Kevin Clarke’s family denounce police discipline system after officers cleared
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Two Met officers denied hearing Clarke say ‘I can’t breathe’ before he died under restraint in 2018. The family of a black man who died after being restrained by police officers who denied having heard him say “I can’t breathe” have condemned the police discipline system after two officers were cleared of gross misconduct.
![[Kevin Clarke]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6b1c48b2c7afab01e5a82fa72d3b60986cfe0837/7_79_994_597/master/994.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Kevin Clarke, 35, died while in police custody in 2018, with the restraint having lasted more than 30 minutes. Two Metropolitan police officers, PC Danielle Barnes and PC Elizabeth McAleenan, were cleared of gross misconduct and said they never heard Clarke say that he could not breathe.
An earlier inquest into the death the jury concluded at least one of the officers had heard him. The discipline panel, which had an independent legal chair, found there was insufficient evidence to find either officer guilty of gross misconduct. Tellecia Strachen, the sister of Clarke, who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, said: “There is something wrong with the system – the system is broken and it’s not fit for purpose.
“It’s disrespectful to my brother as a human being – I’m extremely angry, disappointed, and I think it’s a waste of time.”. Catherine Elliott, the legally qualified chair of the panel, said: “The panel were not able to conclude that the words ‘I can’t breathe’ were uttered by Mr Clarke.
