Appeal for witnesses

Appeal for witnesses following violent racist attack on three on the London tube

Southall Black Sisters (SBS) are appealing for witnesses following a violent racist attack on their Executive Director Selma Taha and her two friends Divina Riggon and Danae Thomas while aboard the London tube on 29^th September 2023.

On the night of Friday, 29^th September 2023, at around or just after 10pm, Selma, Divina and Danae boarded a Northern Line train to King’s Cross from Camden Town. Shortly after, the train got held up in the tunnel between Euston and King’s Cross. While travelling on the train, Selma, Divina and Danae were verbally and physically assaulted. The assailant, a white woman, made monkey sounds and called Selma, Divina and Danae “Black bitches”, and “slaves”. The abuse escalated into physical violence. The assailant pulled clumps of hair off Selma and her friend and bit Selma’s flesh, leaving a deeply embedded imprint of her teeth which necessitated tetanus and hepatitis injections and antibiotics.

An off-duty Metropolitan Detective Constable was present in the tube carriage but failed to intervene to de-escalate the incident. When the train arrived at King’s Cross station, the three women had to challenge the inactivity and apathy of the police to treat the matter seriously and arrest the assailant.

Some months later, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) made the following charging decisions:

• No further action is to be taken against the assailant in relation to the assault. In relation to the assailant’s racist abuse, she has been offered and accepted a caution for racially aggravated conduct contrary to s4A of the Public Order Act, in relation to one instance of racist abuse which she has admitted. No further action is to be taken in relation to other instances of racist abuse by her during the incident.
• Selma, Divina and Danae have all been charged with common assault by beating. 
• Danae has also been charged with a racially aggravated public order offence, in relation to alleged conduct towards a white British Transport police officer on the platform at King’s Cross.
• Divina has also been charged with a public order offence, but without the racial aggravation, again in relation to alleged conduct towards the same police officer at the tube station after the attack.

On Tuesday, 2nd July 2024, the CPS partially dropped the racist charges against the #KingsCross3 due to lack of evidence. These being:

• The racially aggravated public order offence charge against Danae, in relation to alleged conduct towards a white British Transport police officer on the platform at King’s Cross.
• The public order offence, without the racial aggravation, against Divina, again in relation to alleged conduct towards the same police officer at the tube station after the attack.

The CPS still intend to pursue a trial against Selma, Divina and Danae in relation to the charge of common assault by beating.

The trial date is set for 10^th, 11^th and 12^th July 2024 at Highbury Magistrates’ Court.

We urge anyone who witnessed the attack or has any information that can help to contact the defence legal team by calling Harry Charalambous of Taylor Rose Solicitors at 020 8774 9559 or 020 3540 4444.