Death of Christopher Alder

Last updated

Death of Christopher Alder
Christopher Alder.jpg
Christopher Ibikunle Alder
Date1 April 1998 (1998-04-01) (age 37)
LocationQueen's Gardens Police Station, Kingston upon Hull
Cause Postural asphyxiation
Accused
  • Police Sergeant John Dunn
  • Police Constable Matthew Barr
  • Police Constable Neil Blakey
  • Police Constable Nigel Dawson
  • Police Constable Mark Ellerington
Charges Manslaughter
Verdict Acquitted on the instructions of the judge to the jury

Christopher Alder was a trainee computer programmer and former British Army paratrooper who had served in the Falklands War and was commended for his service with the Army in Northern Ireland. [1] [2] [3] He died in police custody at Queen's Gardens Police Station, Kingston upon Hull, in April 1998. [4] The case became a cause célèbre for civil rights campaigners in the United Kingdom. [5] He had earlier been the victim of an assault outside a nightclub and was taken to Hull Royal Infirmary where, possibly as a result of his head injury, staff said his behaviour was "extremely troublesome." [6] [7] He was escorted from the hospital by two police officers who arrested him to prevent a breach of the peace. [8]

Contents

On arrival at the police station Alder was "partially dragged and partially carried," handcuffed and unconscious, from a police van and placed on the floor of the custody suite. A conversation took place, during which custody sergeant, PS Dunn, initially told the escorting constables to take Alder to hospital. They pointed out that they had just come from hospital and that the hospital had discharged Alder. The officers speculated that Alder was faking illness, a view which PS Dunn accepted. Alder's handcuffs were removed before all the officers went behind the front counter of the custody suite. At this point, the officers were off camera, but the custody CCTV system continued to capture the audio of their conversation. The officers laughed and joked with one another, and there was a discussion about what Alder should be charged with. [9] During one conversation, an officer can be heard making multiple rhythmic noises, which some subsequent examiners alleged were monkey noises, a form of racist abuse against black people. However, this interpretation has been disputed. [10] [11] [12]

Twelve minutes later one of the officers present noticed that Alder was not making any breathing noises and although resuscitation was attempted, he was pronounced dead at the scene. [13] A post mortem indicated that the head injury alone would not have killed him. [14] The incident was captured on the police station's closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras. [15]

A coroner's jury in 2000 returned a verdict that Alder was unlawfully killed. In 2002, five police officers went on trial charged with Alder's manslaughter and misconduct in public office, but were acquitted on the orders of the judge. In 2006, an Independent Police Complaints Commission report concluded that four of the officers present in the custody suite when Alder died were guilty of the "most serious neglect of duty" and "unwitting racism". [16] In November 2011 the government formally apologised to Alder's family in the European Court of Human Rights, admitting that it had breached its obligations with regard to "preserving life and ensuring no one is subjected to inhuman or degrading treatment". They also admitted that they had failed to carry out an effective and independent inquiry into the case. [17]

Christopher Alder

Christopher Ibikunle Alder (25 June 1960 – 1 April 1998) was a black British man of Nigerian descent, born in Hull in 1960. He joined the British Army aged 16 and served in the Parachute Regiment for six years. After leaving the Army, he first settled in Andover, Hampshire, before relocating to Dagger Lane, Hull in 1990. [18] In 1998 he was taking a college course in computer skills in Hull. He had two sons, who had remained with their mother in the Andover area when their parents separated. [19]

Events leading to death

The Waterfront Club

At around 7 pm on 31 March 1998, Alder went out for the evening in Hull with two friends, visiting several local bars and a fast food restaurant before Alder suggested going on to The Waterfront Club (later renamed The Sugar Mill), a nightclub on Prince's Dock Street in the Old Town area of the city. [20] His companions, who testified that at this stage of the evening Alder had drunk only two pints of lager and two bottles of Beck's beer and "seemed sober", declined the invitation. Alder went on alone to the club at around 10.30 pm. [21] While there he drank a further two or three pints of lager. [22] At approximately 1.30 am Alder became involved in a disagreement with another customer, Jason Ramm, which led to Ramm being ejected from the club. [18] [23] [24] Ramm waited in the vicinity of Prince's Dock Street until Alder left the club at 2.15 am and another confrontation occurred which was captured on the club's exterior CCTV. [25] [26] A third person, Jason Paul, attempted to break up the fight and was struck by Alder. [27] Paul retaliated by punching Alder in the face, which caused him to fall backwards, strike his head on the pavement, and lose consciousness. [28] [29] Staff at the nightclub telephoned the emergency services and an ambulance took Alder – who had by this time regained consciousness – to the Hull Royal Infirmary. [30]

