Hackney siege

The Hackney siege was a criminal event that took place in Hackney, in East London, England, for 15 days from 26 December 2002 to 9 January 2003. It ended with the death of Eli Hall, a Jamaican gangster wanted by police.

Background

Eli Hall, born in Jamaica, was a 32-year-old gangster and former nightclub doorman. In the 1990s, he served a series of prison sentences for violence, possession of controlled drugs, and possession of firearms and other weapons. In 2002, Hall was wanted by police in connection with two incidents in which he was believed to have fired on police officers.[1]

Siege

On Boxing Day, 26 December 2002, the Metropolitan Police sent a civilian contractor to remove a vehicle belonging to Eli Hall for forensic tests. The contractor was accompanied by armed police officers in case Hall was encountered. Unknown to the police, the car was parked outside Hall's residence on Marvin Street, near the junction with Graham Road. Hall spotted the contractor and threatened them from a window in his flat, brandishing a firearm, before firing at the police officers who confronted him.[1][2][3]

During the siege, the police discovered that a second man was in the flat, being held hostage by Hall. The hostage escaped 11 days into the siege.[4] Throughout the incident, residents in the affected street and immediately surrounding roads were confined to their homes for their own safety, except some vulnerable people who were evacuated. Some residents criticised the police's cautious approach, believing that the police should have taken direct action at an earlier stage to force a resolution. Commander Bob Quick defended the approach, pointing out that the hostage was release unharmed and that the only casualty was Hall, who killed himself. Quick was supported by several academics and the local MP, Diane Abbott.[5][6]

On 9 January 2003, at around 09:15, Hall fired at police positions and one officer returned fire with a single shot, wounding Hall. Hall then set fire to the flat and shot himself in the head. Police fired baton rounds at the building's windows to allow access for fire hoses. Hall was last seen at 10:50 After dark, armed police officers climbed through a window and discovered Hall's burnt body. The incident has been described as Britain's longest siege.[1][2][3]

Impact

The siege was the first police operation of its kind in London for over twenty years following the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege, and has been compared to two other major sieges in London, the Spaghetti House siege and the Balcombe Street siege, both in 1975.[7]

In April and May 2003, the Tristan Bates Theatre in the West End hosted Come Out Eli, a play based on the events of the siege and local residents' experiences.[8]

References
  1. "Who was the Hackney gunaman?". BBC News. 10 January 2003. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  2. Kirby, Terry (10 January 2003). "Britain's longest siege ends as burnt body is found inside Hackney flat". The Independent. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  3. Cowan, Rosie (18 January 2005). "Inquest finds gunman in 15-day siege shot himself". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  4. "Siege gunman's body removed". BBC News. 10 January 2003. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  5. Geoghegan, Tom (10 January 2003). "Experts back police tactics". BBC News. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  6. "Police fire cs gas into London siege house". The Irish Times. 9 January 2003. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  7. "London's longest sieges". BBC News. 30 December 2002. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  8. "Hackney siege hits stage". BBC News. 30 April 2003. Retrieved 10 June 2020.

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