Yard study article on Blakelock murder

SENIOR SCOTLAND Yard detectives investigating the murder of Constable Keith Blakelock were last night studying a magazine interview with a man who claimed to be among those carrying out the killing during the 1985 Broadwater Farm riots in Tottenham, north London.

The interview, by penal reformer John McVicar in the satirical magazine Scallywag, is of a man who calls himself 'Royston'. He says that the killing was part of a 'Holy crusade' and he claims the police were responsible for creating the situation that led to the murder.

In 1991, Scotland Yard set up a new inquiry after the Court of Appeal released Winston Silcott and two others convicted of the murder because of doubts about the reliability of alleged confessions.

A Yard spokeswomen said last night that the Scallywag interview was being examined but no statement would be made on whether it corresponded with the results of their inquiries; a report is due to go to the Director of Public Prosecutions next month.

According to Mr McVicar, Royston describes the riots as 'like a party . . . we'd smoke spliff (marijuana) and drink some wine, chat up a bird, it was good vibes'.

Royston says: 'As far as I'm concerned they (the police) did it all wrong and the end result was the PC was killed. If they could have trusted the community leaders to escort the firemen that could have done it. But they didn't and that was the mistake that cost the policeman's life.'