Third plaque installed in four days for David Oluwale in Leeds
The second temporary memorial sign, on Leeds Bridge, has been snapped in two
Last updated 28th Apr 2022
A temporary plaque to commemorate David Oluwale has been removed.
The memorial sign, on Leeds Bridge, has been snapped in two, after the original was taken down on Monday evening just hours after it was unveiled.
David died in the River Aire in 1969.
The plaque read: "A British citizen, he came to Leeds from Nigeria in 1949 in search of a better life.
"Hounded to his death near Leeds Bridge, two policemen were imprisoned for their crimes."
West Yorkshire Police launched a hate crime investigation after it was removed.
Leeds Civic Trust have raised enough money for a replacement, but locals are calling for CCTV to be installed too so that also doesn't go missing.
Earlier this week Leeds District Commander, Chief Superintendent Damien Miller said: “It is truly appallingly that someone would remove the plaque commemorating the life of David Oluwale, and we recognise the significant impact that this act will have had on all those involved in keeping David’s memory alive and on the wider community.
“The timing clearly suggests that this has been a deliberately targeted act and we are classing this as a hate crime.
“We are treating this incident very seriously and have detectives from Leeds District CID carrying out extensive enquiries to identify who is responsible and to locate and recover the plaque.
“Leeds Bridge is in a busy area in the heart of the city centre and we would urge anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity or who has any information that could assist the investigation to contact us immediately.”