'Anti-bomb cops blew up my car' (From Oxford Mail)
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'Anti-bomb cops blew up my car'
7:30am Saturday 21st November 2009 in News By Amanda Williams
WHEN Headington man Michael Raphel parked his car in a London side street, the worse he feared was a parking ticket.
But when the businessman returned to his red Honda Civic Type R he found it had been blown up by anti-terrorist police.
Mr Raphel, 28, had made the mistake of abandoning his vehicle yards from Downing Street hours before a Remembrance Sunday Parade was due to start.
He had driven to London to catch a boat his friends had hired to celebrate their birthday on Saturday, November 7.
After dropping two passengers at Embankment, by the River Thames in central London, Mr Raphel pulled into what he had thought was a side street and left his car on double yellow lines.
Unfortunately, he had parked in an area of Westminster called Horse Guard Avenue, less than quarter of a mile from Number 10, and in the exact area a parade of ex-servicemen and women were due to march to mark the end of the First World War.
Last night, Mr Raphel said police who were surrounding his car when he returned at 2am told him he had been seen on CCTV running from the car.
They told him when they lost sight of him on camera, they carried out two controlled explosions in his vehicle because of the ‘sensitivity’ of the area.
He said: “They said I had parked in a sensitive area, just around the corner from Number 10 Downing Street, and close to the Ministry of Defence.
“They explained that because I was seen running from the car, and because of the parades the next day, it had heightened their suspicions. When I got back to the car, the driver and passenger windows had been blown out and the bonnet and boot had come open with the force.”
The Metropolitan Police said it was made aware of a suspicious vehicle in Horse Guard Avenue at about 10pm and carried out two controlled explosions.
A spokesman refused to answer any more questions.
Mr Raphel, who owns a men’s designer clothing store in Gloucester Green, said he would be seeking compensation from the police and an apology.
He said: “We have laughed about it a bit now but I’m bit gutted to be honest.
“I know in this day and age they have to be suspicious but I didn’t feel this was warranted. I wasn’t treated badly, but they could’ve been a bit more tactful. The car was registered to me, I’m sure there are ways they could have contacted me if they had really tried to.“ Mr Raphel is looking into an insurance claim for his car, which was worth £18,000.
A spokesman for insurance price comparison website confused.com said hypothetically if a driver parked in a prohibited place, and their vehicle was subsequently damaged by police, an insurance company would be well in their rights to contest any claim.
awilliams@oxfordmail.co.uk
Comments(60)
gel
says...
7:48am Sat 21 Nov 09
Parking in London is always fraught & expensive even when parked legally which clearly he wasn't.
Had it not occurred to him why his car was able to park so close to event and others weren't?
Saving a penny as he thought has cost him dear; free parking in Central London, where have you been?
Joe Cooke
says...
8:17am Sat 21 Nov 09
NeonBlue
says...
9:55am Sat 21 Nov 09
beenmcmonkey
says...
10:03am Sat 21 Nov 09
Lets hope the money he saves in parking tickets helps pay towards a copy of the highway code so the poor guy can finally learn what those confusing yellow lines are.
oval yellow
says...
10:15am Sat 21 Nov 09
So that's 6 comments so far - and not much sympathy. But a fair bit of chuckling..... :)
Headington-Heathcliff
says...
10:50am Sat 21 Nov 09
JK
says...
11:21am Sat 21 Nov 09
Yet another person who thinks laws etc don't apply to him - he parked on yellow lines so deserves everything he got - even disabled drivers with blue badges, who may park on double yellows, can be told to move if they constitute a danger of some sort.
Rather than claiming compensation he should be billed for the cost of the operation to "make-safe" his car.
Botanic Garden
says...
11:35am Sat 21 Nov 09
He broke the law and should accept that he is a prize plonker.
EB
says...
4:26pm Sat 21 Nov 09
Clunge army
says...
7:24pm Sat 21 Nov 09
deforge
says...
9:45pm Sat 21 Nov 09
cheers
Andrew:Oxford
says...
10:16pm Sat 21 Nov 09
deforge wrote:
my 1st reaction being dumbfounded by the daftness of a police department. then i read some of the comments here and people having more of a problem with the guy 'parking on double yellow lines' than with police using explosives to move the car, and i realized; you cretins deserve your nanny government.
cheers
Terrorism didn't start when the twin-towers were hit. Terrorism in the UK (much of which was said to be funded by US citizens) has gone on for decades. Most reasonably educated people in England would be aware that parking adjacent to Government buildings in London then running away from the car would be slightly suspicious. As an experiment, perhaps you'd like to park your car in a restricted area outside a government building in Washington then run away from it. Let us know what happens.
oval yellow
says...
