Stepmother of man who died when police dismissed his cries for help still waiting for apology
By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter
The stepmother of a black man who died after police dismissed his pleas for help as “nonsense” is still waiting for an apology from officers three years later.
Ian Taylor, 54, who had asthma, went into cardiac arrest after being left lying in the street without an inhaler or water on one of the hottest days of the year in 2019.
Mr Taylor was arrested by police following a mass brawl in Brixton on June 29, 2019. Three years on from his death, his stepmother Millicent revealed that none of the officers who ignored his calls for assistance have said sorry to her.
She told the audience at a public meeting about his death on July 7: “We got more sincere condolences from all of you here tonight than we got from the actual police who took part in Ian’s death.
“They give their condolences. Not one of them came to the family and said ‘I’m sorry Ian passed away’.
“Do you know why? Because they would be admitting to his murder, so not to this day, not one officer has come to us and said ‘I’m sorry about Ian’s death.’
It’s ‘our severe condolences, our condolences.’ Things will never change. Until it happens to one of their family – then change.”
In May, a senior coroner referred to the IOPC the officer who dismissed Mr Taylor’s pleas for help as “nonsense”.
Andrew Harris criticised the Met Police for failing to take action against the officer, saying it was “dismaying.”
Ian Taylor’s aunt, Pauline Taylor, also spoke at the meeting alongside a panel including MP Helen Hayes, MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, and chief superintendent Colin Wingrove.
During passionate closing remarks at Lambeth Assembly Hall, Ms Taylor said she feared her nephew’s death could happen again.
She said: “If something does not happen real, not just blah blah blah, we will be sitting here again.
“And there will be a new panel up here and a new family up here. It is going to happen again.”
Turning to chief superintendent Wingrove, she said: “I’m fearful that unless it happens to someone in your family, that’s the only time we’re going to see that change.
“So what have I taken away from this meeting? I’m guilty because I’m black.”
Pictured top: Lambeth Assemby Hall (Picture: Geograph/N Chadwick)
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