Murdered man's family cries foul as bouncers acquitted

Murdered man's family cries foul as bouncers acquitted

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By Staff Reporter

A BRITISH court has freed four nightclub bouncers who were on trial for manslaughter following the death of a Zimbabwean reveller minutes after they severely beat him up.

Spencer Munyengeterwa's family and friends have criticised the verdict, and queried the all-white jury which deliberated on the case.

Munyengeterwa, 30, of Hurworth Avenue, Langley, was at the High Street's Assembly Bar in the early hours of Sunday, August 10 2003 when he was involved in an altercation prompting the bouncers to intervene.

At the trial, the coroner said he had been choked to death. Prosecutors said oxygen supply to his brain had been cut off due to a headlock put on him by 46-year-old bouncer Steven McClean.

However, a Crown Court jury considered that the four men were only trying to restrain Munyengeterwa, and never intended to kill him before passing a 'not guilty' verdict. Defence lawyers relied on MaClean impeccable military reference to get a favourable verdict.

His family has now petitioned Slough MP Fiona Mactaggart, insisting that Munyengeterwa was murdered. However, because of the double jeopardy rule, the four man cannot be re-tried for the same offence.

"Quite simply in the view of his family and friends he was murdered," a family spokesman Ben Mzondo wrote to the MP who has agreed to meet the family. "I am always the last one to pull out the well dreaded race card but you have to admit a jury of your peers for Slough area without Black or Asian people is a little hard to fathom given the racial profile of the area."

He added: "As a community that includes family and friends of the deceased, we are failing to come to terms with this. The only explanation that could justify this is that the local Zimbabwean community are considered second class citizens and as such should accept things like this event could happen to us without any recourse to the offenders."

The family have also asked the MP to ensure that the four bouncers are not employed in the security sector again. In reply, Mactaggart said: "I have been impressed, as I know the police have too, by Spencer's family and friends' approach to the whole case and how you have stressed the loss of Spencer and set up a tournament in his memory. I supported Phyllis Starkey's work towards licensing of club bouncers and the establishment of the Security Industry Authority, to train and licence them. Here in Berkshire the regulations will come into force from 28 February 2005 and perhaps I could work with local clubs and pubs to ensure that in preparing for that date they incorporate lessons from this tragedy into their training of door staff."
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