PENGE: Tributes paid to hanged prisoner (From News Shopper)
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PENGE: Tributes paid to hanged prisoner
3:20pm Monday 9th February 2009 in
FRIENDS of a prisoner who was found hanged in his cell just days after his sentence was said to have been cut by a third have paid tribute to him.
Tom Collister, of Stembridge Road, Penge, was found hanging in his cell at HMP Camp Hill in Newport on the Isle of Wight just before 7.30am on Saturday morning (February 7).
He had belonged to a gang of graffiti artists which carried out a two-year campaign of vandalism on trains and stations around south London.
The 23-year-old glazier was linked to the tags SKEAMS, SKEAMZ, SKEAM and FDC.
He was given a 30-month sentence at Southwark Crown Court last October after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit criminal damage.
But it is believed the length of time he would have to serve was slashed by 10 months at a hearing on February 3.
It is thought he may even have been eligible to be electronically tagged and released on licence next month.
This has not been confirmed by the authorities but posting on a group’s ‘wall’ on a social networking site his brother Luke says: “toms sentence got reduced from 30 months month down to 20 months so he shud be out next month 3. my bruva.”
Speaking to the News Shopper one of his friends, who did not want to be named, said: “He had made some mistakes in his life and he had been punished for them.
“Yes he did a bit of graffiti but he was a guy that would help an old lady across the road or give up his seat on the bus.”
The 21-year-old added: “He was helpful and respectful and he had a lot of friends in the local area.
“Everyone has been in tears and cannot understand why it happened.”
Another friend, who also did not want to be named, told the News Shopper she has been re-reading the letters Tom sent her from prison to try and find some answers.
She said: “I keep reading them over and over and he was his normal self and he cracks a joke and I just don’t understand it at all.
“There is no reason to suggest he is not happy or going to harm himself.”
The 23-year-old added: “He did not deserve the 30 months for painting a few trains and I do not think anyone thought he deserved it.
“Community service to clean up the mess that he made would have been a better option than putting him in prison.
“Then he would have paid back to the community.”
A Prison Service spokesman said: "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Mr Collister."
His death will be investigated by the prisons and probation ombudsman.
Comments(53)
ABCXYZ123
says...
9:06am Mon 9 Feb 09
angel49
says...
10:43am Mon 9 Feb 09
angel49
says...
10:58am Mon 9 Feb 09
It's Me again !
says...
10:59am Mon 9 Feb 09
Can't believe he was given 30mths for this crime, seems totally over the top especially when such low sentences are handed out for worse things
ABCXYZ123
says...
11:22am Mon 9 Feb 09
When a man receives a sentence of six years for rape and mutilation by acid of a woman with learning difficulties as was recently in the news, one must ask the question of what is happening to our justice system.
Lee18
says...
11:31am Mon 9 Feb 09
oldhat
says...
11:41am Mon 9 Feb 09
ciara
says...
11:52am Mon 9 Feb 09
another mother
says...
12:21pm Mon 9 Feb 09
Bishop Jonathan Blake
says...
12:21pm Mon 9 Feb 09
Look at www.whennooneswatchi
ng.org
I am so sorry for Tom, his family and friends, that our 'civilised' society has failed them so abysmally.
andy106
says...
1:02pm Mon 9 Feb 09
MB
says...
3:46pm Mon 9 Feb 09
ilovedarrenaustin
says...
4:17pm Mon 9 Feb 09
Were all finking of your family..
xxx
concernedfriend
says...
4:23pm Mon 9 Feb 09
That is why it is so hard to believe that this has happened! He made no indication to anyone that he was un-happy in any way! We just want to understand the truth behind it all!!!
Love you Tom. Rest In Peace xxx
pmarker
says...
4:44pm Mon 9 Feb 09
He was a bully at school, and caused over £60,000 worth of damage to transport, which WE the tax payers have to pay! (those of us with jobs- unliek a lot of you)
So, Yeah- it is sad he doed, but he DESERVED to be in prison!
Community service wouldnt have done anything to him!
concernedfriend
says...
4:59pm Mon 9 Feb 09
Tom is not a saint no, but then again no one is! But he was a good friend to us all, and he was in prison for something that happened 2yrs ago... April 2007! Tom was a reformed character and anyone that has been lucky enough to have met/known him over the last few years would know that!
I am sure that a lot of people would agree with me too!
Gooner1976
says...
5:06pm Mon 9 Feb 09
30 months just goes to show the police and court system have gone power mad and have let the authority go straight to they're heads.
The punishment should reflect the crime not the ego of the police/ judge/.
Gooner1976
says...
5:09pm Mon 9 Feb 09
RIPSKEAM
says...
5:15pm Mon 9 Feb 09
pmarker, says...
4:44pm Mon 9 Feb 09
I am not saying he deserved to die, but you guys are making out he was a saint!
