Suspend officers involved in broken neck incident, family tells police chief
|
Version 0 of 1. The family of a man whose neck was found to be broken after he was arrested by police have called for officers involved in the detention to be suspended. Julian Cole, 21, was left in a vegetative state following his arrest outside a nightclub in Bedford in May 2013. The case is being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which had asked for the six Bedfordshire police officers to be suspended or placed on restricted duties. The force refused. Six Bedfordshire police officers are under criminal investigation and have been questioned over potential offences of grievous bodily harm and misconduct in public office. They deny wrongdoing. Two door staff from the club have also been questioned over potential grievous bodily harm. Colette Paul, the Bedfordshire chief constable, has claimed media reporting of the case has been inaccurate and said it was not a “race-related incident”. In a statement, the family of Cole, originally from London, said: “The chief constable says that she is fully supportive of the investigation and yet she has ignored the IPCC’s call for the six officers involved in the incident to be suspended or put on restricted duties. “And she fails to follow her own advice about not pre-empting the investigation by declaring that race is not an issue in the case before the IPCC have concluded the investigation or formally reported on the issue.” The family claim they were misled by an officer about details of the case after the incident in May 2013. They say one officer told them Cole was talking after his arrest, but this would be impossible with a severed spinal cord. Another allegedly said Cole was drunk. He had consumed alcohol, but tests show he was under the drink-drive limit. Cole’s family said: “We call on Colette Paul to suspend the officers involved and volunteer to discipline the officer who nearly derailed the investigation by circulating misinformation before it had even begun.” Cole, a sports science student at Bedfordshire University, suffered a so-called hangman’s fracture, with experts saying considerable force was used on his neck while his head was pulled back. He was arrested by police on suspicion of a public order offence, now dropped because of the injuries he suffered. The family are angered because 20 months after the arrest, the IPCC cannot say or refuses to say publicly who was responsible for the injuries or whether it amounts to criminal conduct. The police watchdog has apologised for delays. , Paul, who also serves as the national police lead on relations with the media, said reporting of the case first by the Guardian and then by the BBC was “inaccurate”. “It concerns me, however, when I see inaccurate reporting as this compromises both the relationship between police and the press; as well as the relationship with our public,” she said. The chief constable added: “The recent media coverage has strongly suggested that officers are culpable for Mr Cole’s injuries. An investigation is currently under way and IPCC are considering all potential suspects. “To date, they have not reached any conclusions regarding this case so it is therefore inaccurate and inappropriate to apportion blame to Bedfordshire police officers or any other suspects whilst the investigation is still under way. The Guardian also includes a comment from Mr Cole’s family citing the views of IPCC, who have denied that any such conclusions or comments have been made. “The coverage has also drawn comparisons with incidents of alleged police brutality against black people in the United States suggesting that this is a race-related incident. The IPCC have confirmed that this is NOT substantiated by the IPCC. I would urge the media to report more responsibly as such inferences can have serious adverse effects on our ability to police richly diverse counties such as Bedfordshire and can be extremely damaging.” |