Tube stabbing: cell-based court hearing for man charged with attack
|
Version 0 of 1. The court hearing of a man charged with stabbing a 63-year-old with a pair of scissors on the London Underground took place in the unusual surroundings of a cell because he refused to go to court. Adeyemi Adekeye refused to appear at court three of north London’s Highbury magistrates court, so the three magistrates, the prosecution and defence lawyers, along with the court clerk, went down to him. Adekeye, 27, of Bermondsey, south-east London, is charged with possession of a bladed article, a public order offence and wounding with intent. When the magistrates and lawyers returned to the courtroom, Mark Beattie, chairman of the bench, said: “We went down and saw Mr Adekeye, who remained silent during the entire process. He did not confirm his name or address. The charges were put to him and he gave no answer.” Asked why the hearing took place in the cells and why no members of the press were allowed in, Beattie said: “Mr Adekeye was asked on a number of occasions to come to the courtroom. He made no answer to the desk officers and made no attempt to join them in coming up [to the courtroom]. It is a situation in which he, as the defendant, needs to fully understand the issues as best he can and we went down to the cells. There are other persons down there [in the cells] and it is for your [the press’s] safety that you were not able to join us.” It is claimed that Adekeye attacked David Dane on a platform at Finsbury Park underground station, north London, and caused him grievous bodily harm on 11 August. Adekeye is also charged with carrying a bladed article “without good reason or lawful authority in a public place” on a Piccadilly line train from King’s Cross towards Cockfosters on the same date. This item was a pair of scissors. British Transport Police launched a hunt across the London Underground network after the alleged assault. Armed officers halted the Victoria line service to board and search a carriage at King’s Cross St Pancras underground station. Later, BTP said a man was arrested at Heathrow Terminals 1-2-3 underground station. Adekeye was remanded in custody ahead of a preliminary hearing at London’s Blackfriars crown court on 26 August. |