Oh and Ed, you’re a prick. 24-carat.

Secondly, many comments here seem to say oh he was a criminal therefore his death in custody was okay. I beg to differ. We are a liberal democracy where even those accused of the most heinous crimes must be given the same protection under the law. Therefore, him being a criminal or not does not really have any bearing on this investigation.

This also does not by any means suggest that the police were at fault — but we will only know when the investigation is complete and the truth unfolds.

However, this matter of custodial death deserves our attention and that should be the case irrespective of race.

I’m not convinced that there is anything at all suspicious about this death. He was (as the family admits) a drug user, he swallowed a package of something-or-other during a legitimate police search, he died despite the efforts of the police, ambulance services and doctors.

To the doubters: I am ready to accept that maybe that this was am ‘accident’ and Officers panicked – but
are you ready to accept that Officers used excessive restraint and holds on him (there were five remember)which lead to his death?

That’s not what the IPCC report says. The first (inconclusive) postmortem, according to them, was on the 4th of July. They had been notified by the police of the death at 00:30 that morning, four hours after the time of death. The package was removed from the Mr Ullah’s windpipe by doctors at the hospital (presumably as part of the efforts to keep him alive – doctors are quite reluctant to leave blockages in people’s airways while trying to resuscitate them).

In terms of what has happened, we need to see this incident in the context of the many deaths in custody that have been taking place in this country over the last four decades since David Oluwales death in 1969. These deaths have disportionately effected African, African-Caribbean and Asian communities – see the following links:

http://www.irr.org.uk/2002/november/ak000006.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversial_Deaths_in_UK_Police_Custody

There are grave concerns about the how Habib was restrained and what is crucial is that there are two witnesses who were in the vehicle with him when he was stopped who are confirming that he was assaulted. There were TWO autopsies carried out and only one states that he had an object in his windpipe and that was carried out by the Police without the family being notified and the IPCC being brought in. The second autopsy supervised by the IPCC was inconclusive. There are a number of incidents of Police interference with the case all the way through which are also being investigated. Additionally there is direct evidence of a previous attack on Habib by the Police five months earlier which has been brought to light and the fact remains that no Habib had no criminal record linked to drugs and to date there has been no confirmation of what was seized.

If you go research and look at the links and have worked like I have for more than two decades as a Youth worker with a range of communities you get to see the wider picture. There are too many deaths,too many questions and concerns and always too many excuses in return. In the words of Benjamin Zephaniah:

‘Why is it so official
That black people are so often killed
Without killers?’

From ‘What Stephen Lawrence has taught us’

No justice no Peace!
Justice for Habib’Paps’Ullah

I’m highlighting a campaign – readers can make their own judgements. Now its down the verdict, isn’t it.

That’s not going to go down well with the family. They want justice (in other words, a guilty verdict against the racist coppers who killed their little angel and set him up as a dealer and shoved the evil drugs down his throat and then ganged up to concoct a Zionist conspiracy. Oh, and some damages would be chufty too.)

On Thursday 3 July 2008, three Thames Valley police officers in an unmarked police vehicle were in the Sharrow Vale area of High Wycombe. These officers observed a white Peugeot 106 being driven in the area and recognised that there was current intelligence on the occupants as being involved in the supply of Class A drugs. At 19:10 hours officers radioed for a marked police vehicle to attend.
The white Peugeot pulled into the private car park at Lee Court on Sharrow Vale where it parked. The unmarked police car pulled into the car park behind it and was joined almost immediately by a marked police car; the marked car arrived at 19:12 hours. The police officers identified themselves to the 3 occupants of the parked car.
Police officers proceeded to conduct a search, under the Misuse of Drugs Act, of the vehicle and the three occupants. Drug paraphernalia was seized from the footwell in the rear of the car. During the course of the search a man, now known to be Mr Habib Ullah (aged 39), was restrained by police officers, encountered breathing problems and an ambulance was called at 19:32 hours. An ambulance arrived at 19:51 hours and proceeded to administer medical assistance to Mr Ullah, after which he was transferred to High Wycombe General Hospital. At the hospital, doctors removed a package from Mr Ullah’s windpipe, a second package was subsequently found on his person. Mr Ullah’s health deteriorated and at 20:31 hours he was pronounced dead. Both of the packages have been sent away for forensic analysis
An initial post mortem took place on Friday 4 July 2008, the result of which was inconclusive and further medical tests are now being carried out, as well as the pathologist taking into consideration other evidence. However the pathologist was able to confirm that there was no evidence of injuries consistent with Mr Ullah being beaten or struck with a baton.

I’ll let you guess how much value I place on your esteemed utterances thus far.

Do let us all know what you think once you get round to it.

Until then, your opinion is pretty much worthless.

(‘Off key’ attitudes aside).

Even then, a defence could be put forward on grounds of freedom of speech under European Law.

Of course, when it goes public that ‘Pappu’ was a crack dealer/user, this will all become irrelevant and ‘champions of Pappu’, like this website, will be left with egg on their faces.

I mean, seriously Leon, if this was your blog, you would surely (a) read the links that you post and (b), in this case, then come to the rational conclusion that this ‘campaign’ is a joke?

Or maybe you wouldn’t.

Sunny, the dead can’t sue for libel.

Can’t relatives sue for the suffering they’re enduring due to lies about their deceased family member?