Zahid Mubarek
Encyclopedia
Zahid Mubarek was a British Asian
teenager who was brutally murdered
by his cellmate on March 21, 2000, at the Feltham Young Offenders' Institution
in southwest London
. He was already inside Feltham when his killer, 20-year-old Robert Stewart - was transferred to his cell.
. His grandfather served in the Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers
who in 1960, migrated with his family to East London
. Zahed was born in 1980 and was the eldest of three children; his father worked as a manager in a factory for 28 years. The family came from a Muslim background and had no previous confrontations or records with the police before Zahed's case.
and small-time criminality. The murder has resulted in wider questions being asked about the Prison Service's treatment of minorities
- not least from those who see parallels with the handling of Stephen Lawrence
's murder by the Metropolitan Police
. The incident was the inspiration for the song Feltham Is Singing Out by English indie rock
band Hard-Fi
, which appeared as an album track on their debut, Stars of CCTV
.
Campaigners say that many key questions still remain unanswered:
could isolate any evidence
. All the while, Mubarek was on his way to Charing Cross Hospital
in west London, where he died.
Back at Feltham, Stewart took the heel of his rubber shoe and scrawled a swastika
on the wall before scratching the following message: Manchester just killed me padmate. RIP OV M1CR
to order Home Secretary David Blunkett
to hold a public inquiry
into the murder was heralded a huge victory for the dead teenager's family. Despite the family's four-year wait for the inquiry, some evidence is already in the public domain
after the Commission for Racial Equality
conducted its own investigation.
Evidence presented at the later murder trial revealed Stewart to be a seriously disturbed individual; he had "RIP" and a cross tattooed on his forehead. The inquiry stated that Zahid Mubarek died because of a combination of his cellmate's racism and failures of the Prison Service.
On February 8, 2000, Stewart was allocated a double cell with the soon-to-be-released Mubarek as Feltham faced crowding problems. Six weeks later Mubarek was dead.
One inmate had this to say about him: "If he used to lose at table tennis
he would smash his bat on the table. He was aggressive. He would sit and stare at people. I have had him stare right into my eyes. When I've asked him what he's looking at he would just reply 'nothing'; it was crazy."
British Asian
British Asian is a term used to describe British citizens who descended from mainly South Asia, also known as South Asians in the United Kingdom...
teenager who was brutally murdered
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
by his cellmate on March 21, 2000, at the Feltham Young Offenders' Institution
Feltham Young Offenders' Institution
HM Prison Feltham is a prison for male juveniles and Young Offenders Institution, located near Feltham town in the London Borough of Hounslow, in southwest London, England...
in southwest London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He was already inside Feltham when his killer, 20-year-old Robert Stewart - was transferred to his cell.
Family background
Mubarek's family trace their roots to PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. His grandfather served in the Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers
Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers
The Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers, , is an active military administrative staff corps, and a major science and technology command of the Pakistan Army...
who in 1960, migrated with his family to East London
East End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
. Zahed was born in 1980 and was the eldest of three children; his father worked as a manager in a factory for 28 years. The family came from a Muslim background and had no previous confrontations or records with the police before Zahed's case.
Prison
Mubarek was a first-time prisoner and little different from other young men in a cycle of drug abuseDrug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
and small-time criminality. The murder has resulted in wider questions being asked about the Prison Service's treatment of minorities
Minority group
A minority is a sociological group within a demographic. The demographic could be based on many factors from ethnicity, gender, wealth, power, etc. The term extends to numerous situations, and civilizations within history, despite the misnomer of minorities associated with a numerical statistic...
- not least from those who see parallels with the handling of Stephen Lawrence
Stephen Lawrence
Stephen Lawrence was a black British teenager from Eltham, southeast London, who was stabbed to death while waiting for a bus on the evening of 22 April 1993....
