Witness to 2009 murder ‘told he would be charged’ unless he gave Met a name | Criminal Cases Review Commission

Contemporary doubts have been solid over a 2009 gang homicide conviction after the mom of the prosecution’s star witness mentioned he was threatened with being charged with the crime himself if he didn’t give police a reputation.Kai Shannon, 33, is 13 years right into a life jail sentence for the deadly stabbing of 18-year-old Wahab Zaaki on the Attlee Terrace property in Walthamstow, east London, on 13 March 2009. He has all the time insisted he’s harmless.Shannon was 17 on the time and he and Zaaki have been junior members of a neighborhood gang often known as the DM crew. No DNA linked Shannon to the crime, no motive was ever established and the garments he was carrying that evening had no blood or different forensic proof discovered on them.The Felony Instances Overview Fee (CCRC) launched a evaluation of the case in January. The choice got here after the Guardian revealed evaluation of a name between Shannon and one other gang member, Rhys Williams.Within the recording of the decision, constructed from jail, Williams may be heard telling Shannon he was “the sacrifice” and agreeing that he knew he didn’t kill Zaaki.Williams was key to securing Shannon’s conviction and he was the one witness who informed the court docket he noticed Shannon stab Zaaki.In a brand new growth, Williams’ mom, Petra Williams, informed the Guardian that the police put stress on her son. “They have been going to cost him for homicide if he didn’t inform them who it was,” she mentioned.Within the aftermath of the assault, Williams was the prime suspect. His hand and wrist have been injured that evening however he left the scene earlier than an ambulance arrived. He was arrested the following day and brought by police to hospital the place he claimed he had been injured in a battle outdoors a membership.Williams wouldn’t give an account of the evening to police however garments stained along with his blood have been present in his flat when it was searched. Poor-quality finger marks and DNA have been recovered from the deal with of a knife with Zaaki’s blood on it discovered on the scene. Whereas the proof have been too low high quality to ascertain a constructive id, there was adequate element to exclude Williams.After two years of concerted stress from the police to talk to them – and being assured that they’d assist him discover housing if he grew to become a witness – Williams determined to present a press release.He claimed he and Zaaki had been smoking marijuana in a stairwell when Shannon and one other man, Abubakar Alawi, who was later convicted of manslaughter, rushed as much as Zaaki and began to assault him.Williams mentioned it was Shannon who stabbed Zaaki and that he had been injured when he jumped between them making an attempt to guard his good friend.Petra Williams mentioned: “They have been going to cost him for homicide if he didn’t inform them who it was … They have been giving him a tough time.”When requested if her son had been satisfied it was Shannon, she mentioned “I feel so” after which added: “I don’t actually know as a result of Rhys doesn’t actually speak a lot.”Williams, 34, has been working as a hip-hop artist underneath the alias Bisk and rapping about life in London. He was launched from jail final month after pleading responsible to frequent assault. He was given an 18-week sentence, which he had already served awaiting trial.He didn’t reply to the Guardian’s questions on his testimony towards Shannon.Shannon admits he was amongst a bunch of about 20 younger males who have been within the stairwell that evening. However he has mentioned he had gone to gather medicine from across the nook on the time that the stabbing came about.The Guardian has additionally spoken to a witness who was within the stairwell above the place the stabbing came about that evening and was interviewed by police however by no means known as to present proof on the trial.The witness, who didn’t need to be named, mentioned he had solely seen Shannon earlier that night and that he didn’t see him amongst these working away from the scene of the assault when he sorted listening to commotion beneath.The witness additionally mentioned he ran into Williams a few years after the trial and that Williams mentioned Shannon “took the rap for everybody”. He mentioned that when he then requested what Williams meant, Williams mentioned “principally everybody put the blame on Kai”.The witness mentioned he couldn’t envisage Shannon killing somebody and that he didn’t suppose the suitable man was in jail.In accordance with emails, Shannon’s defence group determined with lower than a month to go earlier than the trial to not name seven witnesses who have been there that evening on the precept of “don’t name them until we completely want them”.Max Harris, who was Shannon’s solicitor on the time and now runs a microbrewery in Wales, mentioned the case was one which had stayed with him as a possible miscarriage of justice. “This one for me has all the time had a query mark over it,” he mentioned, “It’s all the time troubled me.”He mentioned he was most involved by the best way police had initially misled Shannon into believing his DNA was on the knife. In actual fact, all that they had was tiny fragments that would not get rid of Shannon however didn’t establish anybody.Shannon is pinning his hope on the case being despatched again to the court docket of enchantment by the CCRC. Shannon utilized to it final yr with the assistance of the Manchester Innocence Mission and Graham Satchwell, a retired detective.Among the many points the CCRC is contemplating is a covert recording of a dialog between Shannon and Williams from 2014 about how Shannon got here to be convicted. In it, Williams tells Shannon: “You [were] the sacrifice.” When Shannon says he didn’t kill anybody, Williams solutions: “I do know, I do know.”When Shannon says he shouldn’t be in jail, Williams responds: “I do know that … I do know this.” Williams expresses remorse about testifying towards Shannon, saying: “It breaks my fucking coronary heart, fam. I needed to come Previous Bailey and fucking try this.”Williams additionally seems to recommend on the decision that he acted with different gang members guilty Shannon for Zaaki’s killing, saying: “It was a bunch resolution … A bunch resolution was made for this to occur.”When Shannon first utilized to the CCRC with the recording, amongst different proof, it took the fee greater than three years to resolve to reject the case. It mentioned the that means of the recording was not clear sufficient, that the dialog was elliptical and filled with slang and that nowhere in it did Williams make any categorical assertion that Shannon didn’t commit the homicide.Afterwards, Shannon’s lawyer requested if the CCRC would at the least conduct contemporary forensic testing of the knife and different reveals, given developments in forensic science. The CCRC refused.Shannon mentioned in a letter to the Guardian: “I really feel that in 2015 the CCRC had greater than sufficient proof that pointed in the direction of my innocence however for no matter cause it was not pursued and I used to be informed I have to stay in jail.“I can utterly perceive {that a} man died and the general public and his household need to see a conviction however it have to be the proper particular person. I used to be no angel in 2009 however I used to be and am nonetheless no assassin. I’ve been scapegoated by ex-associates and the authorities.”A CCRC spokesperson mentioned: “Mr Shannon has made two purposes to the CCRC. The primary software didn’t lead to a referral. We’ve acquired a second software in relation to this case. A evaluation into this software is ongoing. It will be inappropriate for us to debate the case or make any additional remark whereas the applying is being reviewed.”A Met police spokesperson mentioned: “We’re conscious of the case and that it’s presently being reviewed by the Felony Instances Overview Fee. We’re unable to touch upon any particular issues referring to the unique investigation whereas this course of is ongoing.”