Bishop Sentamu - how I met Birmingham's gangs
A FORMER Bishop of Birmingham has spoken of the time he was blindfolded and taken to a secret hideout in an attempt to persuade witnesses to give evidence in a high-profile city murder trial.
Dr John Sentamu, now the Archbishop of York, revealed his experiences following the murders of 18-year-old Charlene Ellis and Letisha Shakespeare, aged 17.
The young women were shot dead in January 2003 when they were caught in the crossfire between rival gangs.
Following the incident, Dr Sentamu moved into Aston to be closer to the people affected.
“We wanted to rebuild some of the trust that was lacking and spent time delivering leaflets, door-to-door, appealing for witnesses to the murder to come forward or contact me directly if they had information but were not comfortable sharing it with the police.”
The bishop even handed out his mobile number in an attempt to get frightened witnesses to speak.
“I was offered the opportunity to spend time with gang members who said I could meet them but only on their own terms. I agreed to their terms and was driven to a place, which I assume was in Birmingham, and had a conversation with them while blindfolded. I was safely returned to Aston.”
According to Dr Sentamu, the gang members wanted to know whether they would be granted anonymity if they came forward and gave evidence in court during the six-month trial at Leicester Crown Court.
They also wanted to know whether their safety would be guaranteed.
Unprecedented measures, such as voice distortion, were taken to protect the key witnesses, some of whom gave evidence from behind a screen.
Four men were subsequently jailed for life for the killings.
Some months later, Dr Sentamu attended the launch of a church initiative to counter gang violence.
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