David Oluwale: Blue bridge plaque theft treated as hate crime

The blue plaque to commemorate David Oluwale was unveiled on Leeds Bridge on Monday afternoon

The theft of a blue plaque honouring a British-Nigerian man who drowned after he was chased by police is being treated as a hate crime.

The memorial to David Oluwale, on Leeds Bridge, disappeared just hours after it was officially unveiled on Monday.

Members of the campaign group who lobbied for its installation said it had been prised off the wall and taken.

West Yorkshire Police said the timing of the theft suggested it was a "deliberately targeted act".

The plaque commemorating Mr Oluwale had been placed near the spot where he entered the River Aire in 1969.

• What happened to David Oluwale?

An unveiling ceremony organised by Leeds Civic Trust ended at about 19:00 BST on Monday, police said, and the theft is thought to have occurred between 21:30 and 22:00.

Volunteers using a powerful magnet to search for the plaque in the river inadvertently found a grenade, causing the evacuation of supermarket chain Asda's nearby headquarters on Tuesday afternoon.

The plaque is believed to have been removed just hours after it was unveiled

Dr Emily Zobel Marshall, co-founder of the David Oluwale Memorial Association, said she was "devastated" by the plaque's disappearance.

"What is so sad is that it was such an uplifting event and brought in such an intergenerational, diverse crowd, and it is a blow but it doesn't stop us in our tracks," Dr Zobel Marshall said.

A "spate of racist graffiti" at the civic trust's offices and on the bridge prior to the theft led her to believe it was targeted, she said.

Volunteers from the Canal Connections community enterprise helped search the River Aire for the missing plaque

"Leeds has changed for the better, but this is a clear mark that Leeds hasn't changed enough," Dr Zobel Marshall said.

She said the society planned to replace the missing plaque and the theft had "strengthened our dedication to try and make Leeds a better place."

• Listen: Dr Zobel Marshall interviewed by BBC Radio Leeds

Ch Supt Damien Miller said the "truly appalling" theft would have a "significant impact" on "all those involved in keeping David's memory alive and on the wider community".

"Leeds Bridge is in a busy area in the heart of the city centre and we would urge anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity or who has any information that could assist the investigation to contact us immediately," he said.

Last month, The David Oluwale Bridge was installed over the River Aire in what the city council said was a "lasting reminder" of the importance of equality and inclusion.

Who was David Oluwale?

Mr Oluwale's death led to the first prosecution of British police for involvement in the death of a black person

David Oluwale migrated from Nigeria in August 1949, hiding on a cargo ship destined for Hull.

He spent his final two years homeless in Leeds city centre, routinely mentally and physically abused by two police officers.

In the early hours of 18 April 1969, he was chased onto a bridge over the River Aire, and his body was found in the water two weeks later.

Two officers were later jailed for a series of assaults, but justice and civil rights campaigners said their trial presented a deliberately negative portrait of Mr Oluwale as a "social nuisance".