Murderpedia has thousands of hours of work behind it. To keep creating
new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help
the Murderpedia project stay alive. We have many
plans and enthusiasm
to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really
need your help for this. Thank you very much in advance.
Joel
Carl SMITH
A.K.A.: "Cocaine"
Classification: Murderer
Characteristics:Drug
dealer
Number of victims:2
Date of murders: September 13,
2003
Date of birth:1973
Victims profile:Bertram Byfield,
41 (rival drug dealer)
and
Toni-Ann Byfield, 7
Method of murder: Shooting
Location: Kensal Green, London, England, United Kingdom
Status: Sentenced to life in prison (minimum 40 years)
on August 4, 2006
,
born 1973, is a drug dealer and convicted murderer.
On 4 August 2006 he was convicted of
murdering seven-year-old Toni-Ann Byfield and the man
who was thought to be her father, Bertram Byfield, at a
bedsit in Kensal Green, London, in September 2003.
Toni-Ann was shot in the back by
Smith after he had shot Bertram Byfield, a rival drug
dealer, so that she could not identify Mr. Byfield's
killer.
Smith believed that he had committed
a perfect crime, leaving no DNA or forensic evidence at
the scene. There was also no CCTV in the area.
Neighbours had heard four shots
followed by silence.
Following the murders Smith, who was
known as Cocaine or Caine, fled London to Liverpool.
While serving a prison sentence here he was turned in by
former friends and acquaintances who had been appalled
by the murder.
Bertram Byfield
Bertram Byfield had believed he was
Toni-Ann's father. However, post-mortem examinations
revealed he was not. He had been jailed in 1997 for
dealing in crack cocaine. Despite his criminal
background Toni-Ann, who was living under the care of
Birmingham Social Services, had been allowed to visit
him at his bedsit in an ex-offenders' hostel.
As well as serving time in prison Mr
Byfield, who was also known as Tony or Blacka, is
believed to have been affiliated to a Jamaican drugs
cartel. He had survived an attempt on his life in 2002
when he was shot six times. Bertram Byfield had believed
he was Toni-Ann's father. However, post-mortem
examinations revealed he was not.
Toni-Ann Byfield
Toni-Ann was staying with Bertram
Byfield when they were killed. At the time of her death,
she was in the care of Birmingham Social Services, who
had placed her in the care of a foster family. However,
when the family went on holiday, she was left with a
friend of Bertram's, and was allowed to stay in
Bertram's bedsit for the weekend.
Toni-Ann was seven years old at the time of her death.
She was born in Jamaica but raised in the United Kingdom for most of her
life. Her mother, Rosalyn Richards, did not emigrate to the UK with Toni-Ann
and Bertram, but arrived in the UK soon after the murders to make an
appeal to the public to assist in finding the killer. While she was in
the UK, she claimed asylum but her request was rejected and she is due
to be deported.
The murder provoked outrage around London and brought
criticism of Birmingham Social Services to the fore. The Department of
Social Services, when dealing with children, has a policy of taking the
wishes of the child into serious consideration, and holds the position
that placing the child with parents or other relatives is preferable to
a foster family. Toni-Ann, through her own admission, was very close to
Bertram and had expressed a desire to be with her "father". However,
criticism was made of Birmingham Social Services for failing to take
into account that Bertram had recently served a prison sentence for a
drug offence and was believed to still be involved in the drug trade.
The murder forced the police, media and consequently
public to take a more focused stand on gun crime, which has become an
important issue since. This case, together with a number of others
including that of Victoria Climbié, also raised questions about the
failings and limitations of Social Services departments
Wikipedia.org
Toni-Ann Byfield
On September 13,
2003, Toni-Ann Byfield was shot
along with Bertram Byfield at his flat
on Harrow Road, Kensal Green near
Harlesden in northwest London.
Toni-Ann was staying
with Bertram Byfield when an armed
assailant killed them both. It is
believed that the motive behind the
murders was related to a debt from a
drug deal on Bertram's part. Bertram
held a previous conviction for a drug
offence for which he had recently served
nine years in prison. Toni-Ann was
believed to have been killed with one
shot in the back due to her capacity as
a potential witness.
Information about the
murders was slow to come, as it was
believed that many people were afraid to
submit evidence for fear of retribution.
£25,000 was offered as a reward by the
police for anyone who could offer
evidence leading to the arrest and
prosecution of the killer.
As a result, 32-year-old
Joel Carl Smith was arrested on
suspicion of the crime. Smith, a rival
drug dealer and father-of-five, was
convicted of both murders in August
2006, and given two life sentences.