Two police officers, PC Nigel Dawson and PC Neil Blakey, who had arrived shortly after the ambulance in a marked patrol car, made no attempt to speak to Alder. They consulted with the club manager, who took them inside to review the club's CCTV footage of the incident. A message they sent to their control room at this time indicates that they had already assumed Alder was very drunk, despite not having spoken to him or having been told this by any of the witnesses they spoke with. A third police officer, Acting Police Sergeant (A/PS) Mark Ellerington, arrived at about 2.50 am, after the ambulance left, and spoke with the club manager and the officers already present. [31] He was told by Dawson and Blakey that Alder was drunk. The IPCC report criticised the police, saying: "This judgement, based upon very little evidence, tends to suggest that the two officers were making assumptions about Mr. Alder's behaviour, and choosing to attribute it to alcohol taken rather than the injury sustained, from an early stage in their dealings with him." [32]

Hull Royal Infirmary

Hull Royal Infirmary. Hull Royal Infirmary.jpg
Hull Royal Infirmary.

The ambulance arrived at the hospital at 2.44 am, where Alder was described by one witness who dealt with him as "confused and dazed" and "generally abusive." [28] [33] One of the paramedics from the ambulance crew who had transported him there stated that Alder asked: "Where am I? What's happened?" [28] [34] A nurse who treated him stated that, in addition to being abusive and swearing at her, he was asking: "Where am I, what am I doing?" [35] Two police officers present in the emergency department on an unrelated matter intervened and asked him to cooperate with the nursing staff. [28] They recalled that he calmed down but remained "confused." [36] PC Dawson and PC Blakey arrived at the hospital at approximately 3.05 am. Alder again became uncooperative, and the police control room were informed by the officers at 3.19 am: "Our complainant is being a wee bit troublesome. Probably the reason why he got smacked in the first place." [37] The doctor who examined Alder listed his injuries as: [28]

Medical staff tried to take an x-ray of Alder's head injury but he would not remain still and they abandoned the effort. PC Dawson wrote in his note book at this time that Alder was "heavily in drink" and "typical of people I've seen in the past on amphetamine." [38] Staff decided they could not treat Alder without his cooperation, and the police officers asked if he was well enough to be detained in police custody. The attending doctor agreed that he was. [39] A 2005 Healthcare Commission report into the medical treatment Alder received described this decision as "flawed...[T]he doctor had yet to make a diagnosis. He was unable to carry out his plan of treatment for Christopher Alder, for example to admit him for observation, x-ray his skull and refer him to a maxillo-facial surgeon. Despite this he decided to discharge him without seeking advice from a senior colleague." [28] This may have contributed to the police officers' assumption that Alder's condition was not serious. [28] Alder was forcibly removed from the hospital by PCs Dawson and Blakey, with medical staff stating that he was dragged out by his arms, backwards and with his legs trailing on the floor. [28] [40] The police officers, however, stated that Alder had walked out unaided although they had kept a gentle grip on him to guide him and prevent him falling. [41]

Once outside the hospital, Alder argued with the police officers, who had initially told him to go home, and he was arrested to prevent a breach of the peace. [42] [43] A/PS Ellerington drove to the hospital in a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter with a caged section in the rear to collect Alder for transport to the police station and detention. [44] A witness recalled that, although handcuffed, Alder climbed into the back of the van unassisted. [28]

Queen's Gardens Police Station

External videos
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Christopher Alder CCTV footage. CCTV footage from the police station custody suite provided by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (4 mins 18 secs).

Following a journey of approximately six minutes the van doors were opened at the police station. The police described Alder as "asleep" and "snoring." [45] [46] He was dragged from the van and into the custody suite at 3.46 am by PCs Dawson and Blakey, "unresponsive" and with his hands handcuffed behind his back, his legs and feet dragging along the floor and his face just above the ground. [28] [43] [47] His trousers and underpants had been pulled down to his knees, possibly by dragging on the floor surface, and one of his shoes had come off. [28] [48] A/PS Ellerington followed them in. Police Sergeant (PS) John Dunn and PC Matthew Barr were on duty in the custody suite as custody officer and cell warder respectively. [49] [50]

Dawson and Blakey left Alder lying face down on the floor, where the CCTV showed a pool of blood forming around his mouth. One of the officers commented on the blood, but no attempt was made to examine Alder. PS Dunn was heard on the CCTV footage saying Alder should be taken to the hospital, to which Dawson and Blakey reply that they had just come from there and that they believe Alder is feigning unconsciousness. Dawson said: "This is acting now" and "This is just an acting thing," while Blakey said: "He's right as rain... This is a show, this" and "He kept doing dying swan acts falling off the [hospital] trolley." [28] A/PS Ellerington stated later that he believed Alder was "feigning deep sleep." [51] PS Dunn stated that he: "formed the opinion, from what I was told, that the man's behaviour at the present time may be play-acting or attention seeking." [52]

Queen's Gardens Police Station, Hull. Hull Central Police Station - geograph.org.uk - 627987.jpg
Queen's Gardens Police Station, Hull.

