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CCTV of man police want to interview |
CCTV appeal in hunt for vandal confronted by MP
Politician: ‘When he started walking towards me it was terrifying... I want him caught’
POLICE have released a CCTV image of a man they want to interview in connection with a graffiti attack on Islington South Labour MP Emily Thornberry’s Barnsbury office.
The word “Nazi” was scratched on the Labour Party sign outside the politician’s office in Barnsbury Street last month.
Ms Thornberry described this week how a man taunted her with the word “Nazi” after she confronted him.
“I was sitting in my car opposite the office and I heard a noise,” she said. “He’d moved the recycling bin and stood on it, bold as brass in the middle of the day. He was using something to scratch the paint off the Islington Labour board.”
Ms Thornberry shouted at the man and got out of the car. “I said: ‘What the hell do you think you’re playing at?’ He turned round and shouted ‘Nazis’ at me.”
The man continued to shout “Nazi” as he ran away but then turned around, and began marching towards the MP, pointing and shouting “Nazi”.
Ms Thornberry said: “He marched up to me until he was about three inches away. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. When he started walking towards me it was terrifying but I thought: ‘You’ve got to stand up to this, it’s bullying.’ I want him caught and I want him prosecuted.”
Ms Thornberry is seen on CCTV holding her hands on her hips, standing her ground as the man approaches her. Once he reaches her, he retreats again.
She said: “I don’t feel unsafe. I felt outraged at this attempt to intimidate me and my staff. I felt protective towards them. We do the best job we can for the community.
“It’s not just those who are paid to work in my office, there’s often a large number of volunteers who help. They don’t deserve to be treated that way.”
The politician installed CCTV outside her office after a series of thefts and criminal damage.
“This is an example of how useful CCTV is in that street,” sdhe said. “In an area where the local authority is falling down on its duty to install significant levels of CCTV, it’s up to businesses to put them up themselves. There’s a role for cameras in the detection of crime.”
Islington Council’s crime chief, Councillor Terry Stacy, said Ms Thornberry was “selfish” for thinking she was a special case, adding: “Nobody’s home or office should be subject to these sorts of attacks. But CCTV is just one weapon in the fight against crime.
“The council funds CCTV in crime hotspot areas recommended by the police, not areas recommended by the local MP. Despite this event, Barnsbury Street is not a hotbed of crime, according to police. Recorded crime in this area is going down.”
He added: “Given the limited funding the council has, we target our resources where most needed. The average cost of a CCTV camera is £30,000 and Islington has thousands of roads – we’re talking millions of pounds. Don’t tell me she is recommending putting council tax up again to pay for a camera on every street corner.”
Islington police are appealing for witnesses to the incident at 4.45pm on February 12.
Investigating officer PC Robert Wilson said: “Graffiti is a blight on neighbourhoods and makes people feel unsafe in their surroundings. A member of the public had the courage to stand up to this man who was very threatening towards her.”
Anyone with information can call PC Wilson on 0207 421 0173/0174 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, quoting reference 2703773/09. |
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