Police apologise over inquiry

A senior Scotland Yard officer has apologised to the family of a young man who was shot dead after confronting a gang of youths.

Peter Woodhams, 22, was shot after confronting a gang outside shops in Canning Town, London on Monday.

In January, Mr Woodhams had been stabbed in the neck in the same area. Nobody was charged in connection with that attack. Mr Woodham's fiancée, Jane Bowden, said that she had phoned police repeatedly for five weeks following the attack, but said that officers never took a statement from her.

A 14-year-old boy has been questioned in connection with Mr Woodham's death and released on bail.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Commander Rod Jarman, said: "We will robustly deal with any failings in our investigation of the previous incident and make sure that those matters are dealt with.

"I would also like to make my apologies for any hurt that that investigation may have caused the family."

On Thursday, the Metropolitan Police Authority announced that it would ask Scotland Yard Commissioner Sir Ian Blair to report fully on both incidents and investigations relating to Mr Woodhams.

In a statement, the MPA offered condolences to Mr Woodham's fiancée and family and said: "We will want to know how police responded to the earlier stabbing incident in January when Mr Woodhams was allegedly attacked with a knife and whether the handling of that incident had any bearing on his murder.

"Without prejudicing the outcome of the Metropolitan Police's own investigations, we will want to see if there any lessons to be learnt."

(KMcA)