Police spied on sister of paratrooper who died in police custody

[Nicholas]

First I don't know why the subject is being discussed here.... It's totally off topic..

It seems he got into a fight and was injured..... Including hitting his head on the pavement
He was taken to hospital for treatment where he was abusive to staff... He refused to have x rays taken of his injury.... He was warned by police, are his conduct but continued the abuse... It may be his actions, we're caused by his head injury.... Who knows..
The police checked with the doctor who confirmed he was fit enough to be arrested... Probably the doctors mistake... He was arrested and died in custody... If his injuries had been recognised and treated he would probably still be here...

What happened to Christopher from the moment the police handcuffed him at the hospital and put him in the back of the police van and why was he dragged into the custody suite? What happened in that van on the journey to the police station?

Why were Christopher's pants and trousers at his ankles?

Why had the belt of his trousers been removed?

Where was it? What happened to Christopher's belt?

[Nicholas]

First I don't know why the subject is being discussed here.... It's totally off topic..

It seems he got into a fight and was injured..... Including hitting his head on the pavement
He was taken to hospital for treatment where he was abusive to staff... He refused to have x rays taken of his injury.... He was warned by police, are his conduct but continued the abuse... It may be his actions, we're caused by his head injury.... Who knows..
The police checked with the doctor who confirmed he was fit enough to be arrested... Probably the doctors mistake... He was arrested and died in custody... If his injuries had been recognised and treated he would probably still be here...

You appear to be dismissing the fact further injuries were found on Christopher that were not present when he was checked over at the hospital.

They could only have been inflicted on him during his journey to the police station?

Do you still think it was the doctors mistake?

What checks did you witness (from the CCTV) the police make on Christopher after unloading him from the back of their van and dragging him into the custody suite?

[Miss Taken Identity]

What happened to Christopher from the moment the police handcuffed him at the hospital and put him in the back of the police van and why was he dragged into the custody suite? What happened in that van on the journey to the police station?

Why were Christopher's pants and trousers at his ankles?

Why had the belt of his trousers been removed?

Where was it? What happened to Christopher's belt?

I too would like to know the answers to these questions. This is shocking, but it has to be said it happened to white people as well, but it it is usually with some kind of ism... being gay, woman refusing advances, all sorts of reasons. The fact that these s..m bags walk free is just the most vile case of miscarriage of Justice.

I am also aware of really great police who are tarred with this brush it does the force no bloody favours, and instills fear on the public they are supposed to SERVE.

My heart goes out to Christopher's family.

All my posts will get removed  so screen grab fast lol

[John]

What happened to Christopher from the moment the police handcuffed him at the hospital and put him in the back of the police van and why was he dragged into the custody suite? What happened in that van on the journey to the police station?

Why were Christopher's pants and trousers at his ankles?

Why had the belt of his trousers been removed?

Where was it? What happened to Christopher's belt?

I think you'll find that belts and shoe laces are removed from arrested persons prior to being put into a cell.

The officers were rightly cleared of unlawful killing but were guilty of a dereliction of duty.  It was an unfortunate incident instigated by the victim himself which had serious consequences.  The police were correct to remove him from the hospital after he refused medical treatment and refused to leave.  Our hard worked NHS personnel have enough to do without pandering to difficult patients.

[Nicholas]

I think you'll find that belts and shoe laces are removed from arrested persons prior to being put into a cell.

He was dragged into the custody suite, from the police van and wasn't placed in a cell - as the footage clearly shows.

What happened to his belt? Where did it go?

[Nicholas]

The officers were rightly cleared of unlawful killing

The "unlawful killing" you refer to was the verdict reached by a jury at Christopher Alder's inquest in August 2000 - where it has been confirmed Christopher's sister Janet and her barrister were spied on.

This verdict was reached BEFORE the 5 police officers stood trial

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/894587.stm

"Five police officers were charged prior to Thursday's inquest verdict on counts of wilful misconduct in public duty in connection with his death.

[Nicholas]

The "unlawful killing" you refer to was the verdict reached by a jury at Christopher Alder's inquest in August 2000 - where it has been confirmed Christopher's sister Janet and her barrister were spied on.

This verdict was reached BEFORE the 5 police officers stood trial

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/894587.stm

"Five police officers were charged prior to Thursday's inquest verdict on counts of wilful misconduct in public duty in connection with his death.

"A tape capturing monkey chants made as a black man lay dead on a police station floor was missed by investigators for nearly four years, it emerged yesterday.
Christopher Alder, 37, died handcuffed and face down in a Hull police station in April 1998 surrounded by police officers, after choking on his own vomit. Sections of the tape show the officers joking and chatting as the former paratrooper died.

Last month five Humberside policemen were cleared of manslaughter and neglect of public duty over the death.

Tapes from the custody suite cameras were seized in April 1998, but a section containing monkey chants and laughter was not investigated until March 2002, a fortnight before the trial began.

Mr Alder's family are furious that this evidence was never put before the jury. The crown prosecution service said it never tried to have this evidence admitted because it could not be determined who was making the noises.

