Paratrooper killed unlawfully: Inquest

An inquest into the death of a black former paratrooper ruled today that he was killed unlawfully.

An inquest into the death of a black former paratrooper ruled today that he was killed unlawfully.

Christopher Alder, 37, who died in police custody, had been decorated for his service with the Army in Northern Ireland.

He died with his hands cuffed behind his back and his trousers around his knees on the floor of the custody suite of Queenÿs Gardens police station in Hull, East Yorkshire in April 1998.

The inquest at Hull Crown Court was told officers stood by laughing and joking while the father of two lay dying on the floor.

Today after an inquest lasting seven weeks - believed to be the longest involving a death in police custody - the jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing.

Friends and supporters of Mr Alder, who had long campaigned for answers into the circumstances surrounding his death, cheered when the verdict was announced.