The firearms officer who fired the lethal shots which killed 31-year-old Lewis Skelton, of Hull, in November 2016, has been granted permission for a Judicial Review of an inquest held last year, at which a Jury concluded that Mr Skelton had been unlawfully killed.
The challenge will be heard by the Divisional Court in Leeds next month. His case is being supported by the Chief Constable of Humberside Police.
The firearms officer is challenging how Assistant Coroner Oliver Longstaff conducted the inquest, claiming the summing-up of the case was deficient, and that there was insufficient evidence to leave the Jury the option of concluding that Mr Skelton had been unlawfully killed.
The Jury considered its conclusions after a six week long inquest heard in September and October 2021.
The below statement is on behalf of Mr Skelton’s sisters Tia, Hayley and Laura
“This is shocking. We’ve had to live this for more than five years.
“We thought the inquest would be a line in things and actually allow us to grieve and remember Lewis for all the good times we had together, but now this. It’s heartbreaking for us.
“It seems no matter what happens, they won’t hold their hands up and admit they were in the wrong, even after a Jury said Lewis was unlawfully killed after hearing weeks of evidence.
“We’ve had to put our lives on hold to fight for justice for Lewis whilst they continue to try and protect their own interests.
“We feel there has never once been a single ounce of remorse shown. They tried to paint Lewis as a danger to others at the inquest when the evidence showed he’d not approached anyone.
“The inquest Jury found them to have unlawfully killed Lewis through their actions. We can’t allow them to simply have that conclusion scrapped.
“We have to continue to fight for Lewis, and others who suffer with their mental health. The police need to handle situations like this better, without people losing their loved ones when they are unwell and the police respond with lethal force.
“They knew Lewis was of a fragile mental state. He needed help but instead he was tasered and shot.
“Following the inquest last October, Humberside Police issued a statement in which the Assistant Chief Constable said the force respected the Jury’s decision. The Chief Constable’s decision to support this legal challenge makes a mockery of that statement.
“Accepting the Jury’s decision would involve admitting they were wrong and that Lewis should still be alive, not spending public money to help challenge the Jury’s conclusions.
“The police have already had the platform to stand in front of a Jury and to explain their actions on the day Lewis was killed. In doing so, they said things about Lewis and how he was behaving which simply did not stand up to scrutiny.
“No one has ever taken any responsibility for taking Lewis from us. They didn’t when giving their statements in their initial accounts, when later interviewed by independent investigators, during the inquest itself when giving evidence in front of the Jury and our family, and still don’t today.
“We are again heartbroken to be forced to go through another court hearing. Our lives have been on hold since the day Lewis was shot as we’ve had to fight at every stage, whilst at every stage the police have resisted accountability. We will continue to fight for Lewis.
“The Jury heard the evidence of what happened and they returned a unanimous verdict of unlawful killing. That cannot be forgotten.”
Mr Skelton’s family were represented at inquest last year by solicitors Neil Hudgell and Leanne Stephenson of Hudgell Solicitors. They continue to represent the family and instruct Tim Moloney KC, and Angela Patrick, of Doughty Street Chambers.