Notting Hill Carnival zombie knife attacker jailed for 18 years
Tuitt was caught carrying a Rambo knife which he swung out at Notting Hill Carnival the year before, although no-one was injured, the Old Bailey heard.
He was serving a community order for that offence when he attacked Mr Spooner in front of a crowd of revellers.
The defendant, from Walthamstow, east London, was found guilty of attempted murder having admitted possession of a knife.
Jailing him for 18 years on Friday, Judge Judy Khan KC said: 'It is not the first time you have travelled to the carnival armed with a fearsome weapon.
'On this occasion, you used it to devastating effect. It is fortunate Mr Spooner escaped with his life.
'There can be no excuse for committing an offence of this gravity.'
The attack was in front of a 'substantial number' of people and lunging out with a knife in a crowded public place put others at risk of being injured, she said.
Previously, prosecutor Mark Paltenghi had said the two young men did not know each other before their paths crossed in Canal Way, west London, just before 8pm.
During the attack, Tuitt had 'sliced open Mr Spooner's stomach with a 12-inch zombie knife' and then stabbed him four more times in the side and back and cut his right forearm.
Mr Spooner told police he spent much of the day at the carnival drinking with his friends.
Towards the end of the day, a fight broke out around him with three people close by throwing punches, according to his account.
Mr Paltenghi had said: 'He then recalls being hit in the back and upon looking at his arm, saw it had been cut, then looked down and saw that his intestines were hanging out.
'He put his hand over them and just ran.
'He cannot cast any light on why it was he would have been attacked.'
Tuitt claimed that he was acting in self defence and jurors were told there was no evidence he harboured a grievance against Mr Spooner.
In mitigation, Sheryl Nwosu said the defendant's young age, immaturity and neurodivergeance had affected his actions.
He had displayed 'impulsive and reckless' decision making by choosing to attend Notting Hill Carnival armed with a weapon out of a 'perceived need for self protection', Ms Nwosu said.
As Tuitt was being sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday, a woman in the public gallery broke down in tears.
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Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
How Notting Hill Carnival became one of the biggest cultural events after race riots
Millions of people attend Notting Hill carnival, with some travelling by plane just to experience the Caribbean inspired event - but few know how the carnival began and the roots are deep. Notting Hill Carnival might be one of the world's biggest street parties today, but its roots lie in a fight for community, unity and pride. The summer of 1958 was one of the most volatile in West London's history. Racial tensions had been bubbling for years, fuelled by open hostility towards the Windrush generation settling in the area. In August 1958, an argument between Swedish-born Majbritt Morrison and her Jamaican husband, Raymond, outside Latimer Road tube station turned into a flashpoint. A group of white men, known as Teddy Boys tried to 'defend' Majbritt, despite her telling them to leave her alone. A fight broke out between the Teddy Boys and Raymond's friends, all of Jamaican descent. The next day, Majbritt was spotted again by a gang of white youths. This time, she was attacked in broad daylight simply for being married to a Black man. That assault sparked three days of race riots, with white gangs prowling the streets armed with iron bars, bottles and homemade petrol bombs, targeting Afro-Caribbean homes. One witness later told the BBC: 'They're marking the outside of the houses for the [Teddy] Boys to know where to bomb and where not to bomb.' By the end of the bank holiday weekend, 108 people had been arrested. Miraculously, no one was killed - but the hostility was far from over. Less than a year later, on May 17, 1959, 32-year-old Antiguan carpenter and aspiring lawyer Kelso Cochrane was stabbed to death in a racially motivated attack on Southam Street. His murder which still hasn't been solved sent shockwaves through the community. More than 1,200 mourners attended his funeral, turning it into a defiant stand against racism. Allegations of a police cover-up and a lack of urgency in the investigation only deepened mistrust, pushing campaigners to take their fight for justice to Whitehall. Against this backdrop, Caribbean activist and journalist Claudia Jones offered a different kind of resistance. That winter, she staged an indoor 'Caribbean Carnival' at St Pancras Town Hall, broadcast by the BBC, to celebrate Caribbean culture and lift spirits in the wake of the riots. In the years that followed, indoor events multiplied across London, organised by Jones, the West Indian Gazette, and Trinidadian booking agents Edric and Pearl Connor. For more stories like this subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Weekly Gulp, for a curated roundup of trending stories, poignant interviews, and viral lifestyle picks from The Mirror's Audience U35 team delivered straight to your inbox. By 1966, community activist Rhaune Laslett - a Londoner of Native American and Russian descent decided to host a children's street fayre to bring Notting Hill's diverse residents together. 'We felt that although West Indians, Africans, Irish and many other nationalities all live in a very congested area, there is very little communication between us. If we can infect them with a desire to participate, then this can only have good results,' she said. She invited steel pan player Russell Henderson and his band, who led an impromptu parade down Portobello Road. Locals followed, danced and celebrated and the first outdoor Notting Hill Carnival was born. From a crowd of 500 in 1966, Carnival has grown into one of the world 's largest cultural events, drawing over a million people every August Bank Holiday. It remains community-led, deeply rooted in Caribbean heritage, and uniquely 'London' in its diversity. With static sound systems introduced in 1973 by, then live stages was introduced in 1979 by Wilf Walker hosting stars, and floats alive with music and colour, it continues to honour its origins while evolving with the city it represents. As organisers said: 'While the carnival is rooted in Caribbean culture, with its Windrush-generation influence remaining strong, it is at the same time reflective of characteristically 'London' - today's modern London.' The costumes may change and the music may shift, but Carnival's heartbeat - unity, joy and resilience is the same as it was when it began.
