14 December 2018

Sutton Coldfield Police Station
Lichfield Road, Sutton Coldfield B74

2pm Tuesday 18 December

After three weeks of evidence, the misconduct panel has retired to consider their findings in relation to the conduct of three West Midlands Police Officers following the death of Kingsley Burrell in 2011. The panel are expected to return their findings at 10am on Tuesday 18 December.

Police officers Paul Adey, 36, Mark Fannon, 45, and Paul Greenfield, 50, are answering allegations that they breached standards of the use of force and honesty and integrity following the death of Kingsley. If the allegations are proven, they have been assessed as amounting to gross misconduct.

Kingsley, a 29 year old Black man from Birmingham, died on 31 March 2011 following a prolonged and brutal restraint by police and a failure by medical staff to provide basic medical care.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS
For further information please contact Lucy McKay or Sarah Uncles on 020 7263 1111 or email Lucy or email Sarah

The family welcome support and invite the public to attend the hearing on Tuesday 18 December 2018. Find out more information on this Event or by following the Justice4Kingsley Campaign page on Facebook.

Background

On 27 March 2011, four days before his death, Kingsley was detained by police under the Mental Health Act and forcibly restrained by means of rear cuffs, leg straps and threats of a taser for 4¼ hours. On 30 March police and a dog unit were called to the hospital, and Kingsley was once again restrained using rear cuffs, leg straps, and the threat of tasers. On the way to another facility, an ambulance worker placed a blanket over Kingsley’s head as he lay chest down on a hospital trolley, still restrained. During the time he was restrained Kingsley was subjected to baton blows, punches, and strikes by police.

Police then left Kingsley lying face down and motionless in a locked seclusion room for around 28 minutes, with his trousers about his knees and the blanket still around his head.  Although medical staff observing him had already seen that his respiration had dropped to a worrying rate, no one entered the room. When they finally did, they found that Kingsley had suffered a cardiac arrest. Further delays followed in locating a functioning defibrillator and calling an ambulance. He never regained consciousness and died the next day.

May 2015: The inquest concluded after six weeks, with the jury finding neglect, amidst a raft of other highly critical findings including that police officers lied about the circumstances in which Kingsley was left in seclusion, and that unreasonable force by police contributed to the death.

May 2015: It was announced that police officers Paul Adey, Mark Fannon, and Paul Greenfield were to face criminal charges of perjury and perverting the course of justice.

4 October 2017: The jury returned a not guilty verdict in the criminal trial of three police officers.