The Hounding of David Oluwale

An extraordinary 'micro-history' which exposes the beginnings of institutionalised police racism in Britain.

Is a black life worth less than a white one? When, in May 1969, the body of David Oluwale was fished out of the River Aire near Leeds, not too many questions were asked about the circumstances of his death. This book revisits one of the most chilling crimes in British history, and raises questions as relevant today as they were in the sixties.

'David Oluwale's story has a raw power...and Kester Aspden makes it relevant for the reader of today' Mishal Husain

An award-winning microhistory that examines the death of David Oluwale and institutionalised police racism in Britain.

When, in May 1969, the body of David Oluwale was found in the River Aire near Leeds, few questions were asked about the circumstances of his death. Oluwale was homeless and had spent time in a psychiatric hospital, an immigrant from Nigeria who was trapped in a system that had failed him miserably.

Eighteen months later a lengthy campaign of harassment by two Leeds policemen was uncovered - Oluwale became national news in Britain, and a symbol for its black community. This extraordinary book draws on original archival material only recently released to revisit one of the most chilling crimes in British history, and at the same time raises questions as relevant today as they were at the end of the sixties.

Winner of the CWA Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction 2008

'Aspden's painstaking research, empathetic approach and ability to weave together a vivid wider social critique show Oluwale was done a terrible disservice' Metro