Calls Grow for UK to Intervene in Imprisoned Fighter Lee Murray's Case
In his early life in Woolwich, London, Murray gained notoriety due to his alleged linkage with illegal activities, including violence and drug dealing, before indulging in the MMA world.
In 2006, Murray was involved in a robbery of £53m from a Securitas depot in Kent, England, with a group of masked men before he ran away to Morocco.
After four months on the run, Murray was caught in Rabat in a joint operation conducted by Moroccan and British police. He was sentenced to 10 years in Moroccan prison before the sentence was increased to 25 years on appeal.
Lee's younger son, Lenie Murray, was two years old during the incident. 'I was only two years old when my dad went to prison. I've spent my whole life without him. He's missed my childhood, and I've missed having a father by my side,' Lenie told Morocco World News (MWN) in an exclusive interview.
Read also: Human Rights Groups Demand Inquiry into Lee Murray's Conviction
'He made a mistake a very long time ago that he's taken responsibility for and changed for the better. He's still my dad. I love him and miss him every day. I just want the chance to know him properly and to have him be part of my life. I'm not asking for anything more than the chance to share time with the father I've missed for 19 years.
'My father has spent 19 years in a Moroccan prison — far longer than anyone else involved in the same case received in the UK,' he added.
Human rights groups are now demanding that the UK parliament take action in the case.
'We are urging the UK government to formally support a pardon request for Lee,' Radha Stirling, CEO of Due Process International and founder of Detained in Dubai, told Morocco World News.
She added: 'We're also urging an investigation into whether the UK government breached its obligation to its own citizens, to pursue a prosecution by a foreign government since this sets a dangerous precedent.'
Murray's MMA Career
Murray started his MMA career in 1999 at an event called 'Millennium Brawl' when he won over Rob Hudson by a first-round knockout, and gained the nickname 'lightning.'
Lee fought four times in 2000 and won each fight with either a submission or a knockout. His aggressive, unpredictable style made him one of the most feared fighters at that time.
Dana white, president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), described him as 'the most legit gangsters of all time.'
Dana detailed: 'I actually ran into Lee Murray right after he got stabbed. He got stabbed everywhere and they were still fresh…Days after Lee Murray got stabbed, he's walking around the event with all the stitches still in him. Lee Murray is one of the most legit gangsters of all time, he really is.'
Murray has a professional record of 8-2-1 (win-loss-draw) with remarkable fights, including his win over Jorge Rivera at UFC 46 via triangle armbar in just 1 minute and 45 seconds of the first round.
Eight months later, Lee delivered a competitive fight with the UFC legend and Hall-of-Fame Anderson Silva in Cage Rage 8, which ended by decision for Silva.
On September 28, 2005, Murray faced the incident that would put an end to his MMA career. He was stabbed repeatedly in the heart at a birthday party at Funky Buddha nightclub in Mayfair.
According to The Standard, Murray underwent open-heart surgery and needed 30 pints of blood, but no one was charged with the attack.
'First, they stabbed me in the head. At first, I thought it was a punch. When I felt blood running down my face, I wiped it away and kept fighting. Then I looked down and blood was spurting from my chest. I knew I had been stabbed in the heart by the blood gushing out of me. Blood sprayed from me about a meter away,' Murray said in an interview.
Nearly two decades after the Securitas robbery, Lee Murray remains imprisoned in Morocco, and his case continues to draw attention from human rights advocates. Tags: human rightslee murrayMMA
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