He was a bully at school, and caused over £60,000 worth of damage to transport, which WE the tax payers have to pay! (those of us with jobs- unliek a lot of you)
So, Yeah- it is sad he doed, but he DESERVED to be in prison!
Community service wouldnt have done anything to him
Who do you think you are when friends and family are trying to mourn the loss of a young man who did not deserve to be out in prison for "graffiti" it obviously didn't do him any good by him being in prison did it? and community service would of obviously had a different outcome because tom would still be with us.
if you have not got anything nice to say please dont comment
ABCXYZ123
says...
5:16pm Mon 9 Feb 09
The justice system seems to be a lottery these days. Tom broke the law and, dare I say it, was quite rightly given a custodial sentence but one which seems out of proportion when once considers the punishments handed out to murderers, rapists, armed robbers and the like.
If Tom had not tragically died I expect he would not have served the entirety of his sentence and would have been released on parole but I think it is outrageous that the more vicious, perverted and downright evil members of our society are given, in comparison, such lenient sentences.
Like the old saying goes, 'If you can't do the time, don't do the time'. Fair enough, but make sure the time fits the crime.
pmarker
says...
5:19pm Mon 9 Feb 09
HE should not have done the crime, cos he clearly couldnt handle the time!?
ABCXYZ123
says...
5:20pm Mon 9 Feb 09
concernedfriend
says...
5:22pm Mon 9 Feb 09
pmarker wrote:Why dont you keep YOUR opinion to YOURSELF then, because you are upsetting a lot of people!!!!!!!!
I can have an opinion and I DO! HE should not have done the crime, cos he clearly couldnt handle the time!?
ABCXYZ123
says...
5:23pm Mon 9 Feb 09
pmarker
says...
5:29pm Mon 9 Feb 09
No? funny that....
"causing an estimated £50,000 of damage to trains and chaos to services in the South East......
They had earlier pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit criminal damage.
The court was told the group caused chaos to the rail network for two years because carriages were covered in so much paint they had to be withdrawn from service to be repaired.
"
ABCXYZ123
says...
5:32pm Mon 9 Feb 09
Tell me, what sentence would you give a murderer, child molestor or rapist?
RIPSKEAM
says...
5:32pm Mon 9 Feb 09
ABCXYZ123
says...
5:41pm Mon 9 Feb 09
bobbito
says...
5:43pm Mon 9 Feb 09
he supposedly he and the group caused 60 grands worth of damage, even if thats true, and its a disputed figure which was only issued for insurances sake..i.e its grossly over the top. that is still only 15 grand each, so you think he deserved 30 months for 15 grand?
once youve answered then think if the cost of 40 grand a year would also be wort it.
obviously the sentence was stupid, obviously graffiti writers shouldnt go to jail, community sentencing has been proven to work better and to cost less.
anyway cheers to pmarker to bringing it off topic.
back on topic, rest in peace skeam,
gone but not forgotten
ABCXYZ123
says...
5:50pm Mon 9 Feb 09
big_amzz
says...
6:53pm Mon 9 Feb 09
big_amzz
says...
7:03pm Mon 9 Feb 09
melissa67
says...
7:29pm Mon 9 Feb 09
Excalibur
says...
8:24pm Mon 9 Feb 09
Let me first state I did not know this young man.
For what it's worth, I believe that the sentence that he was given for graffiti offences was way off the mark. OK, he's damaged property - it can be repaired. Give him a community order and get him to scrub away the damage he's done. There are far, far greater problems in this country at the moment.
People carrying & using knives and guns, sex offenders, burglars, robbers - all commit crimes far worse than this poor kid ever did and yet all of them consistently get pathetic sentences handed down by the judiciary. And promptly come out and get back to their old tricks.
Our judiciary really needs a radical overhaul.
Michaels
says...
9:12pm Mon 9 Feb 09
The sentence in this case was, in my opinion, totally disproportionate and vindictive and if our Justice System expects it to be a deterrent to the young then more of what has happened here will happen again. Often such offences are committed at a young and perhaps immature age. Offenders can be subjected to untold months of investigation, hassle and restriction. Families are subjected to invasive searches and disruption whilst supposed costs of damage are dreamt up for the benefit of prosecution and publicity. Finally, sentencing of the like of that we have witnessed here is handed down and we commit our young to prisons far from home and to the vagaries of the administration of the incarcerated. By this time the offender has further matured has often denounced his offending and we do it in the expectation that it will be a deterrent to a following younger generation, what hope!
This Government has to develop a Social Policy that will allow for Community sentencing for non-violent offences and allow our courts to put them into effect. Only then will reoffending levels and worse be reduced.
StopTheSpin
says...
9:25pm Mon 9 Feb 09
er.co.uk/search/4428
55.Terror_Tom_s_two_
year_ban/
Terror Tom's two-year ban
10:02am Wednesday 17th December 2003
By Richard Simcox
A TEENAGER who plagued residents, traders and rail staff has been slapped with a wide-ranging ban order.
