Father of man shot dead by police wins challenge against watchdog

THE father of a man shot dead by police has won a High Court challenge against a watchdog’s decision not to re-investigate the actions of an armed officer.

Lewis Skelton, 31, was carrying an axe through Hull city centre when he was tasered four times and shot twice in the back by police on November 29 2016. He later died in hospital.

The former police watchdog, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), investigated the shooting but took no further action against the Humberside Police officer who fired the fatal shots, known only as B50.

After an inquest found that Mr Skelton was unlawfully killed in 2021, the IPCC’s successor, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), decided not to re-investigate the case despite finding two flaws in the initial review.

Mr Skelton’s father, Glenn Skelton, challenged the finding at the High Court, with Mrs Justice Hull ruling yesterday that it should be quashed and a new decision be made.

Lewis Skelton, who had struggled with mental health problems, was reported to police through four 999 calls after being seen walking with an axe.

After being found by armed police, B50 and another officer – known only as Charlie – fired their Tasers, but this had no effect.

B50 then shot him twice in the back from close range with a pistol, with an IPCC investigation finding that “it was his honestly held belief that Mr Skelton posed a threat” to members of the public.

An inquest jury ruled in October 2021 that Mr Skelton was unlawfully killed, with the High Court rejecting a legal challenge against the decision by B50 last year.

The IOPC found two flaws in the IPCC’s initial review of the incident, relating to B50’s perception of Mr Skelton’s speed and his allegation that he was behaving in a threatening way.

But it deemed a new investigation was unnecessary.

In a two-day hearing in Leeds in February this year, barristers for Glenn Skelton claimed the IOPC had misapplied its policy and its review “had been working on the basis that Mr Skelton posed a greater threat than was justified”, meaning some of its conclusions were “irrational or unreasonable” as a result.

While the IOPC opposed the challenge, Mrs Justice Hill said: “Given the direct relevance of both the flaws to the investigator’s analysis, it must follow that if the flaws had not occurred, the decisions taken in the investigation might have been different.”

In a statement following the decision, Mr Skelton’s family said: “It is now seven-and-a-half years since Lewis was shot dead, there has still been no acceptance from Humberside Police, the officer, or the IOPC that anything really went wrong that day.”

An IOPC spokesperson said: “This decision not to reinvestigate was subject to a judicial review and we note today’s ruling. We will now carefully consider the judge’s comments before determining our next steps.”

Humberside Police declined to comment.