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CPS decision on Christopher Alder and Grace Kamara body mix up
Independent Police Complaints Commission Report [dated 27 Feb 2016 into the events leading up to and following the death of Christopher Alder on 1 April 1998]
CPS decision on Christopher Alder and Grace Kamara body mix up
Independent Police Complaints Commission Report [dated 27 Feb 2016 into the events leading up to and following the death of Christopher Alder on 1 April 1998]
VIDEO
BBC Look North: Broadcast on 22 Nov 2011.
Newspaper Reports
Hull Daily Mail, April 6, 1998, p5.
Group may hold clues FOUR people could hold vital information about the death of a man following an alleged assault outside a Hull nightclub, police said today. Detectives investigating the death of Christopher Alder, today said they wanted to speak to a group of Asians, who they believe witnessed an incident the 38-year-old was involved in before he died. Mr Alder, from Lisle Court, Dagger Lane, Hull died while in custody at Queen's Gardens police station in the early hours of Wednesday April 1. He had been arrested at Hull Royal Infirmary, where he had been taken for treatment to injuries he suffered outside the Waterfront nightclub on Princes Dock Street hours earlier. Detective Chief Inspector Paul Davison, deputy senior investigating officer in the case, said he believed two of the men they wanted to talk to were called Faisal and Alzubir. Anyone who may have witnessed the assault or knows the identity of the four men was today urged to contact the incident room at Tower Grange. Mr Jason Alexander Paul (27) of Albany Street, Hull, has appeared before Hull Magistrates Court charged with grievous bodily harm with intent in connection with Mr Alder's death. He has been remanded on conditional bail and will appear before the court again on May 1. |
" Hull Daily Mail, August 18, 1998, p2.
Custody death inquiry completed AN INVESTIGATION into the death in police custody of reveller Christopher Alder has been completed and the findings passed to the Crown Prosecution Service. Inquiries into the incident at Queens Gardens police station, Hull, were carried out by a West Yorkshire officer, Superintendent John Holt, on behalf of the Police Complaints Authority, Mr Alder died as he was being booked in at the custody suite of the police station on April 1. Mr Alder, 37, of Lisle Court in Hull's Old Town had earlier been arrested for an alleged breach of the peace at Hull Royal Infirmary where he had refused treatment for a head injury sustained in an incident outside the Waterfront nightclub on Princes Dock Street, Hull. Five police officers were suspended from duty pending the outcome of the investigation supervised by the PCA. The preliminary report from Supt Holt was received by the PCA on 9 July but following careful examination of all the evidence further investigations were requested. Now that work has been done, the case has been passed to the CPS. The deputy chairman of the PCA, Mr John Cartwright, said: "Having received additional statements and the items of evidence, the authority has concluded that the investigation into all the circumstances of the death of Mr Alder is complete." "The PCA completed the supervision of the investigation within our target time." An inquest into the death of Mr Alder has been opened and adjourned. |
!Hull Daily Mail, July 24, 1999, p.
FIVE Humberside Police officers suspended after the death of a man in custody are to face criminal charges. Christopher Alder, 37, of Lisle Court, Hull, died while being booked into the custody suite of Hull's Queens Gardens police station on April 1 last year. The matter was referred to the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) and an investigation was headed by West Yorkshire Police under the supervision of the PCA. Now the five officers, who were suspended following Mr Alder's death, are to be charged with misconduct in a public office (Common Law). They will remain suspended from duty, but have not been named. It is understood they will be charged within days. Mr Alder, who lived in the Old Town, was arrested for an alleged breach of the peace at Hull Royal Infirmary, where he was taken for treatment for injuries he sustained in an earlier incident outside the Waterfront nightclub in the city. Since his death, his family have been campaigning to find out what happened to him and today welcomed the charges. His sister Janet Alder, 37, of Burnley, Lancashire said: "I want the whole truth to come out, Christopher deserves to be buried with dignity." Miss Alder, who has held meetings across the whole of the north of England, received the news from a member of Manchester Crown Prosecution Service, which has been examining the files. Christopher's brother Richard, 40, from Hawthorn Avenue, west Hull, added: "We have been living day by day." 'We can't stop grieving until it goes to court." Family friend Andy Makin, 46, who has fought to find out what happened, said they were glad there was going to be a court case. |
Hull Daily Mail, August 24, 2000, p1.