As ringleader of half-a-dozen yobs, officials hope curbing 18-year-old Tom Collister's actions will help cut crime in Beckenham.
Police, council officers and former rail operator Connex took evidence of verbal and physical abuse, criminal damage and graffiti to magistrates, who granted a two-year anti-social behaviour order (Asbo) last week.
Anti-social behaviour co-ordinator for Bromley Council Andrew Favell said: "He seems to have been a mini crimewave. He considered himself untouchable and carried on without any concern for those affected.
"For some this kind of behaviour is like a sport. He was like a centre of gravity for people who are bored or want to fit in.
"You often find by taking out the ringleader others fall away.
"We're obviously delighted but no more than the people who suffered from his behaviour."
Collister, of Stembridge Road, Penge, is banned from Sainsbury's supermarket and Morley's takeaway, in Beckenham, and must not "assault, threaten or harass members of staff of any store in Beckenham Road".
He has been given similar orders not to threaten staff at Clockhouse, Kent House, Eden Park, Beckenham Junction and Elmers End stations.
Other terms ban him from being abusive, racist or homophobic, intentionally damaging property, carrying spray cans or throwing missiles.
The teenage terror must not hang around causing trouble with his cronies, who are all subject to lesser acceptable behaviour contracts, or be out between midnight and 6am without a parent or guardian.
Breaching these conditions could land him five years in jail.
Borough commander Chief Superintendent David Dillnutt pledged to bring Collister to justice "if he steps out of line".
Chief Supt Dillnutt added: "We want all residents, especially those in Beckenham and Penge, to be reassured this young man is now subject to some very restrictive conditions."
Chairman of Bromley's Community Safety Partnership Councillor Tim Stevens said the borough's anti-social behaviour team had recently been strengthened "so it can continue its excellent work".
Cllr Stevens, also the council's executive member for community safety, added: "Such anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated in Bromley.
"Residents can rest assured all partners are united in tackling this modern scourge."
Collister is the sixth person to be given an Asbo since November 2001.
There are 107 acceptable behaviour contracts in place.
and
Asbos for youths who terrorised public
10:59am Tuesday 23rd November 2004
By Bede MacGowan »
TWO teenage tearaways have been handed anti-social behaviour orders (Asbos) in a bid to tackle the antics of a notorious street gang.
Lea Taylor, aged 16, and another 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were given the orders by Bromley magistrates last week.
The two Bromley youths were members of a gang operating across the borough, thought to be led by 19-year-old Tom Collister, of Stembridge Road, Penge, who was placed under an Asbo in December last year.
Taylor and his accomplice are banned from meeting with each other or any other named member of their gang in public.
The pair must not use homophobic behaviour, use abusive or threatening words or behaviour, or carry an offensive weapon.
They are banned from buying or drinking alcohol or being drunk in public and must not cause or attempt to cause criminal damage to property, buildings or possessions.
Funny what crops up when you type names in search engines.
concernedfriend
says...
9:44pm Mon 9 Feb 09
It's Me again !
says...
10:07pm Mon 9 Feb 09
So not just a case of a few drawing on property!
He was a little crime wave.
I still stand by what i said about the sentence being too high for this crime but it looks like he got away with so many other things before this!!!
Michaels
says...
10:20pm Mon 9 Feb 09
Do a Search, find the worst, lock em up and throw away the key, unless it's one of your own of course.
How about some real Restorative Juctice programmes and change the way we actually treat our young offenders for the better. This will achieve a real reduction in reoffending levels and save the reason for this article.
Mabel
says...
10:58pm Mon 9 Feb 09
Michaels wrote:What, in your opinion, would have had an effect on this young man and helped him to stop his repeat offending before things went so tragically wrong?
You illustrate just the point I was making, StopTheSpin, TellThemTheTruth. Do a Search, find the worst, lock em up and throw away the key, unless it's one of your own of course. How about some real Restorative Juctice programmes and change the way we actually treat our young offenders for the better. This will achieve a real reduction in reoffending levels and save the reason for this article.
Gooner1976
says...
11:48pm Mon 9 Feb 09
somebodystolemyusername
says...
8:32am Tue 10 Feb 09
I'm not saying that he should have died but I do think that this guy is the result of not enough dicipline either in schools or in homes. We can expect to see more of this type of thuggish behaviour. Kids need to be made aware if their behaviour is unacceptable to society. It looks to me that he was given the chance to reform when he was handed the ASBO, but failed to take that chance.
Helen467
says...
9:37am Tue 10 Feb 09
friends and family are mourning... yes you are entitled to your opinion, but there is a time and a place... and this is not the time and not the place. so discuss your opinions in your own home if need be and stop upsetting people unnecessary!!!
rip tom... hope your in a happier place xxx
Bishop Jonathan Blake
says...
