Film prompts new demands for Alder public inquiry
01 March 2004
On 14 April the BBC documentary programme, Death on Camera revealed the shocking last minutes of the death of Christopher Alder when it showed CCTV footage of the 37-year old former paratrooper choking to death on the floor of Queen's Gardens police station in April 1998. The harrowing footage showed Christopher, face down on the station floor with his trousers around his knees and his hands handcuffed behind his back, struggling to breath as police officers speculated on whether he was feigning illness for up to ten minutes. He received no assistance throughout. The decision to release the video was made by Christopher's sister, Janet, who described it as an "extreme measure" designed to win a public inquiry into her brother's death. She added "It was not an easy decision to make but we feel that ordinary people need to know what's going on" (see Statewatch Vol 8 no 6, Vol 9 no 5).
Following the programme Home Secretary, David Blunkett, asked for a review of the investigation into Christopher's death. Rejecting a request to meet the Alder family personally to hear their arguments for a public inquiry he said: "I am asking the new Independent Police Complaints Commission to have another look at this and report" adding "Public inquiries...cannot be triggered by TV footage of material which was already known during the investigations."
Janet Alder, who is supported by the Justice for Christopher Alder Campaign, INQUEST, the United Families and Friends Campaign and the Monitoring Group North in her demands, said that she was "disappointed, but not surprised" at the home secretary's decision. She added: "We do not want a review - we want a public inquiry. A review is another blockade, another obstacle towards finding the truth". The family will take their case to the European Court of Human Rights.
In June 2000 five police officers were cleared, before they gave any evidence, of Christopher Alder's manslaughter and misconduct after a judge directed a jury to find them not guilty. An inquest into Christopher's death in August 2000, at which the police officers involved refused to give evidence, recorded a finding of unlawful killing (see Statewatch Vol 10 no 5, Vol 11 no 2). Hull police officers failed in a legal attempt to have the unanimous unlawful killing inquest verdict overturned in April 2001 (see Statewatch vol 11 no 2).
The Christopher Alder Campaign can be contacted on 01282 832319