After a few minutes the handcuffs were removed; Alder's arms remained unmoving behind his back, and no attempt was made to examine or rouse him. The officers moved to the opposite side of the counter while a discussion took place about what offences he should be charged with and whether there was any possible justification for holding him, as any potential for breach of peace had clearly passed. [28] [43] Alder could be heard making "gurgling" noises as he breathed in and out through the pool of blood around his face. PS Dunn later explained that although he was aware of the gurgling he ignored it, believing Alder was deliberately blowing through the blood to "try and upset" the officers. [53] PC Barr stated later that he had believed the noises "were intended for our attention, in other words he was putting it on, which fitted neatly into what we had been told by PC Dawson." [54]

The audio track of the CCTV footage appears to show that the officers made monkey noises, a common form of racist abuse against black people. [55] At 3.57 am PC Barr pointed out that Alder was not making any noise and PS Dunn walked around the counter to check him. The officers began resuscitation attempts and called for an ambulance at 3.59 am. It arrived at 4.04 am, operated by the same crew which had earlier transported Alder from The Waterfront Club to the Hull Royal Infirmary. [28]

Although the crew had been informed that the casualty had "breathing difficulty," the only equipment that they took into the custody suite was a bag valve mask. The paramedic admitted that when they had received the call out, he had told his colleague "that it would probably be someone trying to pull a sickie [ie feigning illness] to get out of appearing in court in the morning." [28] He had to return to the ambulance outside to collect the necessary equipment, not returning until another minute had elapsed. [56] The ambulance technician who first examined Alder reported him as having fixed, dilated pupils, no pulse and not breathing. They eventually ceased CPR at 4.35 am. [28] [57]

Alder's clothes were destroyed by a West Yorkshire Police team investigating the death and never subjected to forensic examination. [58]

Inquest into death

At an inquest held in 2000, the jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing. [59] The five police officers who were present in the custody suite at the time were called to give evidence at the inquest, but on more than 150 occasions during the hearing refused to answer questions, citing Coroners Rules that the response could provide self-incriminating evidence. [58] [60] They were subsequently charged with misconduct in public office. [61] Shortly after the verdict was returned the officers, backed by the Police Federation, sought to overturn it by means of a judicial review. [62] They claimed that the coroner should not have given a verdict of unlawful killing as an option to the jury, as the breaches of duty alleged against them could not amount to gross negligence. [19] [63] They also alleged that a female juror had been "infatuated" with the prosecuting barrister and that there was a "real possibility that her infatuation converted into bias." [64] The application for the judicial review was dismissed by the High Court of Justice in April 2001. [5] [65]

Trial of police officers

The Crown Prosecution Service initially decided that there was insufficient evidence to pursue criminal charges against the officers but, following a review of the medical evidence, the officers were charged in March 2002 with manslaughter. [66] [67] The trial collapsed in June 2002 when the judge ordered the jury to find the officers not guilty on all charges. [68] Following the acquittal, an internal police disciplinary inquiry cleared the officers of any wrongdoing. [69]

In July 2003 the Attorney General Lord Goldsmith challenged the legal correctness of the officers' acquittals and sent the ruling to the Court of Appeal "to clarify the threshold for evidence in future death-in-custody cases", although this would not affect the acquittal because of the principle of double jeopardy that applied at that time. [70] [71] In April 2004, BBC television series Rough Justice broadcast "Death On Camera", a programme examining the circumstances of Alder's death, including the CCTV footage from the custody suite which had previously not been seen by the public. [72] [73] [74] As a result of the programme and the public concern it raised, Home Secretary David Blunkett asked the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) to review the case. [75] [76] In December 2004 four of the five police officers were granted early retirement on stress-related medical grounds and received lump-sum compensation payments of between £44,000 and £66,000 as well as pensions. [77] [78] The officers all declined requests to take part in the IPCC inquiry. [19] In March 2006 the IPCC chairman, Nick Hardwick, said the officers present when Alder died were guilty of the "most serious neglect of duty" amounting to "unwitting racism." [19] [79]

In September 2006 Leon Wilson, one of Alder's sons, went to the High Court to challenge the Home Office's refusal to reopen the case. The judge rejected his case, saying it was "legally reasonable for the Secretary of State to believe that no more worthwhile evidence was likely to emerge." [80] [81]

Civil case arising from investigation

In January 2006, a civil jury found that a man had been unlawfully arrested and charged with assaulting Alder on the night he died "to divert attention away from the part the police themselves played in Mr Alder's death." [82] [83] [84]