10:25pm Sat 21 Nov 09
tanchris
says...
4:38am Sun 22 Nov 09
deforge wrote:FOOL !!!!
my 1st reaction being dumbfounded by the daftness of a police department. then i read some of the comments here and people having more of a problem with the guy 'parking on double yellow lines' than with police using explosives to move the car, and i realized; you cretins deserve your nanny government. cheers
LadyPenelope
says...
3:40pm Sun 22 Nov 09
If they are going to replace his car (which is NOT worth £18k - it would have lost £6k from just driving it out the car park when he no doubt bought it new), then they should also charge him for the cost of the explosives and their wasted time.
leenie
says...
8:51pm Sun 22 Nov 09
JK
says...
10:54pm Sun 22 Nov 09
oval yellow
says...
11:25pm Sun 22 Nov 09
mandate
says...
11:50pm Sun 22 Nov 09
Mr. Raphael was parked in the wrong place, in a restricted area. The police in the interest of public safety, blew up his car. This is Britain today.
If I saw a person running away from a wrongly parked car, in a restricted area near a government building only hours before an emotional remembrance service, and that car appeared to be abandoned, maybe I would have taken no chances, just as the police did'nt.
If you feel that Mr. raphael was a victim of discrimination. How would the Pakistani police have dealt with the same situation in Pakistan today? Or anywhere else for that matter?
mandate
says...
12:16am Mon 23 Nov 09
Surely, you are the one who is stereotyping a specific group of people. In this case, the people who have commented this article in the Oxford Mail.
Free speech is a good thing. Abusive language is'nt.
Fruit_Bat
says...
8:24am Mon 23 Nov 09
Billy Windsor II
says...
8:37am Mon 23 Nov 09
Fruit_Bat wrote:OMG, you clearly are a complete idiot.
OMG, you british people are really strange sometimes. Cant believe, they have got you so far already, that you wont mind your cars getting blown up! Cheers, thats frightening allright! They could've towed it, contacted the owner (what the heck do you have those databases for then?) and clear that situation without any further problems. But no! They had to blow it up & you applaud. Sick.
Britain has on more than one occasion been the victim of car bombs, most recently the nail bomb in a car in LONDON.... Normal, sensible, intelligent even, people are fully aware that you DO NOT drive to the centre of the capital within a few hundred metres of the Prime Minister's house and illegally park your car and be videoed running away from it and come back expecting it t be in one peice. For once i applaud the Police in doing what they did, personally I would have used more explosive and then posted the peices back to him.
As for the poster who thinks all streets look the same you have clearly never been to that part of London because it is blatantly obvious you are surrounded by government offices and embassies.
Most countries now will react in the same way to avoid more car bombs and deaths. just as they do at airports if you leave your bags unattended.... BOOM !!!!
LadyPenelope
says...
10:13am Mon 23 Nov 09
And no, I have never in my life parked on a double yellow line. They mean no parking and are there for a reason.
He already stated he was in a hurry, so this is probably why he didn't check that he shouldn't park there, and thus they had to blow the car up.
goblin
says...
10:43am Mon 23 Nov 09
Budowaah
says...
1:01pm Mon 23 Nov 09
I would have sacrificed MY LIFE in order to defuse what obviously looked very much like a car bomb.
I would have done this in order to protect my government and serve the good, hard working, proud British people who had amassed in order to pay their respects on a day dedicated to all the others who have already made the biggest sacrifice.
Some people don't give a toss and instead do stupid things whilst rushing to get to a fancy party.
Good job this country and it's public are starting to toughen up on this kind of rubbish. Let's grow some balls, tell him to pay for the damage himself, then give him a £30 fine on top.
And as for the left wing lentil weavers who disagree, I suggest they conduct some research on world combat since 1900. Perhaps then they'll also realise just how lucky they are to live in the western world today.
And to that American fool, go eat a pie or something.
wallingford1
says...
2:47pm Mon 23 Nov 09
Probably why none of the officials are commenting.
ox123
says...
4:26pm Mon 23 Nov 09
some of the comments on this article do make me laugh! there are no signs stating your car will be blown up, maybe they should start doing that from now on??
would be intresting if a white male had been spoted on cctv parkin in the same spot n running from his car....maybe a clamp or a ticket would of been his punishment
oval yellow
says...
8:01pm Mon 23 Nov 09
oxchris
says...
8:14pm Mon 23 Nov 09
Glad I'm not alone in thinking this bloke was an idiot for illegally parking in central London! Doh!
Bogota Bob
says...
