Sean Rigg: Police officers will not face trial over 2008 station death

Crown Prosecution Service says there is not enough evidence to charge officers involved

Sean Rigg (PA)

The Crown Prosecution Service has ruled out prosecuting any police officers in relation to the 2008 death of Sean Rigg while in custody at Brixton police station.

The CPS said there was insufficient evidence to charge any of the officers involved in the arrest, restraint and detention of Mr Rigg.

Mr Rigg, who was 40 and had paranoid schizophrenia, was arrested in a south London hostel after he allegedly smashed a gazebo.

Police held him in a V shape position for eight minutes in a caged footwell in a police van. An inquest into his death in 2012 found police used “unsuitable” force during his detainment.

One police officer, Paul White, will face trial for perjury relating to the evidence he gave at Mr Rigg’s inquest, the CPS said.

Mr Rigg’s sister, Marcia, said: “After a damning review of the original IPCC investigation, and a successful challenge of the decision not to prosecute an officer for perjury, I had hoped for an opportunity to get justice.”

The Metropolitan Police Service said it was “frustrated” at the length of time it had taken for the CPS to come to a decision.

In a statement the service said: “The MPS would again like to emphasis its sympathy to Mr Rigg's family and acknowledge their loss.

“The police officers involved continue to be supported by the MPS to ensure their welfare.

“The MPS knows the Rigg family - and the officers involved - remain frustrated at the length of the process to fully establish the circumstances surrounding Mr Rigg's death and the MPS shares this frustration. The delays have been beyond the MPS's control and have fully co-operated at every stage of the process.

“There has been much speculation about what took place on the night that Mr Rigg died and it remains a priority that the ongoing process is thorough and based on all the available evidence to fully establish the facts.”