Burial

In November 2011 Alder's body was discovered in the mortuary at Hull Royal Infirmary, eleven years after his family believed they had buried him. An exhumation of his grave in Hull's Northern Cemetery during the night of 21 February 2012 found that Grace Kamara, a 77-year-old woman, had been buried in his place. South Yorkshire Police Detective Superintendent Richard Fewkes announced that a criminal investigation had begun to determine if an offence of misconduct in public office had been committed. [85] [86] [87] On 3 October 2013 the Crown Prosecution Service said there was insufficient evidence for a prosecution for either misconduct in a public office, or the prevention of the lawful burial of a body. [88]

Deaths in police custody

Alder was one of 69 people who died in police custody in 1998. [89] Between 1990 and 2011, 980 people died in police custody. [90] Prosecutions were recommended against 13 officers based on "relatively strong evidence of misconduct or neglect". [91] There was one conviction, relating to the death of Craig Boyd in March 2004. Boyd hanged himself in his cell at St Mary's Wharf police station, Derby. Custody suite warden PC David Stoll had been watching a film at the time; custody records were falsified to show visits by officers to the cells "that were not substantiated by video evidence." Stoll was found guilty of misconduct in public office and sentenced to six months' imprisonment suspended for one year. [92] [93] [94]

In 1999, Judge Gerald Butler criticised the Crown Prosecution Service for failing to take action over a number of deaths in police custody. He made several recommendations to improve accountability and expressed "unease" over the current system. [95] In a December 2010 report, the IPCC suggested that juries were "unwilling to convict police officers." The report, which covered deaths in custody in England and Wales between 1998 and 2010, concluded that in 16 cases restraint by officers was the direct cause of death, of which four were classed as "positional asphyxia." The majority of deaths were ruled as occurring due to natural causes, many involving drug or alcohol abuse, and the authors called on the Home Office and Department of Health "to pilot facilities with medical care to replace police cells." Deborah Coles, co-director of the charity and campaign group Inquest said: "The study points to alarming failures in the care of vulnerable detainees suffering from mental health, drug and alcohol problems, many of whom should have been diverted from police custody." [91]

According to the report, "fewer than half of detainees booked into custody who should have been risk assessed were actually assessed," while "incidents where custody officers had not conducted proper checks, or thoroughly roused detainees to check their state, were prevalent." Custody officers and staff lacked basic first aid training. Mike Franklin, the IPCC commissioner, said: "What emerges most prominently from the report is the medical and mental health needs of a large number of people the police arrest," and questioned whether custody "is the best place for a large number of the people the police deal with." [91]

On 1 September 2011, the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 was extended to include all deaths in police custody suites, prison cells, mental health detention facilities and Young Offenders Institutions. [96]

Typical

Alder's story was related in the stage play Typical, written by Ryan Calais Cameron and produced by Nouveau Riche. The one-man show starred Richard Blackwood in the role of Alder. [97]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillsborough disaster</span> Crowd crush during the 1989 FA Cup semi-final

The Hillsborough disaster was a fatal crowd crush at a football match at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on 15 April 1989. It occurred during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in the two standing-only central pens within the Leppings Lane stand allocated to Liverpool supporters. Shortly before kick-off, police match commander David Duckenfield ordered exit gate C to be opened in an attempt to ease crowding, which led to an influx of supporters entering the pens. This resulted in overcrowding of those pens and the fatal crush; with a total of 97 fatalities and 766 injuries, the disaster is the deadliest in British sporting history. Ninety-four people died on the day; another person died in hospital days later, and another died in 1993. In July 2021, a coroner ruled that Andrew Devine, who died 32 years later, after suffering severe and irreversible brain damage on the day, was the 97th victim. The match was abandoned and restaged at Old Trafford in Manchester on 7 May 1989; Liverpool won and went on to win that season's FA Cup.

The Brixton riots of 1995 began on 13 December after the death of a black 26-year-old, Wayne Douglas, in police custody. Douglas had allegedly robbed a couple in bed at knifepoint hours earlier. Trouble broke out after what had been a peaceful protest outside the Brixton Police Station where the death occurred. With several hundred people involved, the riot resulted in damage to property and vehicles in the area. Police sealed off a three-kilometre area around Brixton in south London.

