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Rolan Adams murderer jailed for life. (1)

01 January 1991

Rolan Adams murderer jailed for life.
artdoc December=1991

Mark Thornburrow, a 19 year old white youth from Thamesmead, has
been found guilty, and jailed for life, for the murder of a black
youth, fifteen year Rolan Adams, last February (see Statewatch
3). Rolan had been standing at a bus stop with his brother,
Nathan, when they were racially abused by a group of white youths
who had been drinking at the nearby Wildfowler pub. Thornburrow
then stabbed Rolan in the neck with a butterfly knife. During the
trial both the prosecution and the defence attempted to underplay
the racist motive, but Judge Kenneth Richardson was `satisfied
that there were racial overtones.'
Following Rolan's death the fascist British National Party
(BNP) attempted to exploit the situation by marching through
Thamesmead and attacking a meeting addressed by black American
activist, the Reverend Al Sharpton, who offered support to the
Adams family.
After the successful prosecution of BNP deputy leader Richard
Edmonds by Rochdale council for the illegal display of their
stickers, London's Greenwich council have warned the BNP that
they will prosecute them if any of their stickers appear in the
borough. Greenwich's leader Quentin Marsh said: "In a multi-
racial borough like Greenwich many residents find the BNP
stickers extremely offensive and threatening. I am issuing a
public warning to Richard Edmonds and his nazi friends that
peddling their filthy slogans in this borough could prove very
expensive."
Caribbean Times 17.9.91; Guardian, 17.10.91