[From The Daily Fail: (of all places)]
Pandering to a WPC Killer: Knifeman with a Hatred of Police is ‘Safe to be Freed’… But Only to an Area Where There Aren’t Too Many Officers on the Beat…
By STEPHEN WRIGHT – PUBLISHED: 22:32, 9 March 2012
A notorious police killer is being released after 15 years – but he must be housed in an area with few police on the streets to protect his mental health.
Magdi Elgizouli, 44, was diagnosed as having a pathological hatred of the police after he knifed a young WPC to death in 1997.
The schizophrenic has now been deemed well enough to be transferred from a secure unit to a community hostel, but psychiatrists still fear his mental state could be adversely affected if he sees police on patrol.
Jobless drifter Elgizouli stabbed WPC Nina Mackay, 25, to death with a seven-and-a-half-inch kitchen knife as she went to arrest him at a flat in Stratford, East London, in October 1997.
Moments before her death, WPC Mackay removed the body armour that could have saved her life because the protective vest was hampering her movement.
At the time, Elgizouli – a frequent user of cannabis – was in breach of bail conditions for assaulting a police officer and possessing an offensive weapon, a knife, 11 days earlier.
He was detained indefinitely after admitting manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
WPC Mackay’s father, retired Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent Sidney Mackay, reacted angrily last night as he confirmed news of Elgizouli’s release.
Mr Mackay, 68, told the Daily Mail: ‘I can confirm that I have been informed by the relevant authorities of Elgizouli’s impending release. The content of these discussions has to remain confidential.
‘However I think it a matter of great public interest that people are aware that he is back on the streets with freedom of movement.
‘Despite being given assurances about his suitability for release, I have great unease that contact with the police or public could have tragic consequences. My personal view is that his detention should continue.
‘My daughter’s gone and he should have taken the consequences, and not be allowed to resume a normal life when we are living with her loss on a daily basis.
‘I hope that his freedom of movement does not allow him to return to his old practice of taking large quantities of cannabis.’
Mr Mackay, who lives in Essex, added: ‘I was not in a position to object to the decision to release him. All that had to be resolved when I was informed of his release was where his place of residence would be.’
It is understood a Mental Health Review Tribunal hearing paved the way for Elgizouli’s release, on the basis that he is no longer deemed to be a danger to the public and that his psychiatric state can be controlled by him taking regular medication.
He is expected to live in a licensed hostel, where he will be free to come and go as he wishes each day.
A number of Metropolitan Police Federation officials have expressed serious concern about the decision to release the British-born killer, who is of Sudanese descent. Pete Smyth, chairman of the Federation, said: ‘This man should only be released when the authorities are absolutely convinced he is no longer a danger to police and the public. It’s as much about protection as punishment.’
He added: ‘We have always maintained a position that life means life. In this case, being locked up indefinitely should mean exactly that.’
Four years ago, the Mail revealed that police had been warned of the dangers of approaching Elgizouli, after he was given occasional day release from a secure unit.
Elgizouli was granted four hours of leave a week in preparation for his permanent release.
He was also allowed out a further five hours each month to visit his brother.
Mental health chiefs said at the time they believed that Elgizouli’s psychiatric condition had improved significantly, and that they had granted him supervised release to help him reintegrate.
However an urgent message was issued to police under Scotland Yard’s ‘officer alert system’ warning he was a grave threat to officers’ safety and should not be approached.
WPC Mackay’s father was furious about the decision.
In a letter to the Mental Health Review Tribunal in 2008, he said: ‘We owe it to the memory and love we bear our daughter not to see her death disappear as another statistic … while the person responsible resumes his life as if nothing happened.’
