Homicide of Darrim Daoud ?

[Astrid Fuchs]

Communications from John Allmann Information re: Darrim Daoud I received the following email yesterday from John Allmann in England. He and his organization had been fully aware of Darrim's death threats prior to the event itself and had made agreements with Darrim if this would happen. They are now looking into the matter with the local police and coroner. Here is his information and request to the community followed by his letter to the coroner's office: p> Darrim Daoud was the activist who organised the 14 October 2009 action in London about organised stalking and electronic harassment, the UK's part in the World Protest of that week. p> p> Darrim had received death threats. Beulah Baruch Ministries (http://BeulahBaruch.org.uk) therefore entered into a contract with Darrim on 4 October. He promised the charity that he would never commit suicide. In return, the charity promised him that if he was found killed violently "in the woods" (say), we would use our best endeavours to ensure that he wasn't (so-to-speak) "wrongly convicted of suicide", after his death. p> p> Darrim continued to receive death threats after the charity had made that contract with him. p> p> On 15 November, Darrim's body was found, with injuries consistent of his having been hit by a train, in woodland, next to a railway line, near the entrance to a tunnel. (His injuries were presumably equally consistent with his having been killed by a hit-and-run driver, and his body having been moved to where it was eventually found.) p> p> British Transport Police has issued a public statement, saying that Darrim's death is "non-suspicious". Beulah Baruch Ministries is in the process of instructing appropriate solicitors, to challenge this hasty British Transport Police conclusion, thus carrying out Darrim's express wishes, as the charity promised it would under the terms of its contract with Darrim. p> p> Amanda Palmer and John Allman wish to give evidence about Darrim's testimony to us before he died, of harassment and of death threats and about the contract we had with him, and to be legally represented at the coroner's court inquest, for the questions to be asked in cross-examination that Darrim wanted asking at his inquest, if the worse came to the worst. We are hoping to accomplish Darrim's intentions, that his memory and his family should be spared the disgrace of a suicide verdict, since suicide is something that Darrim regarded as a shameful. p> p> I would like, please, to hear from any targets who were in contact with Darrim during his final two months. p> p> Darrim was a talented activist, with leadership skills. He will be sadly missed. p> p> If you would prefer NOT to receive an appeal for your financial help towards legal fees if such an appeal becomes necessary, please opt OUT, by replying to that effect. p> p> Beulah Baruch Ministries is willing to consider entering into similar contracts with other activists who are threatened with violence. p> p> John Allman p> Trustee p> Beulah Baruch Ministries p> [e-mail] p> FleetCharityShop.com, p> 01252 617778 / 07901 502538 p> [e-mail] p> p> LETTER TO THE CORONER'S OFFICE: p> p> Darrim Daoud inquest - copy of letter to coroner giving notice that Beulah Baruch Ministries wishes be represented and to call witnesses p> p> http://www.BeulahBaruch.org.uk/DarrimCoroner.doc p> p> 3 December 2009 p> p> Coroner R J Stone Police Station Bolnore Haywards Heath West Sussex p> p> Dear Sir p> p> Darrim Daoud - deceased 15 November 2009 p> p> I am writing with the unanimous approval of the trustees of this Christian ministry. p> p> Accompanied by a colleague, I conducted a pastoral visit to Darrim Daoud's home at his request on 4 October 2009. I established that Darrim Daoud was the victim of harassment, and had been receiving death threats. This charity entered into an agreement with Mr Daoud. p> p> He promised us that he would never commit suicide. In return, we promised him that if, as he feared, the death threats appeared to have been carried out, in that his body was found in the open with signs of a violent death, then we would intervene in the police investigation and coroner's inquest, to carry out Mr Daoud's own wishes, that a true verdict of unlawful killing should be reached, not a false verdict of suicide. p> p> We remained in direct, personal touch with Mr Daoud during the period between our first meeting with him until just over a week before his death, when he emailed us about a group holiday he wanted our charity to plan with him in 2010. We also are aware that he published (inter alia) a video on the You Tube website the day before his death, about some of the harassment he was receiving at that time. The video and other postings made no mention of any intention of self-harm that others appear to be assuming. p> p> Now that the worst has happened, in execution of our part of the bargain that we made with Mr Daoud before his death, please take notice that this charity wishes to be legally represented at the inquest into Mr Daoud's death. We wish to call witnesses whose evidence is given under oath and tested under cross-examination, who had contact with Mr Daoud in the weeks and days immediately before his death. God willing, the witnesses called will include both myself and the colleague who accompanied me every time I met with Mr Daoud. My colleague is a fellow witness to the solemn promises that I made to Mr Daoud, on behalf of the charity, and to Mr Daoud's testimony as to the harassment and death threats he had been receiving. p> p> Mr Daoud's death follows his leadership of a political demonstration that I attended on 14 October, and prevents his leadership of a follow-up demonstration on the same issue that is planned for 10 December, Human Rights Day. The last death threat known to us was made on 14 October, when Mr Daoud was on the train home from the first demonstration he led, the only one he will now ever lead, as it now turns out. In the light of these facts, the decision of British Transport Police, that Mr Daoud's violent death, when aged only 34, is "non-suspicious", therefore strikes the trustees of this charity as ill-informed and mistaken. p> p> Yours faithfully, p> p> John Allman Trustee and member of the Spiritual Leadership, Beulah Baruch Ministries p>