Henry Bruce Stanley was a Scottish painter and decorator who was shot dead by the Metropolitan Police in London in contentious circumstances. Initially his death was recorded with an open verdict, before being ruled as unlawful killing by a jury on appeal and finally returned to an open verdict by the High Court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Independent Police Complaints Commission</span> Defunct public body for police oversight in England and Wales

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) was a non-departmental public body in England and Wales responsible for overseeing the system for handling complaints made against police forces in England and Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humberside Police</span> English territorial police force

Humberside Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the East Riding of Yorkshire, including Kingston upon Hull, and northern parts of Lincolnshire, including Grimsby and Scunthorpe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smiley Culture</span> Musical artist

David Victor Emmanuel, better known as Smiley Culture, was a British reggae singer and DJ known for his "fast chat" style. During a relatively brief period of fame and success, he produced two of the most critically acclaimed reggae singles of the 1980s. He died on 15 March 2011, aged 48, during a police raid on his home. An inquest found that his death was a suicide. Campaigners and his family have expressed scepticism about the official verdict and the police version of events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conspiracy theories about the death of Diana, Princess of Wales</span>

There are many conspiracy theories surrounding the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, on 31 August 1997. Official investigations in both Britain and France found that Diana died in a manner consistent with media reports following the fatal car crash in Paris. In 1999, a French investigation concluded that Diana died as the result of a crash. The French investigator, Judge Hervé Stephan, concluded that the paparazzi were some distance from the Mercedes S280 when it crashed and were not responsible for manslaughter. After hearing evidence at the British inquest, a jury in 2008 returned a verdict of "unlawful killing" by driver Henri Paul and the paparazzi pursuing the car. The jury's verdict also stated: "In addition, the death of the deceased was caused or contributed to by the fact that the deceased were not wearing a seat belt and by the fact that the Mercedes struck the pillar in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel rather than colliding with something else."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes</span> 2005 wrongful fatal shooting by British police

Jean Charles da Silva e de Menezes was a Brazilian man killed by officers of the London Metropolitan Police Service at Stockwell station on the London Underground, after he was wrongly deemed to be one of the fugitives involved in the previous day's failed bombing attempts. These events took place two weeks after the London bombings of 7 July 2005, in which 52 people were killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death of Ian Tomlinson</span> London man killed by Met. Police in 2009

Ian Tomlinson was a newspaper vendor who collapsed and died in the City of London after being struck by a police officer during the 2009 G-20 summit protests. After an inquest jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing, the officer, Simon Harwood, was prosecuted for manslaughter. He was found not guilty but was dismissed from the police service for gross misconduct. Following civil proceedings, the Metropolitan Police Service paid Tomlinson's family an undisclosed sum and acknowledged that Harwood's actions had caused Tomlinson's death.

The Fred Quilt inquiries were two coroner's inquests into the November 1971 death of Fred Quilt, an elder of the Tsilhqot'in First Nation in the Chilcotin Country region of the west-central British Columbia Interior. Members of Quilt's family alleged that he died days after being beaten by Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) constables. The inquest juries found no wrongdoing on the part of the RCMP. A group of activists formed the Fred Quilt Committee, which raised money for Quilt's family, later attempted to press criminal charges against the RCMP. The two constables were exonerated in 1977 by Quilt's widow's deathbed confession that she had caused Quilt's fatal injury and had orchestrated false testimony by herself and other witnesses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Northumbria Police manhunt</span> Major police operation in July 2010

The 2010 Northumbria Police manhunt was a major police operation conducted across Tyne and Wear and Northumberland with the objective of apprehending fugitive Raoul Moat. After killing one person and wounding two others in a two-day shooting spree in July 2010, the 37-year-old ex-prisoner went on the run for nearly a week. The manhunt concluded when Moat died by suicide having shot himself near the town of Rothbury, Northumberland, following a six-hour standoff with armed police officers under the command of the Northumbria Police.

Lee Bradley Brown was a British tourist who died in police custody in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He was arrested by the Dubai Police Force following an altercation with a Nepalese maid at the Burj Al Arab hotel where he was staying. After being placed in solitary confinement, he was found dead in his cell six days after he was arrested. The circumstances surrounding his death remain disputed. In November 2022, a second UK inquest into Brown's death was opened after the Brown family won a challenge at the UK High Court to overturn the original open verdict.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killing of Mark Duggan</span> British Mixed-race man shot and killed by police in 2011

Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old black British man, was shot dead by police in Tottenham, North London on 4 August 2011. The Metropolitan Police stated that officers were attempting to arrest Duggan on suspicion of planning an attack and that he was in possession of a handgun. Duggan died from a gunshot wound to the chest. The circumstances of Duggan's death resulted in public protests in Tottenham, which led to conflict with police and escalated into riots across London and other English cities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death of Sean Rigg</span>

Sean Rigg was a 40-year-old black British musician and music producer who had paranoid schizophrenia. He died following a cardiac arrest on 21 August 2008 while in police custody at the entrance to Brixton police station, South London, England. The case became a cause célèbre for civil rights and justice campaigners in the United Kingdom, who called for "improvement and change on a national level" regarding deaths in police custody and the police treatment of suspects with mental health issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death of Ms Dhu</span> Australian Aboriginal woman

Julieka Ivanna Dhu was a 22-year-old Aboriginal Australian woman who died in police custody in South Hedland, Western Australia, in 2014. On 2 August that year, police responded to a report that Dhu's partner had violated an apprehended violence order. Upon arriving at their address, the officers arrested both Dhu and her partner after realising there was also an outstanding arrest warrant for unpaid fines against Dhu. She was detained in police custody in South Hedland and was ordered to serve four days in custody in default of her debt.

