Roach family

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JOHN STURROCK (REPORT) (REPORT) LAY RID Jus sesA n1 9119199A1 GAV 11 NCEY ary STOP APOLICE SA On June 20 an inquest found that the death of Colin Roach was suicide. The Roach Family Support Committee immediately put out the following statement, declaring that its campaign for an independent public inquiry would continue.

The case for a public inquiry into the death of Colin Roach remains undiminished by the illogical and nonsensical verdict of suicide at Clerkenwell County Court yesterday [June 20].

People who think otherwise simply do not understand the case. Colin Roach died in mysterious, still unexplained, circumstances, in Stoke Newington police station on January 12 1983. The basic fact that this took place in Stoke Newington police station represents the context in which we will continue to campaign for an independent public inquiry.

No-one who was aware of the violence and monstrosities which have taken place over the years in Stoke Newington police station will be satisfied that they know the true circumstances until there is an independent public inquiry. We should not forget that in 1971 Aseta Simms died mysteriously as a result of injuries which emanated from within Stoke Newington police station. Her death to this day femains unexplained. Dr Douglas Chambers was the coroner in that inquest [as in the inquest on Colin Roach].

In 1978 Michael Ferreira died at Stoke Newington police station following his being taken there after being stabbed by two National Front people, and the police failed to act responsibly, preferring to question his friends rather than contact an ambulance.

We are all aware of the outrageous violence meted out to Mr and Mrs White, who were awarde €51.00 damages against Stoke Newington police ir 1982, and the brutality perpetrated against Mrs Knight and her family when the police had the callous audacity to charge her with assaulting the police. Mrs Knight and her daughter were acquitted on all charges, and are now taking out a civil action against members of Stoke Newington police.

This is the general context of violence and; in our view, racism, within which Colin Roach's death took place. Given the number of unanswered questions which remain, the discrepancies which exist, and the differing and contradictory accounts given by the police as to what happened on January 12, there is absolutely no way that we or anyone can be satisfied with the outcome of the inquest.

At the inquest no evidence whatsoever was presented to allow anyone to say anything of a definitive nature. In his summing up the coroner biased the jury. blatantly and outrageously:

Still the questions remain. There is no positive evidence of any kind whatsoever to say what