Silcott: I'll help police to prevent crime

Winston Silcott is today savouring his first day of real freedom and vowing to have his murder conviction overturned.

The man convicted and later cleared of killing Pc Keith Blakelock in 1985 was formally released yesterday from his life sentence for the 1984 murder of boxer Anthony Smith.

Silcott, 43, has returned to Tottenham, and pledged to raise the concerns of the black community and work with the police to "deglamorise prison".

But he is also to fight to clear his name of what he claims is a miscarriage of justice and said today: "One thing that scares me is that I won't be able to get my conviction for the murder of Anthony Smith overturned before my parents die."

Silcott claims he killed Smith in self-defence, and is set to go to the European Court of Human Rights.

He is also to work in the black community as part of the Haringey Peace Alliance, a group involving church ministers, police, probation officers and former offenders which is attempting to reach out to young people.

Silcott said he had "no problem" working with the police and added: "There are good and bad people in the police as in any other walk of life."