Police spied on sister of custody death Para
TWO policemen spied on a woman who was campaigning to discover the truth about her brother’s death in custody, a disciplinary hearing was told yesterday.
Ex-Paratrooper Christopher Alder, 37, choked to death while handcuffed and face down on the floor of a police station in Hull in 1998 while officers stood around chatting.
CCTV footage showed them joking as the Falklands veteran gasped for breath.
An inquest in July 2000 found Mr Alder was unlawfully killed. Afterwards two officers conducted surveillance on his sister Janet Alder and her lawyer.
The pair, who cannot be named and were not involved in Mr Alder’s death, were supposed to be watching activists outside the building.
They deny gross misconduct but face the sack if found guilty. Speaking from behind screens at a Humberside Police disciplinary hearing, they claimed they believed they were following orders from superiors.
The spying was discovered when then Home Secretary Theresa May ordered forces to check their records after officers were found to have spied on the family of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence.
In 2002, five officers were accused of manslaughter and misconduct over Mr Alder’s death but acquitted on a judge’s orders. The disciplinary hearing continues.