Leeds man admits ripping down plaque to David Oluwale and throwing it in the River Aire

Sixty-year-old Gregory Palmer pleaded guilty at Leeds Magistrates’ Court this week to destroying the blue plaque.

Palmer, of St Peter’s Court, Bramley, was seen to rip the plaque from Leeds Bridge and throw it into the water on July 7, last year. It was the third time the tribute had been vandalised since it was unveiled in April 2022.

He will return to the magistrates’ court in October where the facts surrounding the reasons for the vandalism will be determined. He will also stand trial for racially-aggravated criminal damage linked to an incident at the entrance to Marks & Spencer on Wellington Street.

David Oluwale travelled to the UK from Nigeria in the 1960s but was targeted because of his mental health, homelessness and race. He tragically drowned in the river in 1969 in a racially-motivated incident after being chased by police through the streets of the city.

His death led to the first ever prosecutions of British police involved in the death of a black person.

The first blue plaque was ripped down just hours after being put in place in April of last year. A laminated copy was then installed as a replacement but was vandalised before the original plaque was put in place again.

Palmer then ripped the last plaque down three months later.