Family’s anguish continues over death
Sister’s battle for justice after killing in custody
CHRISTOPHER ALDER was 37 when he died on the floor of a police station in Hull with officers standing around him making racist monkey noises, yet so few have heard of his story.
Falklands veteran Mr Alder died in April 1998 after he was arrested for breaching the peace following a fracas outside a nightclub, in which he was punched and taken to hospital.
CCTV showed officers drag the father- of- two’s motionless body into the custody suite where he was left handcuffed, gasping for breath, for 11 minutes before dying. No attempts were made to seek medical help.
Audio footage from several officers recorded what are widely regarded to be monkey noises and racist slurs.
In a further cruel turn of fate, the wrong body was released when it came to Mr Alder being laid to rest two years later, and the body of Grace Kamara, a Nigerian woman in her 70s, was buried in his place.
Thefamilydidnotfindoutthey had been mourning the wrong body until 11 years later.
Despite an inquest ruling a verdict of unlawful killing, no individual or organisation has ever been officially held to account for what happened to Mr Alder and the subsequent trauma of the wrong burial.
“It’s something that still gives me nightmares,” his sister Janet Alder said.
Ms Alder has continued to campaign for justice for Christopher and is currently crowdfunding for legal action against South Yorkshire Police, who investigated the mix- up.
Five officers were charged in 2002 with manslaughter and misconduct over Mr Alder’s death, then acquitted on the orders of the judge.
An Independent Police Complaints Commission review found the officers were guilty of “the most serious neglect of duty” and “unwitting racism”.
Mr Alder’s clothing from the night of his death, meanwhile, was destroyed.
“All I can think about is the amount of lies involved in Christopher’s case,” Ms Alder said.
“We buried Christopher in
2000 and in 2011 I found out his body was still in the mortuary.
“It was a 77- year- old Nigerian lady we buried – she had been in the mortuary at the time as her family couldn’t get a visa.
“[ South Yorkshire Police] were
asking me all the questions and tried to turn it on me, as if I was the one that was responsible.
“They asked me who released Christopher’s body from the mortuary that day. How would I know that?”
South Yorkshire Police told The Yorkshire Post it was “aware of the concerns raised by Mrs Alder” and was “currently exploring the detail of those concerns”.
“Psychologically, I have had trouble sleeping and suffer from constant nightmares – I had one the other night about Christopher in his grave.
“It’s just absolutely traumatic. I constantly wake up in sweats.”
Over the years, the case has garnered support from social justice campaigners, in particular from the Black Lives Matter movement who earlier this year asked Ms Alder to speak at a protest in Hull city centre.
“What happened with George Floyd triggered everything again for me.
“I think racism in this country is hidden a lot better. Why do people not know about Christopher’s case when it’s so horrific?”
What happened with George Floyd triggered everything again. Janet Alder, sister of Christopher Alder.