurred during this time. Moments before Mark Duggan was shot police officers bought the people carrier in which Duggan was travelling to a stop. Duggan exited the people carrier on the pavement side. Within two seconds the police shouted something to Duggan and shot him twice, in the chest and then in the arm. At the same time a police officer was struck by a police bullet, which lodged into his MPS radio. Having been hit by two bullets Duggan fell to the floor. Meanwhile the police officer, whose radio had been hit, cried out he had been hit. Police officers searched Duggan but were unable to find a gun, applied first aid but did not effectively resuscitate Duggan and declared Duggan dead at 6.41pm. The police officer, whose radio was hit, was attended to and taken to Homerton Hospital.

  In the UK whenever a man is shot dead by a police officer an inquest will be held to answer the questions of how that man came to be killied and whether the killing was lawful. In the case of Mark Duggan the inquest was delayed for two years. The planned start date of the inquest is September 16th 2013.

  ]]> http://londonchurchbuildings.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/st-john-the-baptist-high-barnet/ Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:40:47 +0000 zoothorn http://londonchurchbuildings.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/st-john-the-baptist-high-barnet/ A large church at the end of the High Street in Chipping Barnet town centre. A medieval church was greatly extended with a large nave, chancel, tower and south aisle added by William Butterfield in 1871-75. The fleche was added by J.C. Traylen in 1893, he also designed the pulpit, font and bench ends.
  ]]> http://pandithvikram.wordpress.com/2013/03/19/httpstarastrologercenter-webs-com/ Tue, 19 Mar 2013 17:21:27 +0000 Vikram Pandith http://pandithvikram.wordpress.com/2013/03/19/httpstarastrologercenter-webs-com/ #gallery-2-2 { margin: auto; } #gallery-2-2 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-2-2 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-2-2 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; }

  

  

  

  
  

  

  

  

  
  

  

  

  

  
  

  

  

  

  
  
  

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  ]]> http://laurencereade.wordpress.com/2012/11/04/the-last-train-from-high-barnet/ Sun, 04 Nov 2012 13:42:27 +0000 laurencereade http://laurencereade.wordpress.com/2012/11/04/the-last-train-from-high-barnet/ Saturday 3rd November 2012 ko 15.00

  FA Cup First Round

  BARNET 0

  OXFORD UNITED 2 (Constable 56 Rigg 80)

  Att 2,246 (834 away)

  Entry £21

  Programme £3

  Tea £1.50

  Teamsheet FREE

  I have connections with this part of North London, my grandfather grew up in Sebright Road, just a stone’s throw from Underhill. Back then Barnet was a village in Herfordshire, set on the lip of the artesian basin that London itself sits in, and was connected to the metropolis by the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway. Nowadays Barnet is part of Greater London, swallowed up by the big city and the railway is a terminus of the Northern Underground line. As games are played at the local football ground the trains rumble in and out of High Barnet station above the pitch. Seeing an underground train from below is rather counter-intuitive, but does make a trip to Underhill unique.

  Barnet’s location is probably its biggest stumbling block. I’m not sure whether my grandfather ever watched a game at Underhill. He was a Tottenham fan, and I suspect then as well as now. that many locals eschew the fare below the tube lines, and take the trains south to the bright lights and glamour of the likes of Tottenham and Arsenal. The Barnet fans I know still refer to the club as a non-league outfit playing in the Football League, and each season maintaining that status has become more and more difficult. The last two campaigns have seen the club maintain their league status only on the last day of the season.

  It all seems such a long time ago when, as student I took the train north, and watched Barnet play Chesterfield en route to winning Division 4. Back then ticket tout chairman Stan Flashman would sack ebullient manager Barry Fry every other week, but the Bees buzzed and the little ground positively rocked.

  Soon enough all of this will change. Barnet are on the move, to their training ground The Hive, in Canons Park, originally ear-marked for Wealdstone, but available with them being safely esconced at Ruislip Manor. It won’t be the same, it’s around 7 miles west, and such things as identity and place are important at this level of the game. Still for this season, visitors can still enjoy the trains, and the infamous Underhill slope, but with the melancholy knowledge that next year Underhill will be another housing development.

