UK: Inquest - "accidental death" decision
01 January 1998
The Exeter inquest into the death of black Dartmoor prisoner, Dennis Stevens, who was physically restrained in a bodybelt for 24 hours before he died, returned a verdict of "accidental death" in December (see Statewatch Vol. 5, no. 6). The inquest was adjourned when the coroner accepted an invitation from the Prison Service to withdraw the verdict of "unlawful killing" from the jury. Mr Stevens' family challenged the decision and with their legal advisors boycotted the resumed hearing in protest.
The withdrawal of the "unlawful killing" option was taken despite undisputed medical evidence that Mr Stevens would not have died "but for the physical restraint in the prone face down position in which he was held for some twenty minutes or more before he was placed in the body belt in which he was found dead 24 hours later." The decision was twice contested by the deceased's family at the Court of Appeal, but was upheld.
Up to this point the jury had, according to the Inquest organisation, heard "ample evidence of fact to conclude that the restraint was unlawful and dangerous and/or grossly negligent..." Police stopped using the bodybelts in 1993 after Joy Gardner died in a police raid during which officers had restrained her prior to deportation.
Helen Shaw, co-director of Inquest, went on to make a scathing criticism of inquest procedure:
"This verdict underlines the inadequacy of the inquest as a forum for the proper and thorough examination of controversial deaths in custody. The narrow remit of the inquest does not allow evidence to be heard about previous deaths or the verdict to reflect the seriously disturbing evidence about the nature of the restraint. The family has been denied any kind of justice by an antiquated and utterly inappropriate process that leaves them feeling betrayed by the British justice system."
After the inquest Stevens' sister, Velma Knight, drew attention to the disproportionate number of black people who die in police custody when she said: "If an animal had died in the barbaric way my brother has, there would be a public outcry. Somebody would be held responsible and no doubt punished. The message I get from the authorities is that blacks don't matter...."
Inquest press release 15 & 18.12.97