's murder by the Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
. The incident was the inspiration for the song Feltham Is Singing Out by English indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band Hard-Fi
HARD-Fi
Hard-Fi are an English indie rock band formed in Staines, Surrey in 2003. The band's members are Richard Archer , Ross Phillips , Kai Stephens and Steve Kemp .They achieved chart success with their third single, "Hard to Beat" and then followed by other successful singles such as...
, which appeared as an album track on their debut, Stars of CCTV
Stars of CCTV
Stars of CCTV is the debut album by English indie rock band Hard-Fi. It was first released on 4 July 2005 on Necessary/Atlantic and Warner Music UK...
.
Campaigners say that many key questions still remain unanswered:
- Was the teenager's placement in that cell accidental, negligent, or worse still, deliberate?
- Was the killing pre-meditated, or a seemingly random urge of violence?
- Were others laterally involved in the death; be they staff who had fears but did not act, or inmates who wanted to see a fight?
The Incident
Mubarek, who was trying to sleep ahead of his release the following morning, complained the light in the cell was too bright; Stewart allegedly responded to this by throwing a pair of underpants over the cell lamp. At 3.35am on the morning of March 21, Stewart allegedly took a table leg that he had already separated from the table and began battering his cellmate over the head. Mubarek was hit between seven and eleven times before Stewart pressed the alarm and waited for the prison officers to arrive. Once they did, he was immediately moved to a nearby cell where he washed his blood-stained hands and clothes before a forensic teamForensics
Forensic science is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to a legal system. This may be in relation to a crime or a civil action...
could isolate any evidence
Evidence
Evidence in its broadest sense includes everything that is used to determine or demonstrate the truth of an assertion. Giving or procuring evidence is the process of using those things that are either presumed to be true, or were themselves proven via evidence, to demonstrate an assertion's truth...
. All the while, Mubarek was on his way to Charing Cross Hospital
Charing Cross Hospital
Charing Cross Hospital is a general, acute hospital located in London, United Kingdom and established in 1818. It is located several miles to the west of the city centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham....
in west London, where he died.
Back at Feltham, Stewart took the heel of his rubber shoe and scrawled a swastika
Swastika
The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
on the wall before scratching the following message: Manchester just killed me padmate. RIP OV M1CR
The Inquiry
The unprecedented decision by the Law LordsJudicial functions of the House of Lords
The House of Lords, in addition to having a legislative function, historically also had a judicial function. It functioned as a court of first instance for the trials of peers, for impeachment cases, and as a court of last resort within the United Kingdom. In the latter case the House's...
to order Home Secretary David Blunkett
David Blunkett
David Blunkett is a British Labour Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, having represented Sheffield Brightside from 1987 to 2010...
to hold a public inquiry
Public inquiry
A Tribunal of Inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body in Common Law countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland or Canada. Such a public inquiry differs from a Royal Commission in that a public inquiry accepts evidence and conducts its hearings in a more...
into the murder was heralded a huge victory for the dead teenager's family. Despite the family's four-year wait for the inquiry, some evidence is already in the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
after the Commission for Racial Equality
Commission for Racial Equality
The Commission for Racial Equality was a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom which aimed to tackle racial discrimination and promote racial equality. Its work has been merged into the new Equality and Human Rights Commission.-History:...
conducted its own investigation.
Evidence presented at the later murder trial revealed Stewart to be a seriously disturbed individual; he had "RIP" and a cross tattooed on his forehead. The inquiry stated that Zahid Mubarek died because of a combination of his cellmate's racism and failures of the Prison Service.
On February 8, 2000, Stewart was allocated a double cell with the soon-to-be-released Mubarek as Feltham faced crowding problems. Six weeks later Mubarek was dead.
"Aggressive Behaviour"
Following his death, some of the other inmates described Stewart's behaviour at Feltham as "strange, weird and aggressive."One inmate had this to say about him: "If he used to lose at table tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
he would smash his bat on the table. He was aggressive. He would sit and stare at people. I have had him stare right into my eyes. When I've asked him what he's looking at he would just reply 'nothing'; it was crazy."