  The other question is which division will the club be in? While the club is well used to struggling, being bottom of the league with a mere 10 points does not point to a club likely to maintain its status. Relegation hasn’t been accepted as inevitable though, and 39 year old Dutch legend Edgar Davids has been hired as player-coach, and performances have improved, with 7 points being earned from a possible 12. With Davids living locally since a stint at Tottenham, it looks to be a mutually beneficial arrangement with Davids gaining vital coaching experience and the club getting the benefit of his experience both on an off the pitch.

  The trouble was, it didn’t work for them on this cold Saturday. They faced an Oxford United team in patchy form, and shorn of all their loan players bar one (Lee Cox). There was a mystery around in-form striker Tom Craddock with club pointedly giving no information as to why he wasn’t in the squad. For Barnet Davids opted to name himself as only a subsitute.

  It didn’t matter, as it appeared the Bees forgot it was a knock-out game and adopted a defensive 4-5-1 formation with the lumbering presence of former Fulham striker Collins John the sole out-and-out forward. A no point did Barnet look like scoring, just one reasonable chance in the first half, but United’s midfield of Peter Leven and Adam Chapman recovered from a scalded nipple, had little or no opposition. A goal had to come, and it came unusually for United from a corner. Peter Leven opted for the inswinger, and James Constable’s movement beat a static Barnet defence, and he powered a header home from 8 yards.

  It took Davids until the 73rd minute to introduce himself, to a loud cheer from the stand, but little impact on the pitch. The tie was soon was completely beyond Barnet as Constable’s sprayed pass from the right found Sean Rigg, who’d timed his run to perfection on the left, and he drilled a low shot across Sam Cowler in the Barnet goal.

  That was the end of proceedings in any meaningful sense, but at the final whistle I lingered for a few minutes. A few more photos yes, but to say goodbye to an edifice with real character and history. Trips to Barnet will never be the same.

  

  

  

  
  

  

  

  

  
  

  

  photo by Kellie Welch

  

  Edgar Davids- photo by Kellie Welch

  

  
  

  

  

  

  
  

  

  

  

  
  
  
  ]]> http://angelfish42.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/edgware-chipping-barnet-walk-07-10-2012-2/ Thu, 18 Oct 2012 21:12:53 +0000 angelfish42 http://angelfish42.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/edgware-chipping-barnet-walk-07-10-2012-2/ This walk to was to make the most of the Autumn sunshine and we planned to make most of it. We started out along Deans Lane in Edgware, which was just further along from Deansbrook where we had completed our walk in September 2011!

  If we had been walking Deans lane many autumns ago, we would have been kicking autumn leaves beneath our feet and enjoying the country fields that would have been surrounding us. This road was once a country lane but during C20th things changed, particularly in 1932, when the “John Keble” Church was built here. The idea for the name for the John Keble Church originated from Dr. Milner-White (later Dean of York). The Bishop of London who had acted on this idea and decided to dedicate the Church to this 19th century Anglican clergyman, the poet and reformer. John Keble’s poetry was captured in the book called “The Christian Year” which was published in 1827.

  We walked on past the church, along Hale Lane and on into Mill Hill town Centre. The town centre is not that large to walk along and seems to be a singular high street, rather than a sprawling development. As we left the high street we soon came across the large north circular road which does not seem to help Mill Hill having a sense of togetherness. The reason I would say this is because as we reached the other side of the road, we came across Mill Hill’s Village Green “Simmonds Mead”. The Green sits nearer the residential area of Mill Hill and is very lush against the background of the large roads that surround it! The residents in the area have been using the ground for many years but it was not officially recognised as a Village Green until 2007.

