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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/feb/16/stop-officer-retiring-sister-sean-rigg-died-met-police-custody
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Scotland Yard blocks retirement of officer over Sean Rigg death | |
(about 3 hours later) | |
Met rescinds request to retire before disciplinary action can be taken over death in police van | |
Kevin Rawlinson and | Kevin Rawlinson and |
Vikram Dodd | Vikram Dodd |
Fri 16 Feb 2018 18.23 GMT | |
First published on Fri 16 Feb 2018 12.42 GMT | |
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Scotland Yard has blocked the retirement of one of the officers responsible for the care of Sean Rigg, who died while in police custody in 2008, to ensure that disciplinary action could be brought against him. | |
A statement from the Met police read: “A police sergeant investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct in connection with the death of Sean Rigg has today been suspended by the Metropolitan Police Service, having had his request to retire from the MPS rescinded.” | |
The move followed a call by Marcia Rigg, the sister of Sean Rigg, for Scotland Yard to take action. | |
She spoke on Friday as her lawyer revealed that the custody sergeant on duty on the night her brother died – one of two officers against whom the Met is understood to be due to begin gross misconduct proceedings – had informed the force of his intention to retire next Tuesday. | |
The Guardian understands that Sgt Paul White is accused of lying to Rigg’s inquest, as well as to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigators. Another officer, PC Mark Harratt, is understood to face the same allegation, as well as a further one of bringing the Met into disrepute by altering his evidence. | The Guardian understands that Sgt Paul White is accused of lying to Rigg’s inquest, as well as to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigators. Another officer, PC Mark Harratt, is understood to face the same allegation, as well as a further one of bringing the Met into disrepute by altering his evidence. |
Marcia Rigg’s lawyer, Daniel Machover, said White’s retirement would have prevented him from facing disciplinary charges. | |
White told investigators and the coroner he checked on Sean Rigg in the back of a police van at Brixton police station shortly before the 40-year-old died on 21 August 2008. | White told investigators and the coroner he checked on Sean Rigg in the back of a police van at Brixton police station shortly before the 40-year-old died on 21 August 2008. |
White was found not guilty of a criminal charge of perjury in relation to the same evidence in 2016. This week the watchdog ordered Scotland Yard to bring gross misconduct proceedings, which would require a lower burden of proof than a criminal charge. | |
White told the police watchdog in 2009 he checked on Rigg in the van and repeated the claim at the inquest at Southwark coroner’s court in 2012. | White told the police watchdog in 2009 he checked on Rigg in the van and repeated the claim at the inquest at Southwark coroner’s court in 2012. |
White agreed that this could not have been true after he was shown CCTV that contradicted him. He said he had made a mistake and was completely shellshocked. “I just apologised because I knew I was wrong,” he told Southwark crown court during his perjury trial. | |
A change in the rules has allowed forces to pursue officers for misconduct even after they retire, but it only applies to cases that arose after 2012, meaning White’s retirement would prevent the force bringing proceedings against him. | |
Deborah Coles, director of the criminal justice charity Inquest, had earlier urged the IOPC and the Met to stop the officer from retiring. “After the highly critical Angiolini review on deaths in custody, we cannot allow officers to continue to evade potential sanctions,” she said. | |
Metropolitan police | Metropolitan police |
Deaths in custody | Deaths in custody |
Police | Police |
London | London |
news | news |
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