Police involved in the fatal arrest of Smiley Culture will not face any charges

originally by: The Guardian
2nd September 2011

Police officers who carried out the raid in which the reggae star Smiley Culture allegedly stabbed himself to death are unlikely to face criminal charges, disciplinary action or be officially questioned, the Guardian has learned. The disclosure comes despite an admission by the Independent Police Complaints Commission that the operation at the singer’s home in Warlingham, Surrey, on 15 March was “not satisfactory” and that the actions of at least one officer have been criticised.

In a confidential letter to the singer’s family, Mike Franklin, commissioner of the IPCC, said: “The [IPCC] investigation has identified aspects of the operation which were not satisfactory, and criticisms have been made of some of the officer’s actions. However, these do not meet the threshold for misconduct under the police misconduct system.”

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Police admit failure to treat Chinese man’s murder as racist

originally by: The Guardian
published: 23rd August 2011

The family of a murdered Chinese man have received a public apology after the police admitted that officers had failed to treat an attack by a gang of youths as a racist murder. Lothian and Borders police said on Tuesday there were a series of “significant” and unacceptable flaws in its investigation into the killing last year of Simon San, a 40-year-old takeaway worker.

San died from severe head injuries after he was attacked by a group of white youths outside the family’s Chinese takeaway at Lochend in Edinburgh. San’s head hit the ground with fatal force after one attacker, John Reid, 16, struck him with a “poleaxe” blow.

After admitting culpable homicide, Reid was jailed for five years while two other attackers, also 16, had their sentences for assault later cut to 26 and 24 months.

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