  From 2012 – 07.10.2012 – Edgware – Chipping Barnet Walk

  As I turned to look behind me I could see in the distance an unusual looking building. The structure that I could see is “St Josephs College”. We were able to see this a lot closer as we walked up Lawrence Street. St Joseph College was founded in 1869 by the Catholic missionary Herbert Vaughan. He had been teaching his students “Holcombe House” since 1866, sadly the house became too small for him and his students. Vaughn decided to found St Josephs College which was opened in 1871. Incidentally, Holcombe House was used by the first Warden of John Keble Church. I have discovered since writing this blog, that the college is now abandoned and has been used for a filming location, particularly the BBC TV Series “Call the Midwife”.

  We continued up Lawrence Street to Highwood Hill. As we passed by the Junction, we saw “The Old Forge”, I presume that this was an old blacksmiths, however, I am unsure about much of its history, anyone with any ideas? Our walk took us up into Mill Hill Village. This is distinctly different from Mill Hill Town Centre. It is quieter, smaller and seems much more quaint! The best way to tell we had reached a village was the presence of a village pub, in this instance the “Rising Sun”, which had been in the area since the C17th. We did not pop in for a drink, may be next time .

  Passing through the village, I was surprised to be faced with some very large houses. I couldn’t help myself to take a sneak peek as they looked very impressive and as I did I spotted a blue plaque. It seems that in one of these lovely houses, Sir Stamford Raffles, who was known as the founder of “Singapore” briefly lived here during his lifetime. Just as we turned away from Sir Raffles residence, we also discovered that William Wilberforce an MP and abolitionist of the slave trade in C19th also lived in the area.

  From 2012 – 07.10.2012 – Edgware – Chipping Barnet Walk

  Our route took us along Highwood Hill, which indeed was very woody, as there was quite a number of trees lining the hill preventing us from enjoying the views across Mill Hill. We did think about taking a different route away from the road, at one point, when we saw a footpath away from the road, but that would have taken us back to Mill Hill. The path would have taken us via “Belmont Farm” near Sheepwash pond, which decided not to walk too it on this occasion, however, we did find it on our next walk in the area! . We therefore decided to continue our journey onwards, where it was to lead us to “Totteridge Common”.

  “Tatarige” as the area became known in the C13th when the settlement was probably named after a founder or farmer named “Tata”. The whole of the common sits on a ridge which is on high ground between the valleys of the Dollis Brook and Folly Brook. Walking along the common was not really a problem as the path was set back from the road and the area was quite green. However, I did find the road rather noisy, which was quite surprising for a Sunday walk! I did need to cross the road at one point as spotted something I wanted to see, but I found it quite difficult to do so as their was lots of traffic!

  From the opposite side of the road, I could see a picturesque looking pond, which is known as “Long Pond”. It was lovely to walk along and in fact a couple of anglers were busy using it! I can see why it is named the Long Pond, as it very “long” indeed but not worthy of the title lake. It was definitely worth crossing the road to enjoy the ponds beauty. However, it was shame the road was nearby as it could have been really peaceful to enjoy.

  From 2012 – 07.10.2012 – Edgware – Chipping Barnet Walk

  Across the road from the pond, I spotted another interesting house“Old Manor House”, which was built in C18th, for Sir William Lee, Chief Justice of the Kings Bench. The Manor changed hands and design throughout the years but of particular note was the redesign by Sir Charles Allom in the early C20th. Sir Charles Allom was a celebrated interior designer and was knighted for his work in Buckingham Palace during King George V reign. Apparently the curtains hanging in the Victorian room are the same as the ones in the Throne room as Buckingham Palace! I would love to see all of this, but hasten to point out to you all this is private property!

  As we ambled onwards, we came across the local parish church, St Andrews. The C18th church was built on the site of the earliest church that was recorded in the area of Totteridge which was in 1250AD. It was nice to see an old Yew tree in the Churchyard, the tree is reckoned to be between 1000 and 2000 years old. The Yew tree with its evergreen leaves was a traditional symbol of immortality. We continued to saunter along Totteridge lane where we found a great path to follow “Dollis Valley Greenwalk”. The walk is 10 miles in total and goes from Barnet to Hampstead Heath, on this Sunday afternoon we decided to walk towards Barnet. At this point we actually decided to sit down and finally eat lunch.

