Pc's death in the line of duty...four jailed for robbery and other offences

05 December 2009

FOUR people convicted on charges relating to the broader circumstances of an

incident in which a policeman died have been jailed.

PC Gary Toms died in April in Newham, writes COLIN GRAINGER..

Mansour-Jacques Jallow, aged 26 , of no fixed abode, had previously

pleaded guilty to robbery. Temitope Iyiola, 20 , of no fixed abode;Austin Ante-Taylor, 19, of Oak Lodge Ave, Chigwell; and Mary Fowler, 21 of Ibex House, Forest Lane, Stratford, were all found guilty of robbery in October following a two-week trial. Iyiola had previously also admitted dangerous driving, fraud (purchasing a Chrysler get-away car with a cloned credit card) and other offences.

At Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday , Jallow - was given six years jail, Iyiola - nine years imprisonment for robbery;12 months for dangerous driving [to run consecutively]

nine months imprisonment for fraud [to run concurrently]; three months imprisonment for handling stolen goods [to run concurrently] He was also banned from driving for three years. Ante-Taylor got seven years and Fowler eight.

The sequence of events started when police were called at 06:16 on Saturday April 11 following reports of an ggravated burglary at an address in Rosedale Road, Dagenham.

A number of suspects had forced their way inside and the 30-year-old victim

was punched in the face and kicked while on the floor. Jallow intimated he

had a gun.

The suspects then went upstairs and stole property include a laptop, camera

and camcorder. They also took the victim's wallet before making off in a

silver Chrysler.

A short time later, officers in an Armed Response Vehicle signalled for a

silver Chrysler to stop in Stratford town centre.

The Chrysler failed to stop for police and was followed in the direction of

Leytonstone High Road. The vehicle stopped briefly in Stratford and a male

suspect made off on foot.

At 06:43, the Chrysler was stopped in Ashlin Road Stratford..

PC Toms, a serving CO19 Specialist Firearms Command officer, got out of

the Armed Response Vehicle and suffered serious head injuries.

The 37-year-old was taken by ambulance to the Royal London Hospital where he

died six days later

Investigating officers were satisfied no criminal proceedings should be

brought in relation to PC Toms' death following a report by the Met's

Collision Investigation Unit. Traffic officers were unable to reach any

absolute conclusions as to how PC Toms emerged from the vehicle and

consequently suffered the severe injuries that led to his death.

Jallow, Fowler and Iyiola were arrested at the scene in Ashlin Road and

Ante-Taylor on April 14 following further enquiries.

Det Chief Insp Mick Broster, who led the enquiry, said: "The aftermath of the incident

led to the death of PC Gary Toms, a much-respected officer, and although

there is no suggestion the defendants were directly responsible, our

thoughts remain with his family as undoubtedly this court case will have

brought back to them the events of that night."

An inquest into PC Tom's death is due to be held at Walthamstow in January

2010.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson highlighted Pc Toms' sacrifice and said: "The death of Gary Toms shows to us the potential dangers the officers I'm leading are facing on a daily basis.

"I feel a sense of pride in the courage and dedication of Gary Toms. It's a tragedy for his family and I have met his wife, mother and mother-in-law."

Pc Toms joined the Met in January 2002 and in November 2008 he moved to specialist firearms unit CO19 where his commanding officer said he was known for his "sense of humour and professional attitude".

A police spokesman said: "The incident was treated as a tragic accident with Pc Toms suffering severe injuries after being jolted out of his seat inside the ARV."

His life support machine was switched off six days after the incident and his widow, Clair, paid tribute to him.

"He lived a full life which held no regrets and we are extremely proud of all that he achieved in his lifetime," she said.

Following his death, more than 4,000 people joined a group on the social networking website Facebook to pay tribute to him.

Hundreds also sent messages to the Newham Recorder's own tribute website, which is still up today.