FRIDAY, 01 SEPTEMBER, 2000

SAVAGE FACE OF
NOTTING HILL

Terror … two men brandish
knives in a brawl at Notting Hill

By MIKE SULLIVAN

A SHOCK video showing two men wielding
knives exposes the TRUE scale of crime at the
Notting Hill Carnival.

The knives were drawn during a brawl on the
street – and moments later at least one man
was stabbed.

The moment of terror – which was NOT
reported to police – was captured by an
outraged bystander who handed his film to The
Sun.

Today we publish the terrifying image amid
claims that violence at the West London street
festival – which saw TWO murders – was
downplayed by cops.

Police union leader Glen Smyth yesterday
slammed top brass, saying: “The level of
reported crime is far below that which really
happens.

“The whole process is underplayed for political
reasons.”

Mr Smyth, chairman of the Metropolitan Police
Federation, told BBC Radio 4′s Today
programme that since the early 1980s the Bank
Holiday festival had an “appalling” crime record.

He said: “The wider public need to feel
confident that when they go to the carnival
it’s going to be as crime-free as possible and
when the facts are reported they are not
downplayed.”

Family fun … public
face of carnival

The Sun has given the video to cops hunting
the killers of new dad Greg Watson, 21.

He was knifed to death just half a mile away at
10pm on Monday – the last day of the Bank
Holiday carnival.

The second victim was salesman Abdul Bhatti -
beaten to death by a 50-strong mob as he
tried to stop a friend being robbed.

The video was taken at 6.30pm on Monday in
Colville Square, near Westbourne Park.

It shows three police officers walking by a
crowd dancing the street by a mobile sound
system.

Two men are seen fighting. Next, an innocent
bystander is stabbed through the arm of his
track suit.

Then another man is stabbed twice – and is
helped away in the crowd by a friend.

Blood is visible on his body.

The man who took the video was too scared
to contact police.

He told The Sun: “While I was filming I thought
they were only punching each other. When I
looked at the film afterwards I was shocked to
see two knives.”

Police admitted the knifing was not reported to
them. There were 129 arrests during the
three-day carnival, attended by 1?million.

A total of 276 crimes were reported – mostly
robberies.

Earlier this week The Sun asked Scotland Yard
to confirm that there had been 19 stabbings
during the carnival.

The Yard insisted there had only been ten. But
yesterday they admitted the original figure put
to them by The Sun was correct.

Among victims was BBC producer Alexis
Condon, who had gone to the carnival with
friends.

He said: “A group of youths set on us for no
particular reason, punching and kicking us.

“I took a couple of blows to my head and
chest.

“It wasn’t until I got home later that I
discovered that there was a 3cm wound in my
chest.”

The Met’s deputy assistant commissioner
Tarique Ghaffur said of Mr Smyth’s
accusations: “We make every effort to
encourage people to report crime.”