  This lovely Greenway provided a nice escape away from the roadway and feels quite countrified particularly with the brook running by. However, I will issue a word of warning, that the Barnet Branch of the Northern Line runs near this part of the walk so it is quite noisy when a train goes past! Despite that, this part of our walk was very enjoyable. The route took us through Barnet playing fields and it was here we decided to leave the greenway and leave the rest for another time. We decided to walk up towards Barnet Hill and into Chipping Barnet, which is also known as “High Barnet”. We did not really mind walking through the town as the high street as it seemed quite pleasant. The parish Church seemed to be the central feature, but what struck me more was a red brick building that was opposite to the church. It is the “Tudor Hall” which was built was the free Boys grammar School which was founded by Queen Elizabeth 1 in 1573.

  Unfortunately, we did not spend a huge amount of time here, which was a great shame as we came across the Barnet museum as we were about to leave and finish our walk. We will need to come back and explore more of Barnet as I felt I was on the brink of discovering so much more!

  For all the photos from the walks, please click on the photo below –

  2012 – 07.10.2012 – Edgware – Chipping Barnet Walk

  ]]> http://antonisiaschroderprojects.wordpress.com/2012/06/29/essex-summer-of-art-which-one-are-you/ Fri, 29 Jun 2012 23:07:08 +0000 Antonisia Schroder ASJ Photography http://antonisiaschroderprojects.wordpress.com/2012/06/29/essex-summer-of-art-which-one-are-you/ “What the eye doesn’t see, the heart doesn’t grieve over…”

  Is this quote true or not? This question was at the heart of this project and I believe the answers to it lie in the hearts of each one of us. What we see in the faces of others can engender all sorts of feelings and emotions.

  This series was also created because I wanted to show the depth of human experience through the medium of our facial expressions; what we see and touch.

  We are all so much more than robots; we are creatures of raw emotion at times; and this series reveals just how much can be conveyed to others around us simply by changing the position of our mouths, noses and eyes.

  You may notice the unusual quality to the images; this is known as paintography and involved me taking the photographs and then ‘painting’ them through digital imaging software.

  While this series does use colour, all the tones are very neutral and familiar. There is nothing vivid and, indeed, it hopefully makes the viewer feel calm and tranquil amidst such a strong subject, and gives them the opportunity to discuss and think to themselves about which one of these images they are? The colours used are pastel colours that generally have the impact of calmness and neutrality.

  It is currently on display at Chipping Barnet Library, Stapylton Road, Barnet, from Monday 20 August to Saturday 1 September 2012, and was on display at the Stables Complex at High House Production Park, Vellacott Drive (off London Road), Purfleet RM19 in July. See below too for a video of me talking about the series.

  

  

  

  

  
  

  

  

  

  
  

  

  

  

  
  

  

  

  

  
  

  

  

  

  
  

  

  

  

  
  

  

  

  

  
  

  

  

  

  
  

  

  

  

  
  

  

  

  

  
  
  
  ]]> http://yizhivika.com/2012/05/19/an-occasional-journey-to-the-end-of-the-northern-line-high-barnet-branch/ Sat, 19 May 2012 16:30:32 +0000 yizhivika http://yizhivika.com/2012/05/19/an-occasional-journey-to-the-end-of-the-northern-line-high-barnet-branch/

  Tube train arriving at High Barnet station…

  

  A flower stall at an entrance to The Spires shopping centre in (High, or Chipping) Barnet.

  

  The longish climb from High Barnet station to the High Street…many an elderly commuter has had to stop for a breather .

  ]]> http://adamlangleben.wordpress.com/2012/04/19/finchley-traders-make-a-stand-against-brian-coleman/ Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:30:13 +0000 adamlangleben http://adamlangleben.wordpress.com/2012/04/19/finchley-traders-make-a-stand-against-brian-coleman/ As reported in yesterdays Times Series, Finchley traders, led by the heroic owner of Buzz Cafe Helen Michael have stepped up their campaign against Brian Coleman’s death tax on the High Street.

