Colombian official cleared of murdering son's mugger
By Sue Clough, Courts Correspondent
(Filed: 23/07/2003)
A Colombian embassy official whose case became a diplomatic issue between Tony Blair and President Alvaro Uribe was cleared yesterday of the murder and manslaughter of a mugger who had robbed his son.
Relatives of the dead man, 23-year-old Damian Broom, screamed "no" and shouted
abuse from the public gallery as the jury acquitted Jairo Soto-Mendoza.
Soto-Mendoza, 45, a sergeant major in his country's élite special forces,
was in London working as a secretary to the military attaché at the Colombian embassy when Mr Broom died from a knife wound following a chase across a supermarket car park in May last year.
He claimed diplomatic immunity, but after Mr Broom's family presented a petition containing more than 4,000 names to Downing Street, Mr Blair became involved.
The Prime Minister raised the case with President Uribe when he visited this country last July. After these talks and the intervention of the Foreign Office, the Colombians waived diplomatic immunity and Soto-Mendoza gave himself up to police. He told the Old Bailey that he had acted in self-defence after Mr Broom produced the knife and had used defensive techniques in which he had been drilled during his 20 years' service with the Colombian army.
Mark Dennis, prosecuting, alleged that he acted in retaliation after Mr Broom, who had convictions for theft and motoring offences, and his accomplice, Lee Broome, a convicted robber, had mugged his son,
Valencia, outside Perivale Underground station in May last year.
The 20-year-old victim of the attack was bruised and shaken after his credit cards were taken. He immediately went home to Greenford, west London, and told his father what had happened.
Instead of going to police, said Mr Dennis, the diplomat armed himself with a knife and "took it upon himself to find his son's attackers". Soon afterwards they found the pair at a nearby Tesco supermarket and confronted them at a checkout.
Mr Broom and the diplomat became embroiled in a tussle by the entrance which ended with the mugger running away across the large car park.
Soto-Mendoza "pursued him and there was a prolonged chase. He was plainly making a determined attempt to catch Damian Broom who, equally, was making every effort to run away and avoid any further confrontation".
The two men clashed at the end of an access road. Soto-Mendoza, who said he was chasing Broom
because he wanted him arrested, denied that he had a knife with him and told the court that Mr Broom produced it. Using his self-defence skills, he grabbed Mr Broom's wrists and threw him to the ground but was unaware he had been hurt.
Mr Broom, who was married with a child, died in hospital from a stab wound to his liver.
Soto-Mendoza left court in a Colombian embassy car after he was cleared. Richard Harboard, his solicitor, said he would return to Colombia as his mission in London had ended.
Mr Harboard added: "He has maintained throughout he acted in self defence and he was happy that he and his government waived diplomatic immunity so he could defend himself in court. He regrets the death of a young man, albeit a professional robber, who had just robbed his own son."
Relatives of Mr Broom condemned the verdict. Vanda Broom, his stepmother, said: "People can't go around killing other people's kids. It's not right. He was our son, he was a nice boy. It's all a big Government thing. The whole thing stinks."
Kessa Taylor, a cousin, said: "Damian did not stand a chance. If he had done wrong then justice would have corrected that, but instead his life was taken away and Soto-Mendoza walked free."
By Sue Clough, Courts Correspondent
(Filed: 23/07/2003)
A Colombian embassy official whose case became a diplomatic issue between Tony Blair and President Alvaro Uribe was cleared yesterday of the murder and manslaughter of a mugger who had robbed his son.
Relatives of the dead man, 23-year-old Damian Broom, screamed "no" and shouted
abuse from the public gallery as the jury acquitted Jairo Soto-Mendoza.
Soto-Mendoza, 45, a sergeant major in his country's élite special forces,
was in London working as a secretary to the military attaché at the Colombian embassy when Mr Broom died from a knife wound following a chase across a supermarket car park in May last year.
He claimed diplomatic immunity, but after Mr Broom's family presented a petition containing more than 4,000 names to Downing Street, Mr Blair became involved.
The Prime Minister raised the case with President Uribe when he visited this country last July. After these talks and the intervention of the Foreign Office, the Colombians waived diplomatic immunity and Soto-Mendoza gave himself up to police. He told the Old Bailey that he had acted in self-defence after Mr Broom produced the knife and had used defensive techniques in which he had been drilled during his 20 years' service with the Colombian army.
Mark Dennis, prosecuting, alleged that he acted in retaliation after Mr Broom, who had convictions for theft and motoring offences, and his accomplice, Lee Broome, a convicted robber, had mugged his son,
Valencia, outside Perivale Underground station in May last year.
The 20-year-old victim of the attack was bruised and shaken after his credit cards were taken. He immediately went home to Greenford, west London, and told his father what had happened.
Instead of going to police, said Mr Dennis, the diplomat armed himself with a knife and "took it upon himself to find his son's attackers". Soon afterwards they found the pair at a nearby Tesco supermarket and confronted them at a checkout.
Mr Broom and the diplomat became embroiled in a tussle by the entrance which ended with the mugger running away across the large car park.
Soto-Mendoza "pursued him and there was a prolonged chase. He was plainly making a determined attempt to catch Damian Broom who, equally, was making every effort to run away and avoid any further confrontation".
The two men clashed at the end of an access road. Soto-Mendoza, who said he was chasing Broom
because he wanted him arrested, denied that he had a knife with him and told the court that Mr Broom produced it. Using his self-defence skills, he grabbed Mr Broom's wrists and threw him to the ground but was unaware he had been hurt.
Mr Broom, who was married with a child, died in hospital from a stab wound to his liver.
Soto-Mendoza left court in a Colombian embassy car after he was cleared. Richard Harboard, his solicitor, said he would return to Colombia as his mission in London had ended.
Mr Harboard added: "He has maintained throughout he acted in self defence and he was happy that he and his government waived diplomatic immunity so he could defend himself in court. He regrets the death of a young man, albeit a professional robber, who had just robbed his own son."
Relatives of Mr Broom condemned the verdict. Vanda Broom, his stepmother, said: "People can't go around killing other people's kids. It's not right. He was our son, he was a nice boy. It's all a big Government thing. The whole thing stinks."
Kessa Taylor, a cousin, said: "Damian did not stand a chance. If he had done wrong then justice would have corrected that, but instead his life was taken away and Soto-Mendoza walked free."
