Clifford Coby (Darko) Murder Anniversary Appeal

One year on, police are renewing their appeal for witnesses and information following the murder of Clifford Coby on Wednesday 10th August 2005.

On Wednesday 9.08.06 officers conducted an anniversary appeal at the Red Lion Public House, Ilford Hill to gather further information and possible witnesses. Detectives spoke to over 50 people in and around the Red Lion and issued posters and leaflets to assist people's recollections of the night.

To recap: At approx 21:25 on 10.8.05 police were called to the Red Lion pub, Ilford Hill, re: a man shot. On arrival a man Clifford Coby was found inside the pub with gunshot injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Clifford Coby [26 ys], a/k/a Clifford Darko, was better known just as "Coby", and lived in Rowland Court, Canning Town, E16. A post-mortem gave cause of death as gunshot wounds - one to the neck and another to the chest. On this evening, there was a BBQ taking place in the rear garden of the public house attended by a large number of people, including mothers and children.

Officers at the scene were directed to two other people, also with injuries, in Cranbrook Road A woman aged 27 ys [Victim 2] was found injured in an off-license in Cranbrook Rd and a man aged 26 ys [Victim 3] was found outside. Both had gunshot injuries, which they had sustained inside the Red Lion Public house, before they fled their attacker. The woman was shot in the arm and the man in the head. They were taken by ambulance to hospital and were later discharged.

It appears all three victims were at the pub together, when they became involved in an altercation with others, which resulted in shots being fired. The altercation is believed to have been a trivial argument, which involved 'Victim 2' and in which Coby and 'Victim 3' attempted to intervene.

It is believed this altercation resulted from an argument that developed outside the pub in the beer garden near a pool table. The female victim had pool balls thrown at her head.

The incident then moved inside the pub where the victims were shot. There is believed to have been more than 100 people in the pub, both inside the premises and in the beer garden at the time of the shootings, some of who have been traced by police. However, there are still a large number of people who have not yet contacted police and we are renewing our appeal for those people to come forward.

If it assists witness appeals Coby was mixed-race Ghanaian. The other two victims are black. The suspect is described as a black man in his twenties and was in the company of at least two other black men also in their twenties and they made off along Ilford Hill towards Cranbrook Rd. Detective Chief Inspector Carl Mehta, leading the investigation, of the Homicide and Serious Crime Command, said: "This was a callous murder of a young man who was out with a group of friends for the evening. "I am keen to trace everyone who was in the Red Lion Public House anytime after 7pm on 10th August 2005, no matter what they think they did or did not see, and to ask them to come forward and speak to us in confidence.

"I am also keen to speak to anyone who has any information about this murder to contact the police." Anyone with information in connection with this murder is asked contact the incident room on 020-8345 3734; if you wish to remain anonymous contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. In an emergency dial 999.

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Met Announces drop in crime figures.

Metropolitan Police crime statistics released today provide good news for Londoners with a significant decrease in offences and a rise in the number of offenders being caught and prosecuted.

The sustained fall in overall crime across the capital means there were 23,000 fewer offences than last year.

Recent action to tackle terrorist plotters highlights the crucial role of the Met in keeping London’s public and visitors safe but it remains vital for police to tackle criminals at every level in order to provide the kind of police service that Londoner’s want and deserve.

The release of July’s monthly figures show that crime is falling across the capital city in a way we have not seen in recent memory. Overall crime from April to July 2006 was down 6.8% compared to the same period last year.

There were 482 fewer residential burglaries than in the April to July 2005, a 2.5% drop. Violent crime continues to fall and for this financial year is down 4.6%. Partnership with local communities in tackling gun crime helped cut Trident incidents from 95 offences in April to July 2005 to 78 in April to July 2006. And overall, gun-enabled crime was 23.1% lower than last year.

Commissioner Sir Ian Blair said: “I am particularly encouraged by the falls in violence, something we all naturally fear the most. However we are not complacent and the Violent Crime Directorate that we set up earlier this year is working hard to tackle the most persistent offenders.”

Police also took tough action following last year’s 16% rise in street robbery. Today’s figures show that by the end of July, the rate of increase had declined to two per cent and a raft of initiatives and targeted operations are being carried out to ensure that the reductions continue.

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