Death On Camera continued By Nicholas Boldock Start

On June 21st, 2002, the charges against the five police officers were dismissed. To this day, they have never been fully cross-examined about their actions on the night of Christopher Alder's death. Christopher's sister, Janet Alder - who featured heavily in tonight's programme - is at the forefront of an ongoing campaign to secure justice for her brother. She - like the rest of her family - demands answers to questions which remain unanswered.

How did Christopher's trousers and underwear come to be pulled down around his knees (and only the top two buttons of his button-fly were undone)? How, as his post-mortem discovered, did he come to have mud on his thighs? This is a pertinent question - coming from Hull I can attest to the fact that there is no mud outside the entrance to HRI's casualty department, and neither is there any in the entrance to Queen's Gardens police station. So how did it get there? Furthermore, why were the uniforms of all the officers involved taken away for dry-cleaning before forensic evidence could be gathered? Similarly, why were Christopher's own clothes taken away and destroyed before they could be examined? A more sinister question arose after the trial was over, when it emerged that further evidence had been recorded on CCTV at Hull's Central Police Station. After Christopher had died, the tape recorded an audio track which included the clear sounds of laughter and of people making monkey noises - it is only because it proved impossible to attribute these noises to any one officer that they could not be used as evidence. Christopher Alder was black. Humberside Police were investigated - as is the norm - by another force, in this case West Yorkshire Police. In the programme, Janet Alder's solicitor suggested that the investigation was nothing more than "lip service". It is difficult to disagree. Civil legal action against the police officers who were present at Christopher's death is still ongoing. As a result Humberside Police are able to field all questions - as they did on tonight's programme - with a curt "no comment", citing the fact that anything they say may be prejudicial to legal proceedings. Whilst this is demonstrably true, one can only hope that they may be more forthcoming in the future. Christopher must not be allowed to die in vain, and his death cannot go unquestioned. While the question of how he was allowed to die in such an undignified and disregarded state remains unanswered, his case must not be put to rest. As a final thought - and for me this sums up the whole "investigation" into Christopher's death - here is a quote from Christopher's sister Janet, from a speech she gave to the National Civil Rights Movement in 1999: Christopher must not be allowed to die in vain, and his death cannot go unquestioned. While the question of how he was allowed to die in such an undignified and disregarded state remains unanswered, his case must not be put to rest. As a final thought - and for me this sums up the whole "investigation" into Christopher's death - here is a quote from Christopher's sister Janet, from a speech she gave to the National Civil Rights Movement in 1999:

"The first policeman I talked to was sat chewing gum back in his chair and hands behind his head and he said to me 'your brother went to a nightclub, had a fight and due to the fight he died in police custody'." © Nicholas Boldock, 2004. Sources: 1. The BBC 2. Crown Prosecution Service 3. National Civil Rights Movement News Item Links. CCTV Footage Shows Black Ex-Soldier Dying in Police Custody the Scotsman Blunkett orders cell death review BBC Blunkett calls for review into death of paratrooper the Scotsman Watchdog to review police custody death the Guardian

Articles - Digging Up The Past By Cilla

	Months ago we published an series of articles written by a man who was witness to the events in The Cod Wars. His name is John Boldock and his story is an honest account of what life was like for him as a young man in what were dangerous and terrifying times. After the story had been published on the site Read more...

Articles - Festivals - Organising the Organisers By Cilla.

	Isn't the Internet a fantastic thing? I recently posted a message on www.ents24.com, a music forum, letting people know about the music section on thisisUll.com. Later that evening I returned to the forum to see if my posting had been looked at - it had. A chap called Pete had left me a message after visiting this website. Read more...

Articles - Tribal Tattoo . By Starpaw.

Last week the humdrum of everyday life was getting me down; I needed a pick-me-up, a rush - but where exactly do today's rebellious teena...20 somethings go to get their kicks? A piercing and tattoo shop? Surely not? It'd been a week since I'd been gearing myself up for this, the time it had taken to find a willing victim, I mean friend, to take with me to hold my hand, so to speak while I pay.. Read more...

Articles - Star Wars Enter the Folk Music Scene

	By Patrick Henry. The NorthYorkshire moors are a remote area full of historical incidents up to the present when the Fylingdales missile-defence station has just been pledged to the U.S. Star-Wars system. Roman forts, Viking raids, besieged castles from the Normans to the Stuarts, litter the fringes. The Cold War nuclear brink .. Read more...

Exclusive Featured Serial on www.thisisUll.com Articles Part Five -1973: Super tug to defend fishing fleet

By John Boldock
	After a couple of months out in Iceland I am getting a little homesick - worse as I am still a rookie at this game. We have been patrolling an area of South-East Iceland for a few days now, looking after a pack of around 30 trawlers. We have to keep them together as it is the only way to protect them. A boat on its own out here is fair game for the gunboats. Read more...

Articles - A Perspective on Hull By Darren Sant

I suppose you could call this article a follow to my article entitled Stranger in a Strange Land also on this website. I wanted to explore my perception of Hull in a stream of consciousness kind of style. One phrase that springs to mind when thinking of Hull is self-deprecating. Something I have, rightly, being accused of being myself. Perhaps that is why I have grown to like Hull so much. Read more...

Articles Reply to - Woe is Me - I Live in Hull

	By Nick Quantrill After reading the article by Allen Miles on the 'is Hull crap or not?' debate I want to add my views. It's something that has been on my mind recently owing to my girlfriend moving to the city full time. Although I've lived in Hull all my life it's only now that I've really thought about whether or not Hull qualifies as a.. Read more...

Articles - "More Memories of Dylan" By Jane

I remember clearly the first time I ever listened to the great Bob, however I cannot recall when exactly I decided that I liked him.. Having just left home on impulse at the tender age of 18, straight from a council estate to the Avenues in a vain attempt to 'better' myself, I ended up in a somewhat squalid (ie typical) bedsit on Park Grove. Owned by a somewhat dodgy (ie typical) landlord called Mr Leak ( cos all his roofs did just that). Read more...

Articles - Woe is Me - I Live in Hull

	By Allen Miles When you catch a train to hull, something happens that sums up the experience of coming here. The rail stops. It doesn't run through the city like the tracks of so many other towns. It simply comes to an abrupt halt as if to say (in a Vincent Price style voice) "You're here now. WE'VE GOT YOU NOW. HA HA HA HA HA!". Read more...

Articles - "The Garden - 29th May 2003" By Nadie

	We sit together in the warm afternoon sun. The garden is in full bloom, she has worked so hard on this garden, planting and digging, it's a beautiful sight, full of colour. She turns to me and says 'I want to be here to watch my plants grow'. I reach for her hand and squeeze it,'I know, I know you do'. It seems so unreal to sit there and talk of death, of plans for her funeral.Read more...