8:48pm Mon 23 Nov 09
ox123 wrote:I think you'll find they will. During the height of their campaign from 1969 to 1980 the IRA detonated countless bombs in major cities in England including London causing untold damage and killing many innocent people. Think of the Docklands Lorry Bomb, the Warrington bomb and many others.
where in the highway code does it state that if you park on double yellow line your car will be blown up???????? some of the comments on this article do make me laugh! there are no signs stating your car will be blown up, maybe they should start doing that from now on?? would be intresting if a white male had been spoted on cctv parkin in the same spot n running from his car....maybe a clamp or a ticket would of been his punishment
The "Real" IRA are still pursuing a campaign against the occupation of Northern Ireland.
This is a highly sensitive area of central London, has been targetted before and is clearly managed by police to prevent terrorist attacks against the state.
If Mr Raphel doesnt realise that from looking around then more fool him!
Bogota Bob
says...
8:50pm Mon 23 Nov 09
wallingford1 wrote:Yes the best way to deal with a vehicle abandonded in a sensitive area is to issue it with a fine. If the car doesnt blow up whilst the traffic warden issues a ticket, then its ok.
Actually, most streets in London are free parking after 7pm and all day Sunday. Unless there were signs up saying that there was no parking, the police are at fault not Mr Raphel. Probably why none of the officials are commenting.
durrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
, I fell out the stupid tree and landed on my head
Oxford_Banbury
says...
9:30pm Mon 23 Nov 09
Michael Raphel
says...
10:58pm Mon 23 Nov 09
Oxford_Banbury wrote:Thank you :)
It does say he "pulled into what he had THOUGHT was a side street" He DIDN'T know it was a sensitivity area. Does everyone thnk when they have parked their car somewhere " If I park here, is it near a goverment building?, Is it going to get blown up??" Besides, its clearly obvious he WASN'T from London, it says he was from Oxford. Who's to say that every person/driver into London should know where the government buildings are and where not to park. He stated he didn't know he parked in a sensitive area so from that, how was he to know being a traveller from Oxford? Its not common sense or something we as people should know. You all are slaggin' him off for parking on a double yellow line in front of government buildings and gettin his car blown up but if Mr Raphel was genuinely not made aware or if there were no clear signs that government buildings were nearby then Mr Raphel has a fair argument. Apart from parking on double yellow lines which obvious from the picture he is definately guilty of. I myself, after reading this article am shocked that this could happen and appalled that this is how our country has become. But say if I were to travel to Scotland for example, am I expected to know where the government buildings are and know where I should and shouldn't park. Thats is ridiculous!!! If there were no clear signs anywhere which I assumed happened unless he was plain ignorant and stupid to leave his vehicle, then by all means seek compensation and an apology! Having travelled to London on many occasions I have not seen signs where not to park AND the consequences if an unattended vehicle is left. It IS NOT common sense nor made law.
CanaryWharfCityBoy
says...
2:52am Tue 24 Nov 09
Night life Oxford
says...
2:52am Tue 24 Nov 09
Petr mcvey
says...
6:41am Tue 24 Nov 09
wallingford1
says...
9:16am Tue 24 Nov 09
oval yellow wrote:oval yellow......double RED lines mean no parking or stopping at any time.....double yellows are often OK for parking at off peak times...single yellows after 6pm.....nearby signs will tell you what's what. EVERYWHERE in London gets deemed a 'sensitive' area at some point or another, it's getting ridiculous and what they did was out of order. Someone running away from a car does not a terrorist make.
Erm...in terms of being able to park at certain times that would be a single yellow line. Double yellow lines mean no parking at any time. And as you can see from the photo accompanying this article it's pretty blatant. As for suggesting they tow a suspicious car away what a frankly ludicrious idea. And for all the numpties not appreciating the reasons behind this incident just have a look at a street map - the photo accompanying the story - and a little think about the potential and real threat of car bombs that our country faces. In fact as recently as Saturday a 400lb one was detonated outside a polic station in N Ireland.
cweb
says...
1:03pm Tue 24 Nov 09
Double reds indicate the same on a red route - the difference being you get towed more quickly as they are designed to keep the buses and traffic flowing.
If you're parking on double yellows in London, you'd at least expect you car to be ticketed and towed. Given that he parked round the corner from Downing Street and the Houses of Parliament (on Remembrance Weekend!) means you kinda get what happened.
For those suggesting that it shouldn't have happened like it did, I'd like to know what your comments would have been if they hadn't performed controlled explosions and we had another Enniskillen because there was a bomb in the car?
STBO
says...
