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No posthumous medal awarded to British cop killed by al-Qaeda member
STEPHEN OAKE, the policeman killed by Kamel Bourgass, the mastermind of an alleged ricin plot, has been turned down for a bravery award because his actions were no greater than the call of duty requires.The Special Branch officer was stabbed repeatedly by Bourgass in January 2003 after police officers raided a house in Manchester shortly after the police said that they had discovered an al-Qaeda ricin factory in a North London flat. It later transpired that no ricin was found. However, despite recommendations that the father-of-three, 40, should be posthumously awarded the George Cross, a government-appointed committee has rejected it. A Home Office letter to Greater Manchester Police states that Mr Oakes nomination for the countrys highest civilian award for gallantry had been turned down because his actions in tackling Bourgass were spontaneous rather than calculated. The letter, reported in the Daily Mail, says: The circumstances were tragic but the considerable evidence did not suggest that the criteria of any gallantry awards were met. Paul Kelly, chairman of the Manchester Police Federation, said that every officer who gave evidence in Bourgasss trial owed their lives to Mr Oakes actions. He said: He threw himself into extreme danger when he could have stood aside and waited for back-up. He is a true hero and I am sickened by this decision. At his trial in January 2005 Bourgass was convicted of Mr Oakes murder, the attempted murder of two policeman and the wounding of a third. Posted by: Dan Darling 2006-02-17 |
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