Rashan Charles, a 20-year-old British man, died on 22 July 2017 following contact with an officer from the Metropolitan Police in Dalston, England. Charles died after swallowing and choking on a package containing caffeine and Paracetamol, after being chased and restrained by a police officer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death of Olaseni Lewis</span> Policing incident in the United Kingdom

Olaseni Lewis, a 23-year-old British man, died on 3 September 2010 at Bethlem Royal Hospital in London, United Kingdom, after police subjected him to prolonged physical restraint. Lewis had voluntarily sought care following the onset of acute mental health issues and died from cerebral hypoxia soon after, following actions that involved eleven officers of London's Metropolitan Police. After seven years of campaigning by Lewis' family and two inquiries by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), a second coroners' inquiry was raised.

Sheku Ahmed Tejan Bayoh died after being restrained by police in Kirkcaldy, Scotland. His death sparked controversy, and an independent government inquiry following a police investigation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death of Mark Saunders</span> 2008 shooting death in London

Mark Saunders was a British barrister who was shot dead by police on 6 May 2008 after a five-hour siege at his home in Markham Square in Chelsea, London. Saunders was a successful divorce lawyer who struggled with depression and alcoholism. He had been behaving erratically and drinking heavily in the hours before the incident. Neighbours called the police after Saunders repeatedly fired a shotgun from a window shortly before 17:00. When armed police officers arrived, Saunders fired at their vehicle and the siege began. More armed officers arrived and took up positions in surrounding buildings and on the street. Saunders fired on two more occasions and the police returned fire, slightly wounding him. Around 20 minutes after the previous round of shooting, just after 21:30, Saunders waved the shotgun out of a window. As he lowered it in the direction of a group of police officers, seven officers fired eleven shots, of which at least five struck him. Police entered his flat minutes later and Saunders was taken to a waiting ambulance where he was pronounced dead.

