Silcott release authorised
Winston Silcott, wrongly convicted of the murder of PC Keith Blakelock, has had his release from prison authorised.
Silcott was convicted of murdering the police officer during the Broadwater Farm riots in Tottenham, north London, in 1985.
He was later cleared by the Court of Appeal, but is in custody serving a life sentence after for the murder of boxer Anthony Smith in 1984. He stabbed the 24-year-old to death in a fight in December 1984. Silcott maintains he was acting in self-defence.
In March 1987, 13 months after being convicted of murdering Mr Smith, Silcott, now 43, was convicted of the murder of PC Blakelock.
The conviction was overturned on appeal as ‘unsafe’ in 1991 due to tainted police evidence.
Ministers agreed on Wednesday with the Parole Board’s verdict that he posed no further risk to the public.
Silcott was transferred to an open prison last year in readiness for his release. He will leave prison next week.
His solicitor Tony Murphy said: “Winston has been a model prisoner, despite a deep sense of injustice. He has spent numerous periods of leave in the community without incident.”