9:53am Tue 10 Feb 09
What the justice system in this country fails to do is to help a person discover what it is within them that leads them to be involved in anti-social actions.
Worse, the statistics show that it mangles them further, trains them in more hardened criminal practices and leads them to re-offend, that is, if they survive.
Comments above are harshly stating that Tom deserved his punishment. However, who is punished for the degrading and dehumanising manner in which prisoners are kept. Who is punished for the bullying and intimidating rituals that are the scourge of the prison service. Who is punished for the thousands who have died, like Tom, in custody. The answer. No-one.
So where is the justice in that? Tom's crimes pale into insignificance when compared with this institutional murder.
Those who are throwing stones in this column would do better to examine how society could act properly to look after and rehabiliate offenders.
The reforms needed would surely incorporate a respect and a sensitivity towards the human person which is lacking offensively in the attacks on Tom above, at a time when his friends and loved ones should be given the space to mourn and pay their tributes.
It's Me again !
says...
10:36am Tue 10 Feb 09
So how are you saying prisoners should be kept ?
They get it easy in prison, what more should they get ?
Prison isnt a holiday camp, they are there is punish them
somebodystolemyusername
says...
11:17am Tue 10 Feb 09
"What the justice system in this country fails to do is to help a person discover what it is within them that leads them to be involved in anti-social actions."
Sorry, shouldn't the family of the offender be responsible for this. I don't act anti-socially because I was taught not to from an early age. I know that some kids will go off the rails regardless of their upbringing but this young man was exactly that...a young man. He was not a child and if he could not see what he was doing was wrong then I guess he did need to be punished. It is very sad that his punishment resulted in him taking his own life but he made choices in his short life that led to him being in a prison.
davespurs
says...
2:30pm Tue 10 Feb 09
what a sad person dave999 seems to be along with the others that know nothing about the man they read about in a local paper.
at a time like this your pathetic jibes are not at all welcome.
R.I.P. TOM COLLISTER.
tabtiha
says...
2:38pm Tue 10 Feb 09
GONE BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN
for the good times not the bad!
who cares what is done in the past people come on here to hate even in this situation people that no nothing.
I just hope your at peace now mate. xx
TAB
Noizi2
says...
7:22pm Thu 12 Feb 09
http://www.facebook.
com/event.php?eid=49
514852252&ref=nf
porkpie
says...
11:48am Fri 13 Feb 09
Noizi2 wrote:I use to work there....... It's shut on Saturdays. In fact it's the law lords you should protest to. The RCJ can't do anything about it.
RIP SKEAM. protest to END CUSTODIAL SENTENCING FOR NON-VIOLENT GRAFFITI OFFENCES Saturday 14th Feb - 12 ROYAL COURTS OF JUSTICE LONDON. See details here and spread the word http://www.facebook. com/event.php?eid=49 514852252&ref=nf
concernedfriend
says...
4:38pm Fri 13 Feb 09
He did not do this on purpose, he just wanted to be closer to his family and friends after being moved so far away! Which we all completely understand.
It is just a tragic accident that unfortunately happened and a lot of people are still mourning for him, and missing him so much!
I am not even going to stoop to your level by telling you what I think of you, because I have learnt by looking at this site that there are alot of people out there with sick and twisted minds! But you know what, no one cares what you think! We just feel sorry for you because you have nothing better to do with your life!
Rest in peace again Tom, you are still missed by us all
Love you xxx
Puff Daddy
says...
3:25pm Sat 14 Feb 09
Bishop Jonathan Blake wrote:Blake the fake, who cares what you think. You are a FAKE, go jump off your roof idiot.
Nothing that has been written above about Tom Collister warrants his death. What people overlook is that when they smugly point the finger at another four fingers point back at them. What the justice system in this country fails to do is to help a person discover what it is within them that leads them to be involved in anti-social actions. Worse, the statistics show that it mangles them further, trains them in more hardened criminal practices and leads them to re-offend, that is, if they survive. Comments above are harshly stating that Tom deserved his punishment. However, who is punished for the degrading and dehumanising manner in which prisoners are kept. Who is punished for the bullying and intimidating rituals that are the scourge of the prison service. Who is punished for the thousands who have died, like Tom, in custody. The answer. No-one. So where is the justice in that? Tom's crimes pale into insignificance when compared with this institutional murder. Those who are throwing stones in this column would do better to examine how society could act properly to look after and rehabiliate offenders. The reforms needed would surely incorporate a respect and a sensitivity towards the human person which is lacking offensively in the attacks on Tom above, at a time when his friends and loved ones should be given the space to mourn and pay their tributes.
KeatsandYates
says...
9:55am Thu 19 Feb 09
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Tom Collister was found hanging in his cell yesterday morning
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