References

  1. ↑ Duncan, Natricia (5 August 2014). "'We Will Not Give Up Until We Get Justice'". The Voice . London. Archived from the original on 20 June 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  2. ↑ "Police condemned over man's death". BBC News . 27 March 2006. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  3. ↑ Wainwright, Martin (25 August 2000). "'He's right as rain, it's just a show'". The Guardian . London. p. 1. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  4. ↑ "Death in custody police suspended". The Guardian . London. 2 May 1998. p. 6.
  5. 1 2 Hartley, Emma (10 April 2001). "Judge rejects police officers' claim of juror bias at inquest into former soldier's death". The Independent . Retrieved 8 April 2011.[ dead link ]
  6. ↑ Wainwright, Martin (30 November 1998). "Arrest death: 5 suspended". The Guardian . London. p. 4.
  7. ↑ Stokes, Paul (4 July 2000). "Mystery of police station death". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  8. ↑ "Death in police cell charges". The Guardian . London. 24 July 1999. p. 9.
  9. ↑ IPCC (2006). Report, dated 27th February 2006, of the Review into events leading up to and following the death of Christopher Alder on 1st April 1998 (PDF). IPCC. pp. 47–48.
  10. ↑ IPCC (2006). Report, dated 27th February 2006, of the Review into events leading up to and following the death of Christopher Alder on 1st April 1998 (PDF). IPCC. pp. 142–145.
  11. ↑ "Christopher Alder custody death: Sister demands justice 20 years on". BBC News . 31 March 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  12. ↑ Sanders, Andrew; Young, Richard; Burton, Mandy (2010). Criminal Justice. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 224. ISBN   9780199541317.
  13. ↑ Burrell, Ian (4 July 2000). "Police 'thought dying man was play-acting'". The Independent . London. p. 10.
  14. ↑ "Death in custody case review". Birmingham Mail . Birmingham. 25 August 2000. p. 6.
  15. ↑ Wainwright, Martin (4 July 2000). "CCTV may hold clues to death of black man in custody". The Guardian . London.
  16. ↑ Campbell, James (5 June 2020). "My black brother died in police custody in Hull – the George Floyd similarities are scary". Hull Daily Mail. Hull. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  17. ↑ "Government pays out over death of 'wrong body' Falklands veteran Christopher Alder". The Yorkshire Post . Leeds. 22 November 2011.
  18. 1 2 "Ex-Para died on floor of police station". Birmingham Post . Birmingham. 4 July 2000. p. 7.
  19. 1 2 3 4 IPCC (27 February 2006). Report, dated 27th February 2006, of the Review into the events leading up to and following the death of Christopher Alder on 1st April 1998 (PDF). London: TSO. ISBN   978-0-10-293717-6.
  20. ↑ IPCC. pp.53–54 Statements given to police by John Holdsworth, Benjamin Walkup and Marc Atkinson between 27 April – 8 May 1998.
  21. ↑ IPCC. p.54 Statement given to police by Benjamin Walkup, 8 May 1998.
  22. ↑ IPCC. p.58 Statement given to police by Sarah Williams, 9 April 1998.
  23. ↑ IPCC. p.56 Statement given to police by Jason Ramm, 3 May 1998.
  24. ↑ IPCC. p.58 Statement given to police by Adrian Broadhead, 14 April 1998.
  25. ↑ IPCC. p.64
  26. ↑ IPCC. p.65 Statement given to police by David Okwesia, 9 April 1998.
  27. ↑ IPCC. p.67 Statement given to police by Aimun Friegoun, 2 April 1998.
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Healthcare Commission (November 2005). Investigation into the care and treatment given to Christopher Alder by Hull Royal Infirmary and Humberside Ambulance Service NHS Trust prior to his death (PDF). Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection. ISBN   978-1-84562-073-8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 May 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  29. ↑ IPCC. p.69 Statement given to police by Joanne Knapp, 3 April 1998.
  30. ↑ IPCC. p.72 Statement given to police by Paul Myatt, 1 April 1998.
  31. ↑ IPCC. pp.81–83
  32. ↑ IPCC. p.84
  33. ↑ IPCC. p.85 Statement given to police by David Frankland, 8 April 1998.
  34. ↑ IPCC. p.85 Statement given to police by Stephen Krebs, 4 April 1998.
  35. ↑ IPCC. p.86 Statement given to police by Jacqueline Smith, 8 April 1998.
  36. ↑ IPCC. p.88 Statement given to police by PC Danielle Rogers, 1 April 1998.
  37. ↑ IPCC. p.95 Transcript of message logged by Humberside Communications Room 0319hrs 1 April 1998.
  38. ↑ IPCC. p.96 Extract from PC Dawson's note book.
  39. ↑ IPCC. p.98 Statement given to police by Dr. Aamer Khan, 6 April 1998.
  40. ↑ IPCC. p.103 Statements given to police by Dr. Aamer Khan, Carole Walker, Jacqueline Smith, Malcolm Rodgers and Helen Townend, 3–16 April 1998.
  41. ↑ IPCC. p.104 Statement made during police interview by PC Nigel Dawson, 13 May 1998.
  42. ↑ "Ex-Para's 'unlawful' death in police cell". Daily Record . Glasgow. 25 August 2000. p. 17.
  43. 1 2 3 "Ex-paratrooper's death unlawful". BBC News . 24 August 2000. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  44. ↑ IPCC. p.115
  45. ↑ IPCC. p.123 Statement made during Police interview by A/PS Ellerington, 1 April 1998.
  46. ↑ IPCC. p.129. Statements made by PC Dawson and PC Blakey during Police interviews, 13 May 1998.
  47. ↑ IPCC. p.124
  48. ↑ IPCC. pp.124–125
  49. ↑ "Police officers 'let man die'". BBC News . 15 April 2002. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  50. ↑ IPCC. p.119
  51. ↑ IPCC. p.135 Statement made by A/PS Ellerington during Police interview, 15 May 1998.
  52. ↑ IPCC. p.136 Statement given to Police by PS Dunn, 1 April 1998.
  53. ↑ "Police officers 'could have saved man'". BBC News . 16 April 2002. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  54. ↑ IPCC. p.134 Statement given to Police by PC Matthew Barr, 1 April 1998.
  55. ↑ "Police criticised over custody death". The Observer . 26 March 2006. Retrieved 19 June 2012.
  56. ↑ IPCC. p.127 Timings taken from the CCTV footage recovered at the scene.
  57. ↑ IPCC. p.128
