IPCC investigation sees West Midlands Police officers sanctioned after man died in custody
24 Jun 2014 03:18 PM
The
Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has yesterday published
its findings from an investigation into the death of Lloyd
Butler in West Midlands Police custody in August 2010. Two officers were found
to have a case to answer for gross misconduct due to their actions. A civilian
member of staff was also found to have a case to answer for gross
misconduct.
Lloyd Butler, 39, from Sheldon, Birmingham, was arrested
after his family called the police for help after becoming concerned with his
behaviour and his welfare. He died in custody just hours later on 4 August
2010. West Midlands Police referred the incident to the IPCC and Mr
Butler’s family also made a complaint about his
treatment.
The
IPCC interviewed all the officers concerned, viewed CCTV images and took
statements from medical staff who also dealt with Mr Butler. A coroner’s
inquest yesterday found that Mr Butler died of cardiac arrest from an
alcohol-related condition but also found that had he been in hospital he would
have been more likely to survive.
The
IPCC report highlights an alarming number of mistakes and
‘unacceptable’ behaviour by officers on duty in
the custody suite including failures in an observation plan
that required him to be regularly roused and his condition checked. Some of
these visits were missed entirely while others failed to rouse Mr Butler
sufficiently. Further criticisms from
the investigation include:
- PC
Woodcock surfed the internet and made personal calls rather than monitoring
CCTV footage of Mr Butler’s cell;
- PS
Albutt made improper entries in the custody record alleging that officers were
checking more often and more thoroughly than actually occurred;
and
- PC
Woodcock and DEO Wall joked about Mr Butler’s condition and made
insulting remarks about him, including when his trousers fell below his waist,
instead of assisting him;
IPCC Associate Commissioner Guido Liguori
said:
“My thoughts are with Lloyd Butler’s family
and friends for their tragic loss. The indifferent treatment of Mr Butler by
officers and staff of West Midlands Police showed a disregard for both the
stated procedures of detention and also for human decency.
“The care given to Mr Butler fell well short of
what was expected from when he was arrested to the moment he sadly died.
Instead of taking Mr Butler to hospital officers kept him in a police cell and
instead of helping him, PC Woodcock and DEO Wall mocked him. In addition to the
failure to care properly for Mr Butler, this was a worrying case highlighted by
the findings from our investigation that PS Albutt
deliberately recorded incorrect information in the custody record and failed to
adequately monitor Mr Butler, PC Woodcock preferring instead to surf the
internet and make personal calls.”
“Such actions are not what I would expect to see
from the police officers and staff.”
The
IPCC investigation concluded in December of 2011 although
the publication of the findings has awaited the inquest. An internal review of
the evidence was conducted in May 2012 following representations from Mr
Butler’s family. The review found that in the cases of PC Woodcock and
DEO Wall there was a case to answer for gross misconduct rather than
misconduct.
The
case was also referred by the IPCC to the Crown Prosecution Service but they
decided the officers’ actions did not meet the threshold for
prosecution.
At
a misconduct hearing in January 2013, PS Albutt, who was the custody sergeant
at the time, was found guilty of gross misconduct and subject to a final
written warning. PC Woodcock, who arrested Mr Butler and was later tasked with
monitoring him, was found guilty of misconduct and had to undergo further
training and development. Detention Escort Officer Wall, the civilian staff
member, was also found guilty of misconduct and received a written warning and
management advice.
For
media enquiries please contact the IPCC press office on 020 7166
3260