FORMER paratrooper Christopher Alder who died in handcuffs in police custody was killed unlawfully, an inquest ruled today. Mr Alder, 37, who was decorated for his service with the Army in Northern Ireland, died with his hands cuffed behind his back and his trousers around his knees on the floor of a police custody suite. The inquest at Hull Crown Court heard that officers stood by laughing and joking while the father of two lay dying on the floor. A jury today returned a verdict of unlawful killing after hearing almost seven weeks of evidence, including statement from more than 120 witnesses. Friends and supporters of Mr Alder, who had long campaigned for answers into the circumstances surrounding his death, cheered when the verdict was announced. Several members of the public shouted "yes" and "go on Chrisi" while others were in tears. Immediately after the inquest, Mr Alder's sister, Janet, led the family and supporters in a one-minute silence on the steps of the court. After the silence, Miss Alder, who had attended every day of the inquest, said: "Justice is now seen to be done. It has been a long time coming." "There was only one true verdict and I thank the jury for making the right decision. This is just the beginning." Mr Alder, of Lisle Court, Dagger Lane, Old Town, Hull, died in the custody suite at Queens Gardens Police Station in April 1998. After asking members of the public to quieten down, Hull and East Yorkshire Coroner Geoffrey Saul said: "This has been a tense and often highly-charged inquest. Emotions have run high, and none of us will ever forget Christopher Alder. Not one of us can bring him back I'm sure none of us will forget Christopher, including myself." |
Hull Daily Mail, November 7, 2011, p1
FAMILIES' HORROR AS COUNCIL BURIES THE WRONG BODY; Fury as soldier found in morgue 11 years after funeral ; 'I want people to be accountable'
A mix-up at Hull's mortuary led to the wrong body being buried. Two families have spoken of their horror after a mortuary mix-up led to the wrong body being buried. It is believed the body of a 77-year-old woman was buried instead of that of Christopher Alder, 37, following his death in police custody. His funeral took place in 2000 but, on Friday, Hull City Council discovered his body in the mortuary at Hull Royal Infirmary. It has been lying where the body of Grace Kamara should have been. It is now thought Mrs Kamara's body was buried in Mr Alder's grave by mistake. The council has promised a full investigation but both families are furious. Christine Omoregie, a close friend of Mrs Kamara for 32 years, said the family wants the body at Mr Alder's grave exhumed. She said: "We are waiting to see when the council can exhume the body to confirm whether it is Grace or not. She needs a proper burial." The funeral was organised for Friday but, when we asked to see the body, they said they couldn't find it. "Family and friends had come from Nigeria and London and we were all set for the funeral, but we were misled." "They deceived us and took us for fools. The council has treated us with no humanity." Janet Alder, whose brother Christopher died while handcuffed in custody at Queens Gardens police station in 1998, also spoke of her anger. She said: "It is just insult after insult after insult. "I am absolutely appalled. A lot of people must have known what was going on but they refuse to give our family peace and truth." "I want people to be held accountable for this. We have been lied to." "The authorities should be appalled with themselves." Mrs Kamara, who was originally from Nigeria but lived in Hull for 40 years, died in 1999 from natural causes. Her body was initially held at the mortuary until a blood relative could identify her. But red tape and health problems delayed the body's release. The council finally agreed with her family to arrange Mrs Kamara's funeral for Friday. The mix-up was then revealed when Mr Alder's body was found where Mrs Kamara's should have been. Council chief executive Nicola Yates promised an investigation. She said: "On Friday, I was made aware of a situation relating to the body of a man, who was in his late thirties, located in the city mortuary." The body lay in place of where Grace Kamara had been recorded as resting." "At the moment I cannot explain this." "I can confirm that the body of the man has been identified as that of Christopher Alder."
FAMILIES' HORROR AS COUNCIL BURIES THE WRONG BODY; Fury as soldier found in morgue 11 years after funeral ; 'I want people to be accountable'
A mix-up at Hull's mortuary led to the wrong body being buried. Two families have spoken of their horror after a mortuary mix-up led to the wrong body being buried. It is believed the body of a 77-year-old woman was buried instead of that of Christopher Alder, 37, following his death in police custody. His funeral took place in 2000 but, on Friday, Hull City Council discovered his body in the mortuary at Hull Royal Infirmary. It has been lying where the body of Grace Kamara should have been. It is now thought Mrs Kamara's body was buried in Mr Alder's grave by mistake. The council has promised a full investigation but both families are furious. Christine Omoregie, a close friend of Mrs Kamara for 32 years, said the family wants the body at Mr Alder's grave exhumed. She said: "We are waiting to see when the council can exhume the body to confirm whether it is Grace or not. She needs a proper burial." The funeral was organised for Friday but, when we asked to see the body, they said they couldn't find it. "Family and friends had come from Nigeria and London and we were all set for the funeral, but we were misled." "They deceived us and took us for fools. The council has treated us with no humanity." Janet Alder, whose brother Christopher died while handcuffed in custody at Queens Gardens police station in 1998, also spoke of her anger. She said: "It is just insult after insult after insult. "I am absolutely appalled. A lot of people must have known what was going on but they refuse to give our family peace and truth." "I want people to be held accountable for this. We have been lied to." "The authorities should be appalled with themselves." Mrs Kamara, who was originally from Nigeria but lived in Hull for 40 years, died in 1999 from natural causes. Her body was initially held at the mortuary until a blood relative could identify her. But red tape and health problems delayed the body's release. The council finally agreed with her family to arrange Mrs Kamara's funeral for Friday. The mix-up was then revealed when Mr Alder's body was found where Mrs Kamara's should have been. Council chief executive Nicola Yates promised an investigation. She said: "On Friday, I was made aware of a situation relating to the body of a man, who was in his late thirties, located in the city mortuary." The body lay in place of where Grace Kamara had been recorded as resting." "At the moment I cannot explain this." "I can confirm that the body of the man has been identified as that of Christopher Alder."