Inquest finds police responsible for unlawful killing
Justice for Christopher Alder!
Last month, after seven weeks of evidence, the jury at the inquest into the death of Christopher Alder in the custody of Hull Police returned a verdict of Unlawful Killing.
Christopher Alder was a 37 year old black man and a former paratrooper. He died on 1st April 1998 after being arrested and taken to Queen's Gardens Police Station, Hull. He had been taken to hospital following a fight outside a night club during which he had been hit in the mouth and fallen to the floor.
He was confused and uncooperative at the hospital. On arrival at the police station evidence was heard that he was found motionless in the police van. The video then showed him being dragged into the police station custody suite and placed face down on the floor. Officers were heard to speculate that he was faking illness
From video evidence shown to the jury it was demonstrated that he died after being left unconscious face down on the floor of the custody suite for 11 minutes. His trousers were around his knees, he had been doubly incontinent and blood and vomit formed a pool around him.
Campaign
Christopher's family and INQUEST, the organisation that campaigns against deaths in custody, thanked the jury for returning what they believed to be a just verdict in this case.
Helen Shaw, Co-Director of INQUEST said:
"This inquest was the first where there was video evidence shown of a young man dying on the floor of the custody suite of a police station.
"We call on the Home Secretary to watch this shocking video, and to institute a public inquiry into deaths in custody to ensure that such an appalling incidents never happen again"
This is another unlawful killing verdict on a death in police custody, the sixth such verdict in the last decade. Five of those were black, the sixth, Richard O'Brien was Irish. So who says British justice isn't racist?