'I want justice for my dead son'

11 August 2006

STILL CAMPAIGNING: Patricia Coker demands justice for Paul

A REPORT on the death of a man while in police custody has been referred to the courts exactly a year after he died.

Paul Coker, 32, from Plumstead, died soon after arriving at Plumstead police station on August 6 last year. He had been arrested after police were called out to deal with an argument he was having with his girlfriend.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) sent a copy of its investigation into the death to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) last Wednesday.

His mother, Patricia Coker, 62, said the fact the CPS were going to look at the case was a move in the right direction, but she is not convinced justice will be done for her son.

She said: "It is a positive move, but I'm still pessimistic about getting a truly justified outcome with the present system.

"I don't have a lot of faith in it because it betrayed me in the first place and so many other families never got true justice.

"We will be moving forward with our campaign for justice for Paul, which I'm determined to get."

On Sunday, friends and family marked the anniversary of Paul's death with a tree-planting ceremony and a candlelit vigil outside Plumstead Police Station.

A lime tree was planted in Greenwich Park in tribute to Paul who had visited the green space ever since he was a child.

Mrs Coker said: "It's been very, very hard for the family, but this is only the beginning."

An IPCC spokesman confirmed a file into the Paul Coker death had been sent to the CPS. A spokesman said: "It will be up to the CPS to prosecute, if anyone, in this case."

A spokesman for the CPS said: "We are reviewing all of the evidence presented by the IPCC and we will see if there is sufficient evidence to prosecute, if anyone, in this case.