For
almost five years, the family of Roger Sylvester have campaigned to find out
the truth of how Roger, a fit and healthy 30 year old black man, died in the
hands of the police on 11 January 1999 in Tottenham. The jury at the St Pancras
Coroner's Court where the inquest into his death finally took place for almost
five weeks reached an unlawful killing verdict. The verdict prompted the CPS
to announce that they are to review their initial decision not to prosecute
any of the eight police officers who restrained Roger and left him in the
prone position - face down with hands cuffed above his head - for almost 20
minutes until he stopped breathing. Inquest, the organisation which has been
supporting the Sylvester family expects the police officers to be prosecuted
for manslaughter.
Deborah Coles, Co-Director of Inquest said: 'The same thing could
happen tomorrow on the streets of London because the Metropolitan Police have
failed to learn the lessons from previous deaths and incorporate good practice
from other agencies. Roger’s tragic death reveals the systemic failure
of the state to learn the lessons from deaths that have occurred across different
custodial settings. Unless there are clear sanctions against police who breach
their own guidance the message will be sent that they can act with impunity.'