28 June 201520 December 2022 4WardEverUK

Mothers and sons. On children who died in UK prisons

source: The Justice Gap
published: 24 June 2015

Joseph Scholes and Adam Rickwood died within weeks of being placed in penal institutions. Carolyne Willow met the boys’ mothers, and tells their stories in her shocking book, Children Behind Bars.

Joseph’s story:
Joseph Scholes loved Lego. Every Christmas he would ask for the biggest set, the castle or the pirate galleon, and spend the day building. Joseph was one of four children, he belonged to a close family: they ate meals together around the kitchen table, had regular holidays and enjoyed each others’ company.

6 June 201520 December 2022 4WardEverUK

Jury convicts female L.A. officer of assault in deadly arrest

source: OCR News
published: 5 June 2015

Jurors on Friday convicted a female Los Angeles police officer of felony assault for repeatedly kicking a handcuffed woman who later died.

The jury of 11 women and one man reached its verdict after about two days of deliberations in the trial of Officer Mary O’Callaghan, 50. She pleaded not guilty to assaulting a civilian in the 2012 arrest of Alesia Thomas, 35.

Dressed in a black pantsuit, O’Callaghan wiped her face, appearing to cry after the verdict was read.

Robert Rico, O’Callaghan’s attorney, said he plans to appeal and ask for a new trial.

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29 May 201520 December 2022 4WardEverUK

Seni Lewis death: No action against police, prosecutors say

source: BBC News
published: 29 May 2015

No criminal action will be taken against police involved in the death of a man restrained by officers in a London psychiatric hospital. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said there was insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction.

Olaseni (Seni) Lewis, who had mental health problems, was a patient at Bethlem Royal Hospital, in Beckenham. He was restrained three times, first by hospital staff and then by police, in the 45 minutes before his collapse.