source: BBC News

published: 30 March 2023

Image Credit: Peter Marshall at www.mylondondiary.co.uk

More than a decade after his death in police custody, the body of former paratrooper Christopher Alder was discovered lying in a mortuary. At the same time, in a grave bearing his name lay the body of a 77-year-old woman.

No-one has ever been held responsible for either incident. Ahead of the 25th anniversary of his death, Mr Alder's sister, Janet, spoke to the BBC about the psychological toll of her battle for truth and accountability.

Christopher Alder was arrested on 1 April 1998 after an altercation outside a nightclub in Hull. Within a matter of hours, he was dead on the floor of Queen's Gardens Police Station.

In the moments before his death, CCTV footage taken from the custody suite showed laughing officers making monkey noises as they stood around the 37-year-old choking in a pool of his own blood.

It was more than 10 minutes before he received any help from those charged with keeping him safe.

A quarter of a century on, and after countless efforts to get to the truth of what happened, Janet Alder continues to feel anger and frustration.

"I've been on an emotional roller coaster for years," she says.

"I've spent a lot of my years feeling rage and I'm just questioning myself - whether it's really happened - or questioning my sanity.

"I feel isolated from the world out there."

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