Bail extended to April for anti-gang activist Gwenton Sloley

Back view of police

Metropolitan Police officers Pic: Martin Foskett

Anti-gang activist Gwenton Sloley’s bail has been extended from February to April as police continue examining his laptop for evidence of criminal activity.  

Sloley’s home in Hackney was raided by the Metropolitan Police on January 22 in a search for class A drugs. The raid came just three months after his home was raided in October last year. 

No drugs were found at Sloley’s house and police are continuing their investigation.  

Sloley is a high profile activist and a former gang member himself. He now works with the Metropolitan Police, local councils and various charities tackling gang violence.  

The initial raid was classed a mistake by police who were looking for a previous tenant who had moved out five years prior. The address was then leaked by a member of the Met Police. 

Sloley now claims the Metropolitan Police are specifically targeting him. He said in an interview with blogger Lee Jasper that the arrest warrant for the second raid was not signed by the courts, just the arresting officers “friends”. 

The police arrested Sloley and brought him in for questioning after finding a parking ticket during the second raid. There were no drugs found in the flat or on Sloley. 

Sloley has vacated his property after he was issued an Osman warning by Lewisham police. An Osman warning indicates that police consider his life to be in immediate danger. This came after his address was leaked after the October raid. 

Sloley asked Detective Constable Chris Bryant why his bail was extended. He responded in an email which Sloley shared with the Hackney Gazette. “Your case is still being investigated and more time is required to ensure that the matter is fully explored,” Bryant wrote in the email. 

I appreciate that, due to your work, you would ideally like a swift resolution to this matter. However, there are still viable lines of enquiry that require exploration. The laptop that was seized could not be downloaded locally and therefore I had no choice but to seek authorisation to have it sent to one of our labs for examination. I am still also collating other evidence at this time.” 

Sloley has launched a legal action against the Met, claiming he is owed £3 million in damages after the first raid. He has argued that he not only lost £140,000 of earnings due to cancelled contracts but that he has also suffered defamation of character.   

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