Last night the CPS and West Yorkshire police, who investigated the case, refused to say whether any of the officers on the tape had been questioned about who made the noises.

But a source with knowledge of the investigation told the Guardian that the evidence was found so late none of the five officers was ever asked about the animal noises.

The CPS also said it could not be proved the monkey chanting was racist as someone could have been reacting or laughing at an officer who uttered the word "banana", shortly before the monkey chant is heard on the tape.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/jul/23/race.world

[Nicholas]

"A tape capturing monkey chants made as a black man lay dead on a police station floor was missed by investigators for nearly four years, it emerged yesterday.
Christopher Alder, 37, died handcuffed and face down in a Hull police station in April 1998 surrounded by police officers, after choking on his own vomit. Sections of the tape show the officers joking and chatting as the former paratrooper died.

Last month five Humberside policemen were cleared of manslaughter and neglect of public duty over the death.

Tapes from the custody suite cameras were seized in April 1998, but a section containing monkey chants and laughter was not investigated until March 2002, a fortnight before the trial began.

Mr Alder's family are furious that this evidence was never put before the jury. The crown prosecution service said it never tried to have this evidence admitted because it could not be determined who was making the noises.

Last night the CPS and West Yorkshire police, who investigated the case, refused to say whether any of the officers on the tape had been questioned about who made the noises.

But a source with knowledge of the investigation told the Guardian that the evidence was found so late none of the five officers was ever asked about the animal noises.

The CPS also said it could not be proved the monkey chanting was racist as someone could have been reacting or laughing at an officer who uttered the word "banana", shortly before the monkey chant is heard on the tape.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/jul/23/race.world

"Mr Alder's sister, Janet Alder, said: "West Yorkshire police and the CPS have seen everything. How could they miss it? They just wanted this to go away.

"It's typical of the racist, inhuman and disgraceful way they've treated my family and my brother. They've added to our hurt."

In a letter to Ms Alder, the CPS says an expert determined the sounds on the tape to be "chimpanzee or monkey like". It continued: "It is not possible to infer that there was a racist motivation here."

Barrister Peter Herbert, a member of the attorney general's race advisory body, called for a public inquiry.

He said the missed monkey chants were just one example of a bungled case.

"Anybody with any common sense knows monkey noises [are] evidence of racial abuse," he added.

The officers, who now face an internal disciplinary investigation, have returned to duty after being suspended for four years.

[Nicholas]

The "unlawful killing" you refer to was the verdict reached by a jury at Christopher Alder's inquest in August 2000 - where it has been confirmed Christopher's sister Janet and her barrister were spied on.

This verdict was reached BEFORE the 5 police officers stood trial

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/894587.stm

"Five police officers were charged prior to Thursday's inquest verdict on counts of wilful misconduct in public duty in connection with his death.

"A gross misconduct hearing into intrusive and unauthorised police surveillance of a bereaved family during an inquest opens on Monday 26 February 2018. Between 3 July and 24 August 2000, an inquest took place into Christopher Alder’s death in Humberside police custody. Without appropriate authorisation, a surveillance team was deployed to follow Christopher’s sister, Janet Alder and her legal representative. This came to light only in 2013 and an investigation by the then Independent Police Complaints Commission ensued.

Christopher was a trainee computer programmer and former British Army paratrooper who had been commended for his service. He died on 1 April 1998 on the floor of Queen's Gardens Police Station, Hull following arrest and restraint by Humberside police. The inquest into his death returned a verdict of unlawful killing.

https://www.inquest.org.uk/christopher-alder-survellance

[Nicholas]

The officers were rightly cleared of unlawful killing but were guilty of a dereliction of duty.  It was an unfortunate incident instigated by the victim himself which had serious consequences.

I disagree and I also find it suspect that Janet Alder and her barrister Leslie Thomas QC were being spied on prior to the trial of the 5 police officers

"However the surveillance that took place went far beyond the strictly limited authorised terms of surveillance. The operations commander and the deputy operations commander of Humberside Police’s surveillance team at the time, who have been given anonymity during this hearing, sanctioned intrusive surveillance. Janet Alder and her legal representative were followed away from the Court to a hotel and a car park where there was an attempt to listen to conversations between them. Those conversations included or were likely to include matters which were private, confidential and subject to legal professional privilege.

[Nicholas]

Deborah Coles, director of INQUEST said:

“It is reprehensible that police spied on a bereaved sister and her lawyer during an inquest. This was a clear attempt to intimidate and undermine their attempt to get to the truth about the brutal reality of Christopher’s death. The unlawful killing of Christopher Alder is of significant public interest, as is the shocking treatment of his family in the following years.

We hope this hearing will identify appropriate sanctions for those involved in this gross invasion of privacy. At a time when the undercover policing inquiry is yet to hear evidence, this hearing is an important moment in the wider public understanding of invasive and inappropriate police spying.”  https://www.inquest.org.uk/christopher-alder-survellance

[Nicholas]

The officers were rightly cleared of unlawful killing but were guilty of a dereliction of duty.  It was an unfortunate incident instigated by the victim himself which had serious consequences.  The police were correct to remove him from the hospital after he refused medical treatment and refused to leave.

