POLICE SEEK PEACEFUL END TO HACKNEY SIEGE

NEGOTIATORS were yesterday continuing to try to coax a gunman holding
a hostage out of a flat in East London, saying that the time was not
right to storm the building. More than 50 police officers, including
teams from Scotland Yard's SO19 firearms unit, have surrounded the
Hackney flat since Boxing Day. The electricity has been turned off.

Police are keeping in regular contact with Eli Hall, 32, who is said
to be holed up with a hostage believed to be called Paul. A police
spokeswoman said: "The police want to resolve this peacefully and
the best way to do that is negotiation. At some stage there is a
cut-off point but they have not got to that stage yet. There are no
plans to do anything else while they can negotiate."

Officers have been making regular deliveries of food to the two men in
the bedsit, including pizzas, burgers, chips and curries. During one
such delivery police found that a supposed friend of Mr Hall had
allegedly hidden cannabis in a piece of KFC chicken.

Junior Skerrett, 22, from Brixton, South London, who is unemployed, is
alleged to have dropped off a food parcel containing the drug at the
site of the siege. He appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court
on January 1 charged with possession with intent to supply on December
29 and 30 and was remanded in custody until January 6.

The nine-day siege had so far cost taxpayers up to UPK500,000, police
said yesterday. Commander Bob Quick said from the scene that the bill
for his force alone was between UPK250,000 and UPK500,000.

He said: Experience has revealed that patience and negotiation are
the most likely tactic to lead to peaceful resolution. We have to
balance the risk to life with inconvenience. The preservation of life
is paramount.

"We recognise the significant disruption this incident is causing to
local people and police officers are working around the clock to
resolve the matter peacefully."

Two elderly woman were yesterday evacuated from flats near the scene.
The pensioners were taken to residential homes by ambulance.