Father of shot Pc accuses Howard of 'hypocrisy'

Last updated at 14:19 19 April 2005


The father of a policeman killed by an illegal immigrant has accused Tory leader Michael Howard of "gross hypocrisy" for using the Kamel Bourgass case to highlight failures in the asylum system.

Colin Walters' son Phillip was 28 when he was shot dead in the line of duty by Yardie gunman Ray Lee 10 years ago.

When Lee was jailed for manslaughter in 1996 it emerged that he was an illegal immigrant who had several aliases.

Mr Howard was Home Secretary at the time, but Mr Walters claimed he had done nothing then to take up the case.

He said it was "disgusting" that the Tory leader had now seized on a similar case - that of al Qaida terrorist Kamel Bourgass - to make a political point.

Bourgass was jailed for life for stabbing Special Branch officer Detective Constable Stephen Oake to death on January 14, 2003 - two years after his asylum application was rejected.

Shot in the chest

Mr Howard used the case to highlight the "chaos" in Britain's asylum system under Labour.

But Mr Walters told London's Evening Standard: "Ten years ago my son was also murdered by an illegal immigrant he was trying to arrest. But there was no public outcry from Mr Howard then.

"At the time he was Home Secretary, responsible for the safety of police officers and the control of illegal immigrants, so any blame then was his."

Criticising Mr Howard's intervention, he said: "It is disgusting. Obviously the man has a short memory to make a political issue out of the grief that Dc Oake's family must be suffering.

"That sort of intrusion ... by a politician for electoral gain beggars belief. It is gross hypocrisy."

Pc Walters had been in the Metropolitan Police for 18 months when he was shot in the chest with a Smith and Wesson revolver as he tried to handcuff Lee during a violent struggle at a house in Ilford, Essex.

Lee was given a 10-year jail term for manslaughter and a further eight years for firearms offences.

Pc Walters was remembered by his colleagues on Monday when a floral tribute was placed at his memorial stone 10 years since his death.

'Completely understand the feelings'

Responding to Mr Walters' criticism today, Mr Howard said there were differences between the cases of Lee and Bourgass.

He said Bourgass could have been deported as an illegal immigrant six months before he stabbed Dc Oake when he came to the attention of the authorities after being arrested for shoplifting.

"I completely understand the feelings of Mr Walters about the tragic death of his son, Pc Phillip Walters," he said.

"But there is a difference between the murder of his son and that of Dc Stephen Oake. Kamel

Bourgass was brought to the attention of the authorities for shop lifting.

"The authorities were told he was arrested for shoplifting but nevertheless did nothing about it."

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