  58. 1 2 Herbert, Ian (25 August 2000). "Filmed to his last gasp, a para's brutal death". The Independent . London. p. 5.
  59. ↑ Stokes, Paul (25 August 2000). "Ex-para in police station was killed unlawfully". The Daily Telegraph . London. p. 11.
  60. ↑ Coroners Rules 1984, SI 1984 No 552 Archived 10 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine : "22 Self-incrimination (1) No witness at an inquest shall be obliged to answer any question tending to incriminate himself. (2) Where it appears to the coroner that a witness has been asked such a question, the coroner shall inform the witness that he may refuse to answer."
  61. ↑ Afzal, Nazir (11 June 2020). "Black people dying in police custody should surprise no one". The Guardian . London. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  62. ↑ "Inquest challenge". The Times . London. 8 September 2000. p. 8.
  63. ↑ "Move on inquest verdict". Birmingham Mail . Birmingham. 8 September 2000. p. 21.
  64. ↑ Eden, Richard (6 April 2001). "Juror 'infatuated with barrister'". The Daily Telegraph . London. p. 5.
  65. ↑ "Bias claim rejected by judge: Police bid to quash killing verdict fails". Birmingham Mail . Birmingham. 10 April 2001. p. 9.
  66. ↑ "Policemen avoid death charge". The Daily Telegraph . London. 26 April 2001. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  67. ↑ Hill, Amelia (26 March 2006). "Police criticised over custody death". The Observer . London. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  68. ↑ Herbert, Ian (22 June 2002). "Trial collapses of policemen accused over custody death". The Independent . London. p. 10.
  69. ↑ "Officers cleared over custody death". BBC News . 24 June 2003. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  70. ↑ "Custody death family's legal boost". BBC News . 17 July 2003. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  71. ↑ Gibb, Frances (22 July 2003). "Reforming the rules of death". The Times . London. p. 4.
  72. ↑ Whittam Smith, Andreas (18 April 2004). "Broadcast and be damned: the death and the abortion we should not be spared". The Independent . London. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  73. ↑ Hill, Amelia (11 April 2004). "TV to show death under eyes of police: Sister seeks public inquiry over video footage of man choking on his own blood". The Observer . London. p. 6.
  74. ↑ Cowan, Rosie (14 April 2004). "TV to show dying minutes of man in custody: Family backs broadcast of CCTV footage revealing how ex-paratrooper choked on the floor as police did nothing to help". The Guardian . London. p. 10.
  75. ↑ Cowan, Rosie (15 April 2004). "Blunkett acts over police station death". The Guardian . London. p. 5.
  76. ↑ Herbert, Ian (15 April 2004). "Blunkett demands inquiry into death of black man in custody". The Independent . London. p. 2.
  77. ↑ Wainwright, Martin (24 December 2004). "Police involved in death inquiry retire". The Guardian . London. p. 7.
  78. ↑ Herbert, Ian (30 December 2004). "Outrage as unlawful killing officers receive pay-offs". The Independent . London. p. 16.
  79. ↑ Cowan, Rosie (28 March 2006). "'Racist' police officers laughed as man lay dying: Five condemned over ex-paratrooper's death". The Guardian . London. p. 4.
  80. ↑ "Death in custody inquiry plea is rejected by judge". Hull Daily Mail . Kingston upon Hull. 15 September 2006. p. 25.
  81. ↑ "Alder family loses plea over death in custody". Yorkshire Post . Leeds. 15 September 2006. p. 1.
  82. ↑ "Man cleared over custody death". BBC News . 27 January 2006. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  83. ↑ John, Cindi (27 March 2006). "Long shadow of a custody death". BBC News . Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  84. ↑ Bonomi, Bianca Brigitte (7 February 2006). "Damages paid to man cleared in custody death case". Institute of Race Relations . Archived from the original on 10 March 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  85. ↑ "Criminal investigation after mortuary bodies mix-up". Hull Daily Mail . Hull. 26 March 2012. p. 5.
  86. ↑ "Christopher Alder death: Body mix-up claim probed". BBC News . 6 November 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
  87. ↑ "Grace Kamara body: New funeral for woman buried in wrong grave". BBC News . 7 May 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  88. ↑ "Anger as no-one held responsible for paratrooper bodies mix-up". yorkshirepost.co.uk. jpimedia. 4 October 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2022. Senior crown prosecutor Richard Hebbert said: "On the evidence I have considered it has not been possible to determine with any accuracy when or how the bodies of Mr Alder and Mrs Kamara came to be exchanged, the personnel involved, or that what happened was anything more than an error."
  89. ↑ Kennedy, Dominic (30 January 1999). "Figures behind the distrust". The Times . London. p. 16.
  90. ↑ "Deaths in police custody". Inquest Charitable Trust. Archived from the original on 8 June 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  91. 1 2 3 Davies, Caroline (3 December 2010). "Deaths in police custody since 1998: 333; officers convicted: none". The Guardian . London. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  92. ↑ "Hanged suspect feared return to jail". This Is Derbyshire. Northcliffe Media. 23 June 2009. Retrieved 12 May 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  93. ↑ "Custody death trial". The Times . London. 16 March 2007. p. 4.
  94. ↑ "Father was found hanged in police custody cell". Derby Evening Telegraph . Derby. 9 July 2009. p. 5.
  95. ↑ "CPS criticised over custody deaths". BBC News . 11 August 1999. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  96. ↑ Laville, Sandra (28 August 2011). "Corporate homicide law extended to prisons and police cells". The Guardian . London. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  97. ↑ Baker, Rachel (14 August 2019). "Typical". The List . Retrieved 5 June 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.