Three British cops are charged with perverting course of justice and perjury over 2011 death of father-of-three

Three West Midlands Police officers have been charged with perverting the course of justice and perjury in connection with the death of Kingsley Burrell in 2011.

Mr Burrell, a student from Winson Green in Birmingham, died from cardiac arrest at the city's Queen Elizabeth Hospital on March 31, 2011 four days after being detained by police.

Officers Paul Adey, 36, Mark Fannon, 45, and Paul Greenfield, 50, are all due to appear at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on October 31.

Mr Burrell had dialled 999 claiming his life was under threat but was then sectioned and taken to a mental health unit, then days later was transferred to hospital.

An inquest jury ruled there were gross failures to get him proper medical attention, and that the use of force to restrain him and place a cover over his head contributed to his death.

In July protesters called for justice more than a year after an inquest found the gross failures contributed to the death of the father-of-three.

During the May 2015 inquest into the death of Mr Burrell the coroner said 'no tragedy like this should ever happen again'.

After a complaint from the victim's family about the evidence of three West Midlands Police officers' during the inquest, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) carried out an investigation.

In October last year it referred the matter to the Crown Prosecution Service 'for them to consider if any criminal offences may have been committed.'

The inquest jury also found that the use of force to restrain him and place a cover over his head contributed to his death

An inquest jury ruled there were gross failures to get him proper medical attention, and that the use of force to restrain him and place a cover over his head contributed to his death

In a statement, a CPS spokesman said: 'Following a referral by the IPCC we have decided there is sufficient evidence to charge three officers from West Midlands Police with perverting the course of justice and perjury in connection with the death of Kingsley Burrell in 2011. 'The officers and the family of Mr Burrell have been informed.

'Criminal proceedings involving the three police constables will now be commenced and each has a right to a fair trial.'

Mr Burrell died after being detained under the Mental Health Act. His relatives have protested for months at what they claimed was a delay in a decision on whether or not to charge, recently staging a sit-in at the CPS Birmingham office to highlight the issue.

West Midlands Police said that Wednesday's charges had been authorised by the director of public prosecutions. The force confirmed the officers have been suspended following the charges.

An initial CPS investigation in 2014 concluded there was not enough evidence to bring criminal charges against anyone involved.

In a statement following the announcement, a spokesman for the family said: 'The Burrell family welcome today's decision to prosecute the three officers concerned, in the belief that they must be publicly held to account for their actions in the circumstances surrounding the death of Kingsley.

'This has been a long time coming and the fight for justice for Kingsley continues. At this stage we have no further comment

Original report here

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