  They have begun putting up posters in shop windows across North Finchley. See poster below.

  

  In the poster, it clearly states that 12 shops have closed in High Barnet alone since the parking charges were hiked to the extreme last year, and this trend is set to continue.

  Bran Coleman is purging our High Streets of indepedent traders and local stores, to be replaced by Charity Shops and bookies…But their can only be so many of those. We are facing the prospect of a large number of boarded up shops across Barnet.

  The Traders have stated that unless the parking changes are changed somewhat to accomodate traders and visitors in these areas, they will step up their protest and disrupt the Olympic Torch procession, which is due to pass through North Finchley.

  This will be the second threat from Barnet residents to disrupt the Torch procession. The first being made by campaigners of the Friern Barnet Library group, which have stated that they will hang banners outside of the now closed Friern Barnet Library informing the public of the human cost of the Olympics.

  If this goes ahead it will once again bring shame onto the London Borough of Barnet and thrust the Borough back into the national headlines. I note that in the decision making processes of Barnet Council, comments are made regarding the borough’s ‘reputation management’. Whoever is writing up their reputation management strategy must start rethinking their approach. Demonstrations that could disrupt the Olympic torches path are bound to have significant affect on the borough’s reputation nationally.

  And whilst i am on the subject of the Olympic Games, let us remember that Barnet Council and Brian Coleman promised to get residents the best possible deal from the games, and this promise has not been fulfilled, despite Councillor Brian Coleman’s position as a supposedly influential Tory with the Mayors ear. What exactly has Brian Coleman done for Barnet or Camden?

  ]]> http://chrisrichards.org.uk/2011/10/30/talking-transport-in-west-hampstead/ Sun, 30 Oct 2011 21:27:25 +0000 chrisrichardslibdem http://chrisrichards.org.uk/2011/10/30/talking-transport-in-west-hampstead/ Today the team and I spoke with residents in West Hampstead about transport issues in the area. We got lots of feedback on problems facing residents including the use of side streets as rat runs to avoid traffic on Mill Lane and West End Lane. We’ll be following up with Camden Council and TfL on what steps can be taken to make roads in the area safer.

  Of greater concern was the fare hikes planned by Mayor Boris Johnson starting in January, single bus fares will be increasing to £1.40, and Tube and Overground single fares will be increasing by up to 30p for a single journey! This leads to a 7% increase on average across all of TfL, a shocking policy for Boris Johnson to follow during a time when we should be making it easier for Londoners to travel around.

  There was a positive response to the Lib Dem campaign being led by Caroline Pidgeon for a one hour bus ticket. Many residents on lower incomes feel that with the fare hikes being planned they will have to look at travelling more by bus. For residents living in areas further out such as High Barnet, having to pay more than once to get to your final destination is unfair, given that the buses don’t often go to your final destination. You can sign the campaign petition here: http://ourcampaign.org.uk/1hourbusticket

  Don’t forget you can always contact your Lib Dem West Hampstead councillors with any problems.

  ]]> http://krazyhappenings.wordpress.com/2011/02/22/jhuki-jhuki-si-nazar/ Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:29:11 +0000 ......... http://krazyhappenings.wordpress.com/2011/02/22/jhuki-jhuki-si-nazar/

   

  This song is dedicated to the couple who were on the Northern Line Tube heading towards High Barnet, London at 12:15 a.m. There seemed to be some kind of dis-agreement between you. But the two of you looked lovely and beautiful together.  I could see the see the girl’s eyes not raising and forcefully holding on to  her guy’s hand on. Come On Guys, Cheer Up and be happy!! I hope you guys sort out our issues fast and be happy and Hold on to each other’s hand with joy and not forcefully…

   

  P.S You Guys do make a real good couple.

  ]]> http://favouritegraves.wordpress.com/2009/12/02/christ-church-cemetery-high-barnet-hertfordshire-uk/ Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:41:00 +0000 favouritegraves http://favouritegraves.wordpress.com/2009/12/02/christ-church-cemetery-high-barnet-hertfordshire-uk/
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