ianstone
09-26-2010, 05:23 PM
‘Since my son was killed all my children have fallen victims to yob violence’
A father whose son was shot dead following relentless intimidation by yobs has revealed that his other children have been victims of violent crime since the killing.
Peter Woodhams today accused police of “letting kids run the streets” and failing to crack down on London's “lawless society”.
His comments came after the Chief Inspector of Constabulary criticised the Met's failure to tackle anti-social behaviour or help crime victims.
Mr Woodhams's son Peter, a 22-year-old satellite engineer, was shot three times by 18-year-old Bradley Tucker in 2006 in front of his fiancée Jane Bowden and their three-year-old son Sam.
Peter had endured months of harassment by local youths and was shot dead after confronting them about smoking cannabis in front of the family home.
The attack came seven months after his face was slashed and he was stabbed in the neck by the same group of youths in Custom House, Newham.
Mr Woodhams has said his son would still be alive if police had investigated the stabbing properly.
The 45-year-old carpenter from Croydon (http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/related-260-croydon.do) today said Peter's two brothers Adam, 22, and Christopher, 19, and his sister Sapphire, 16, have been victims of street robberies or attempted muggings seven times since the killing.
The crimes include Christopher being robbed of his bike in a park by a gang just a few weeks after Peter's death.
Adam was punched in the face by three youths, including a girl, who tried to steal his phone and wallet as he waited for a tram. The gang fled empty-handed.
Sapphire was punched in the face by another girl on the way home from school. The culprit was cautioned.
Peter was also mugged on a train when he was 15 and suffered a bruised neck. Mr Woodhams said the attackers “got a slap on the wrist, if that, in court”.
He added: “The situation has not improved. If anything it's worse. In my area I can think of at least five serious incidents in the past six months, including a murder 200 yards from my home.
“You constantly see witness appeal boards. The kids are being left to run riot. Even when the police are there the kids just laugh in their faces because they can't do anything to them.”
Mr Woodhams called for more officers on the capital's streets. He added: “It's time the police admitted they have a problem. It's getting more and more of a lawless society and we need more officers, not PCSOs, on the street — but it's getting harder with budget cuts.
“My kids hardly go out and when they do we're always concerned about it and they stay in groups for safety.”
Tucker, a painter and decorator from Canning Town, is serving a minimum of 25 years for murdering Peter.
The Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Denis O'Connor said in a report published yesterday that yobbish behaviour is a “disease” in communities. He also said forces are “screening out” 999 calls because they are not deemed “real police work”.
A father whose son was shot dead following relentless intimidation by yobs has revealed that his other children have been victims of violent crime since the killing.
Peter Woodhams today accused police of “letting kids run the streets” and failing to crack down on London's “lawless society”.
His comments came after the Chief Inspector of Constabulary criticised the Met's failure to tackle anti-social behaviour or help crime victims.
Mr Woodhams's son Peter, a 22-year-old satellite engineer, was shot three times by 18-year-old Bradley Tucker in 2006 in front of his fiancée Jane Bowden and their three-year-old son Sam.
Peter had endured months of harassment by local youths and was shot dead after confronting them about smoking cannabis in front of the family home.
The attack came seven months after his face was slashed and he was stabbed in the neck by the same group of youths in Custom House, Newham.
Mr Woodhams has said his son would still be alive if police had investigated the stabbing properly.
The 45-year-old carpenter from Croydon (http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/related-260-croydon.do) today said Peter's two brothers Adam, 22, and Christopher, 19, and his sister Sapphire, 16, have been victims of street robberies or attempted muggings seven times since the killing.
The crimes include Christopher being robbed of his bike in a park by a gang just a few weeks after Peter's death.
Adam was punched in the face by three youths, including a girl, who tried to steal his phone and wallet as he waited for a tram. The gang fled empty-handed.
Sapphire was punched in the face by another girl on the way home from school. The culprit was cautioned.
Peter was also mugged on a train when he was 15 and suffered a bruised neck. Mr Woodhams said the attackers “got a slap on the wrist, if that, in court”.
He added: “The situation has not improved. If anything it's worse. In my area I can think of at least five serious incidents in the past six months, including a murder 200 yards from my home.
“You constantly see witness appeal boards. The kids are being left to run riot. Even when the police are there the kids just laugh in their faces because they can't do anything to them.”
Mr Woodhams called for more officers on the capital's streets. He added: “It's time the police admitted they have a problem. It's getting more and more of a lawless society and we need more officers, not PCSOs, on the street — but it's getting harder with budget cuts.
“My kids hardly go out and when they do we're always concerned about it and they stay in groups for safety.”
Tucker, a painter and decorator from Canning Town, is serving a minimum of 25 years for murdering Peter.
The Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Denis O'Connor said in a report published yesterday that yobbish behaviour is a “disease” in communities. He also said forces are “screening out” 999 calls because they are not deemed “real police work”.