Sean Rigg death: Police sergeant 'lied at inquest into his death', court hears

Sean Rigg: the musician died while in police custody at Brixton police station
PA
Francesca Gillett31 October 2016

A police sergeant lied at the inquest into the death of a musician who died in police custody, a court has heard.

The prosecution claim the Met Police custody sergeant gave false evidence that he had checked on 40-year-old Sean Rigg, who died after being restrained at Brixton police station in 2008.

Mr Rigg had been kept in the back of a police van for some time after being arrested before being taken to the station where he fell ill.

Paul White, 53, is accused of lying while giving evidence at the inquest into Mr Rigg’s death.

Jurors at his trial heard White told the Independent Police Complaints Commission that he had left the custody suite to check on Mr Rigg in the van.

White said the same thing at an inquest and claimed he had assessed Mr Rigg’s health.

But prosecuting lawyer Max Hill QC, said CCTV footage from the night shows White was “clearly lying”.

"Analysis of CCTV footage from the custody suite at Brixton police station proves that at no time did Sergeant White visit Sean Rigg in the back of the police van,” he said.

"As you might expect, Sergeant White was confronted with this evidence in the witness box at the inquest hearing, and he conceded that he could not have been to see Mr Rigg as he had described.

"We suggest that Sergeant White deliberately lied in his evidence, in order to conceal the fact that he did not undertake any assessment of Sean Rigg's condition and welfare during the period in which he was kept in the van.

"This is important because, as the on-duty custody sergeant that day, Mr Rigg and any other persons detained at Brixton police station were in Sergeant White's care."

Jurors heard that Mr Rigg had suffered from paranoid schizophrenia for many years, and in the weeks leading up to his death had not been taking his prescribed medication.

Police were called after staff in his supported accommodation became concerned by his behaviour.

The trial continues.

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