1:43pm Tue 24 Nov 09
Michael Raphel
says...
1:45pm Tue 24 Nov 09
Michael
Billy Windsor II
says...
8:21pm Tue 24 Nov 09
So the Oxford Mail mis-quoted you then ??
sparky123456
says...
9:34pm Tue 24 Nov 09
FrankieMag
says...
9:36pm Tue 24 Nov 09
Secondly: although that's what rules are there for, how many people do you know that have NOT parked on double yellow lines when in a rush/panic. How many people who don't live in London even know where the remembrance takes place?
Thirdly: Have you really read all of the above and not wondered if the situation would have been the same if this was a white man seen running from the car?
Fourthly: Quite clearly a mistake this man will never make again, but the penalty of £18,000??? What does this teach us about the law? The penalty would have been massively smaller if he'd have committed a crime that put the public in ACTUAL danger.
Lastly: If the police have an explosive that can de-activate a supposed bomb, then surely they have the technology to detect that supposed bomb in the first place. Why did they use mere hunch to incite their actions? Lets hope actual terrorists are equal in stupidity or there's no way our police service will outwit them.
...Oh and since when did terrorists fork out £18k for a car to blow up? Given that Mr Raphel owns a designer mens wear store and was on his way to a party, I think it's a given he was wearing designer clothing too...Very suspicious! (it's a shame there's not a font to indicate sarcasm)
Fringe
says...
8:31am Wed 25 Nov 09
The man behaved like an idiot, and its got nothing to do with his skin colour.
goblin
says...
9:03am Wed 25 Nov 09
!!!
Angeline
says...
11:05am Wed 25 Nov 09
The spin that has been put on this artical does not convey the reality at all.
I'm afraid that Michael has been misquoted as at no point has he been looking to claim compensation or seek an apology. He was asked if he had received an apology from the police to which he answered 'no' and no more was said on the matter.
Michael's first words on the subject the following day were that he understands why the police did what they did, and that he made a big mistake. He took the blame entirely.
On that Saturday Micheal had made arrangements to get him to the boat on time. However due to staff illness he had to stay at the store with me until we closed up, which meant he had to make alternative arrangements and this put him in a rush.
He didn't know what to do, was completely unaware of the sensitivity of Whitehall and had forgotten about the remembrance service the following day. He knew it was a big risk parking on double yellow lines, but thought the worst that could happen was a ticket, particularly because it was a Saturday evening. The other option was missing the boat and driving all the way back to Oxford, which of course would have been the chosen option in hind sight.
Michael is the first to admit this was a big mistake, and he has certainly had to pay for it.
I wrote to the Oxford Mail as I thought that Michael's story would interest people. I certainly didn't expect Michael to come across in the way he has, which couldn't be farther removed from who he really is.
All of Michael's staff and anyone who knows him are deeply suprised by the way he has been portrayed by the media. He's a hard working, industrious individual and this arrogant and selfish alter ego that has been painted for Michael could not be further from the truth.
Michael is a decent human being who, like all of us, made a mistake.
Mamma Bear
says...
1:46pm Wed 25 Nov 09
Botanic Garden
says...
3:53pm Wed 25 Nov 09
I bet your boss is pleased with you now!
Night life Oxford
says...
4:50pm Wed 25 Nov 09
daveg2008
says...
6:18pm Wed 25 Nov 09
daveg2008
says...
6:41pm Wed 25 Nov 09
ox123
says...
7:03pm Wed 25 Nov 09
6:41pm Wed 25 Nov 09
and as for forgetting when rememberance day is thats unforgivable boycott this shop for our boys on the front line.
i dont think they sell bullet proof vests mate lol
sf2_ryu81
says...
8:21pm Wed 25 Nov 09
Night life Oxford
says...
8:34pm Wed 25 Nov 09
sf2_ryu81
says...
10:05pm Wed 25 Nov 09
LadyPenelope
says...
11:22am Thu 26 Nov 09
The police did what they had to do. There was no other option. If there WAS a bomb in the car and they decided to leave it with just a ticket on, and the bomb had gone off, then they would be on the front page of national newspapers for being incompetant, and everyone would be saying that they should have blown the car up.
Sh*t happens, a lesson has been learnt.
Jason Collie
says...
3:31pm Wed 2 Dec 09
Jason Collie,
Head of Content,
Oxford Mail
burro
says...
6:58am Fri 4 Dec 09
Superstar2167
says...
4:19pm Sun 6 Dec 09
Billy Windsor II says...
7:47am Sat 21 Nov 09
Technically THEY should be charging you for their time and explosives for being such a pillock and parking there in the first place !!!