"The government has agreed to pay more than £22,000 compensation to the family of Christopher Alder, who choked to death in a Hull police station in 1998.
A judgement on the case was due to be given by the European Court of Human Rights but the government decided it would settle.
The government said it regretted the "treatment in custody" of Mr Alder, 37.
A separate probe is under way after a mortuary mix-up led to the wrong person being buried at Mr Alder's funeral.
Police were accused of "unwitting racism" over the death of Mr Alder, a former paratrooper, after he was arrested at Hull Royal Infirmary for an alleged breach of the peace.
He had been injured in a scuffle outside a hotel in Hull city centre before being taken to the hospital for treatment.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-15837490

[Nicholas]

"The government has agreed to pay more than £22,000 compensation to the family of Christopher Alder, who choked to death in a Hull police station in 1998.
A judgement on the case was due to be given by the European Court of Human Rights but the government decided it would settle.
The government said it regretted the "treatment in custody" of Mr Alder, 37.
A separate probe is under way after a mortuary mix-up led to the wrong person being buried at Mr Alder's funeral.
Police were accused of "unwitting racism" over the death of Mr Alder, a former paratrooper, after he was arrested at Hull Royal Infirmary for an alleged breach of the peace.
He had been injured in a scuffle outside a hotel in Hull city centre before being taken to the hospital for treatment.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-15837490

The government accepted there had not been an "effective and independent" investigation and that amounted to a human rights violation.

[Nicholas]

The officers were rightly cleared of unlawful killing but were guilty of a dereliction of duty.  It was an unfortunate incident instigated by the victim himself which had serious consequences.  The police were correct to remove him from the hospital after he refused medical treatment and refused to leave.  Our hard worked NHS personnel have enough to do without pandering to difficult patients.

"A separate probe is under way after a mortuary mix-up led to the wrong person being buried at Mr Alder's funeral.
Police were accused of "unwitting racism" over the death of Mr Alder, a former paratrooper, after he was arrested at Hull Royal Infirmary for an alleged breach of the peace.
He had been injured in a scuffle outside a hotel in Hull city centre before being taken to the hospital for treatment.

His sister Janet has spent the past 13 years campaigning about various aspects of his death.

She took her case to the court in Strasbourg, alleging there had been a violation of the substantive aspects of two articles of the European Convention on Human Rights - Article 3, which prohibits torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and Article 14, which prohibits discrimination.
She also alleged "a breach of the procedural guarantees" of Article 3 along with Article 2, the right to life.
The court said it had discontinued the case after receiving the government's statement.

[Nicholas]

"A separate probe is under way after a mortuary mix-up led to the wrong person being buried at Mr Alder's funeral.
Police were accused of "unwitting racism" over the death of Mr Alder, a former paratrooper, after he was arrested at Hull Royal Infirmary for an alleged breach of the peace.
He had been injured in a scuffle outside a hotel in Hull city centre before being taken to the hospital for treatment.

His sister Janet has spent the past 13 years campaigning about various aspects of his death.

She took her case to the court in Strasbourg, alleging there had been a violation of the substantive aspects of two articles of the European Convention on Human Rights - Article 3, which prohibits torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and Article 14, which prohibits discrimination.
She also alleged "a breach of the procedural guarantees" of Article 3 along with Article 2, the right to life.
The court said it had discontinued the case after receiving the government's statement.

"The government accepted there had not been an "effective and independent" investigation and that amounted to a human rights violation.

The government has agreed to pay more than £22,000 compensation to the family of Christopher Alder, who choked to death in a Hull police station in 1998.

A judgement on the case was due to be given by the European Court of Human Rights but the government decided it would settle.

The government said it regretted the "treatment in custody" of Mr Alder, 37.

A separate probe is under way after a mortuary mix-up led to the wrong person being buried at Mr Alder's funeral.
Police were accused of "unwitting racism" over the death of Mr Alder, a former paratrooper, after he was arrested at Hull Royal Infirmary for an alleged breach of the peace.

He had been injured in a scuffle outside a hotel in Hull city centre before being taken to the hospital for treatment.

His sister Janet has spent the past 13 years campaigning about various aspects of his death.

She took her case to the court in Strasbourg, alleging there had been a violation of the substantive aspects of two articles of the European Convention on Human Rights - Article 3, which prohibits torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and Article 14, which prohibits discrimination.

She also alleged "a breach of the procedural guarantees" of Article 3 along with Article 2, the right to life.

The court said it had discontinued the case after receiving the government's statement.

The government accepted there had not been an "effective and independent" investigation and that amounted to a human rights violation.

It said the treatment of Mr Alder in custody also amounted to a violation of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The government has agreed to pay 26,500 euros (£22,770) to the family, plus 7,500 euros (£6,440) to cover legal costs and expenses.

Reacting to the compensation, Mr Alder's sister told the BBC: "I see it as an admission that what we've been fighting for for 13 years was true and that the government had failed to hold them accountable."

Ten years ago, a coroner's jury decided Mr Alder was unlawfully killed.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-15837490