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Notting Hill Carnival should be ticketed to avoid Hillsborough-scale disaster, Tories say
London's Notting Hill Carnival should become a ticketed event in order to avoid a deadly crowd crush on the scale of the Hillsborough disaster, politicians in the capital have claimed. A report by the City Hall Conservatives, the largest opposition party in the London Assembly, detailed mounting safety concerns at the carnival in West London, with the authors of the report suggesting the annual event should now be ticketed. Around 2 million people go to the Notting Hill Carnival, and it is policed by about 7,000 police officers. But over recent years it has become increasingly expensive to maintain safety, and the report suggests it is only by "chance" that a catastrophe on the scale of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, in which 97 people were killed in a crowd crush, has been avoided to date. According to the report, Sadiq Khan has increased City Hall's share of funding for Notting Hill Carnival by over 1,000% since he became mayor of London in 2016. The cost of policing the event in 2023 was £11.7m, but the report estimates the cost to the taxpayer will hit £16.5 million this year and total £80 million over the next five years. Meanwhile, total numbers of arrests have risen by 160% over the last 25 years. However the event has doubled in size during this period. The report concludes that the current event organisers "do not have the governance structure or the resources required" to organise an event on this scale, and it says "the occurrence of a major public safety disaster, such as a Hillsborough-style crush, has only been avoided by chance – not by effective organisation". Susan Hall, the leader of the City Hall Conservative group and author of the report said: "Notting Hill Carnival is a hugely important event and deserves to succeed – my report is designed to raise awareness of the serious safety issues the event faces in its current form, and put forward recommendations to give the event the security and stability it needs. "As my report shows, crime has increased substantially at the event since 2000, alongside a huge increase in the cost to the taxpayer. We must find another way – no other event would be allowed to continue like this. 'At a time when Londoners are facing cuts to essential and frontline policing services because of Sadiq Khan and this Labour government, the Met simply cannot afford to spend over £80 million policing Carnival over the next 5 years. A new permanent funding solution for Carnival would give the event the certainty it needs to run as successfully as possible.' The Independent has contacted organiser Notting Hill Carnival Ltd for comment. A spokesman for the organisation told The Times: 'Many of the points raised in this report have been addressed and actioned by NHCL and its strategic partners. An independent review commissioned by NHCL earlier this year has led to numerous changes this year and beyond.' A spokesperson for the Mayor of London told The Independent: 'The Notting Hill Carnival was born out of the Caribbean community in North Kensington and Notting Hill. It ultimately belongs to the community who decide where it is held and organise the event. 'The carnival is not organised by the Mayor, but he continues to work with partners to help ensure everyone can enjoy carnival safely and honour its cultural importance. 'Following an independent review of carnival, the Mayor stepped forward with partners to provide additional funding this year, however he believes that national funding will be needed to ensure the long-term safety and success of what is a nationally-significant event over the years ahead.'
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Telegraph
Notting Hill Carnival must be ticketed ‘to avoid another Hillsborough'
Notting Hill Carnival should be ticketed to avoid a Hillsborough-style 'catastrophic failure of public safety', a new report has warned. Susan Hall, a Conservative member of the London Assembly, who produced the report, published on Tuesday, said the event had in recent years only narrowly 'avoided a mass crush on the scale of the Hillsborough disaster'. Sir Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, has previously repeatedly warned of the risk of a 'crowd crush' at the carnival, which attracts more than two million people. Khan made the remarks at a meeting of the London Assembly in July, adding that he had 'seen images of some of the crowds at some parts of [the Carnival]. Watching them made me frightened.' The report also raises concerns about crime at the carnival, where more than 61 police officers were injured last year, the highest figure since 2018. Two people were killed in separate knife attacks, three firearms were recovered, and police made 334 arrests. Ms Hall's proposals include requiring all attendees to pre-register, with tickets 'linked to an individual's billing address', so that the Met could 'link potential crimes to individuals', and subsequently prosecute attendees and ban them from future events. She also calls for a maximum capacity, sponsorship and ticket revenue to cover policing and costs, and a possible relocation to Hyde Park if the streets of Notting Hill cannot be safely managed. The report said arrests at the carnival had risen by 160 per cent since 2000, with offences up 203 per cent, and estimates a cost to the taxpayer at around £80-100 million over the next five years. Speaking in September last year, Met Commissioner Mark Rowley said the police have 'put in mitigations to try and reduce the risk of a Hillsborough-type event'. Some 97 Liverpool fans were killed in a crowd crush at Hillsborough Stadium in 1989. A spokesperson for the Mayor said: 'The carnival ultimately belongs to the community who decide where it is held and organise the event.' The Mayor provided an additional £958,000 this year to ensure the event could go ahead, saying it generates £400 million for the city's economy. 'The Mayor continues to work with partners to help ensure everyone can enjoy carnival safely and honour its cultural importance,' the spokesman added. The Met Police said the carnival's 'growing popularity and size creates unique challenges' and welcomed 'further discussion' of recommendations. A spokesman for Notting Hill Carnival Ltd said the event 'was founded and remains a community-led event' and stressed that organisers 'pull on the expertise from each agency for the betterment of the event'. They invited Hall to visit their headquarters during this year's carnival to 'witness the operation in action'. This year's Notting Hill Carnival