Toni-Ann was, at the
time of her death, in the care of
Birmingham Social Services, who had
placed her in the care of a foster
family. However, when the family went on
holiday, she was left with a friend of
Bertram's, and was allowed to stay in
Bertram's bedsit for the weekend. Before
the shootings it was believed that
Bertram was the father of Toni-Ann,
which was later shown by DNA tests to be
untrue.
Toni-Ann was seven
years of age at the time of her death.
She was born in Jamaica but raised in
the United Kingdom from an early age.
Her mother, Rosalyn Richards, did not
emigrate to the UK with Toni-Ann and
Bertram, but arrived in the UK soon
after the murders to make an appeal to
the public to assist in finding the
killer. While she was in the UK, she
claimed asylum but her request was
rejected and she is due to be deported.
The murder provoked
outrage around London and brought
criticism of Birmingham Social Services
to the fore. The Department of Social
Services, when dealing with children,
holds a policy of taking the wishes of
the child into serious consideration,
and holds the position that placing the
child with parents or other relatives is
preferable to a foster family.
Toni-Ann, through her
own admission, was very close to Bertram
and had expressed a desire to be with
her "father". However, criticism was
made of Birmingham Social Services for
failing to take into account that
Bertram had recently served a prison
sentence for a drug offence and was
believed to still be involved in the
drug trade.
It forced the police,
media and consequently public to take a
more focussed stand on gun crime, and it
has become an important issue since.
This case, together with a number of
others including that of Victoria
Climbié, also raised questions about the
failings and limitations of Social
Services depatments.
Life sentence for Toni-Ann killer
BBC News
Friday, 4 August 2006
A man has been told he will spend at least 40
years in prison after murdering schoolgirl Toni-Ann Byfield and a man
she regarded as her father.
Joel Smith shot the seven-year-old and drug dealer
Bertram Byfield at a bedsit in Kensal Green, London, in 2003.
Toni-Ann, who was under the care of Birmingham Social
Services, was hit in the back after she saw Mr Byfield, 41, shot by
rival drug dealer Smith, 33.
Her mother Roselyn Richards condemned the "callous
and cold-blooded killing".
Mr Justice Gross told Smith: "However grimly
accustomed one becomes to violent crime there is a particular horror in
the shooting in the back at close range of a seven-year-old girl - that
is the hallmark of this case.
"Drugs and firearms combine to make an evil mixture."
In a statement read by her solicitor Andre Clovis, Ms
Richards said Toni-Ann had "such a bright future".
"Her love for life could not be dampened until she
crossed paths with Joel Smith," Mr Clovis said. "A man who could shoot a
seven-year-old girl in the back does not deserve to rejoin society."
Ms Richards' statement added: "Having heard the
evidence I believe Joel Smith did not act alone. I hope police inquiries
will continue, to arrest, prosecute and convict others involved in this
terrible crime."
The court had heard Smith, of no fixed address,
believed he had committed the perfect crime, leaving no witnesses or
clues.
He did not leave any DNA or forensic evidence and
there was no CCTV in the area.
The prosecution said on the night of the murders,
neighbours had heard four shots followed by silence.
Smith, who was known as Cocaine or Caine, fled London
for Liverpool following the shootings in September 2003.
But he was tracked down two years later while serving
a prison sentence in Liverpool after former friends and acquaintances,
appalled by the death of the child, turned on him.
In court, Smith denied the murders, saying another
man had admitted being the killer to him.
Bertram Byfield thought he was Toni-Ann's father, but
post-mortem examinations later revealed he was not, the court heard.
The schoolgirl had been allowed to visit Mr Byfield
despite his criminal past, which had seen him jailed for dealing in
crack cocaine in 1997.
She was visiting Mr Byfield in his bedsit in an ex-offenders'
hostel on the day the pair were killed. Birmingham Social Services was
subsequently criticised for its care of Toni-Ann.
"We've made really significant changes to address all
the recommendations of an independent review," Peter Hay, Birmingham
City Council's strategic director of social care, said on Friday.
"At the end of the day however, I can't guarantee
that armed gunmen won't walk into a room and shoot people. And at the
end of the day, that's what lies at the heart of this case."
Smith was jailed for life for both murders, with a
recommendation he serve a minimum of 40 years for the killing of Toni-Ann
and 33 years for the murder of Mr Byfield.
Outside court, Det Supt Neil Basu, of the
Metropolitan Police, said: "Toni-Ann was a complete innocent who was
executed in cold blood - shot dead with a single bullet to the back and
she cannot have known what for.
"No-one won here today. Toni-Ann will never be eight
years old."
