London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

UK police brutality is worse – they use bare hands, says sister of man who died in custody

The sister of a black British man who died in custody believes police brutality in the UK is ‘worse’ than it is in the US.
Marcia Rigg compared officers in this country using their ‘bare hands’ in incidents lasting minutes to American officers making a ‘split second’ decision before shooting people.

Her brother Sean Rigg, 40, died in police custody in 2008 after being restrained by officers for at least seven minutes. Five Metropolitan Police officers were cleared of misconduct last year, more than a decade after the musician – who had schizophrenia – died.

Marcia believes her brother would have said the words ‘I can’t breathe’ as he was restrained in Brixton, south London, in similar circumstances to George Floyd, whose murder in the US sparked a global movement against racism and police brutality.

Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk, she said: ‘It is worse here. I went to America back in 2015 and met some of the families [of those killed in custody] and they could not believe that most officers in this country do not carry guns. I told them they use their bare hands, they were horrified.

‘That is how George Floyd died but most of the deaths are by gunshot, which takes a split second.’

She added: ‘It takes a second to shoot somebody but the fact that you can use unnecessary body weight on somebody at the neck or chokeholds for X amount of minutes is really something else.’

Yesterday Wayne McDonald – the brother of a man who was restrained before his death in the back of a police van in 2014 – told Metro.co.uk it is a ‘shame’ that it took the death of a black man in America for Brits to understand the scale of the issue in the UK. According to the charity Inquest, 1,744 deaths have been recorded in police custody in England and Wales since 1990. No officers have been convicted over the deaths, which have a number of different causes.

Criminology lecturer Dr David Baker, an expert on police brutality, told Metro.co.uk: ‘We are fooling ourselves here if we don’t think it is a major issue too. We hold our police up as being somehow better (than in the US) because it fits with the national myth we have of ourselves.’

He claimed it is ‘really difficult’ to believe police testimonies because there are ‘so many cases’ where it has ‘fallen apart’ under examination in court – whereas in the US there has been a history of convictions.

Marcia believes there are similarities between the two countries, notably in autopsies highlighting underlying health conditions that she believes shifts some of the focus away from the contribution of police restraint at inquests.

Raising the case of George Floyd, she said: ‘They always say that a person was in custody, that they became unwell and died. But the “unwell” bit is the restraint. So what they are trying to find out first is “do they have a bad heart or any other medical issues?” to try to say that they died with that.

‘Only when it happens to you personally as a family, do you realise that this happens.’

She added: ‘The first time I saw the video [of George Floyd’s death] I could just think of Sean, because that is how he died.

‘When I saw that video and other deaths like that in the past… I believe my brother would have uttered the words “I cannot breathe” – I believe he must have said that. The fact that the officers didn’t show any care whatsoever is exactly what happened to my brother.’

Marcia said the protests in recent weeks are ‘important’ and encourages the use of social media to share videos of incidents of police violence, arguing officers must not be able to act ‘with impunity’.

In order for the situation to change, the government must have a ‘political, moral will’ to make it happen, she said.

‘What we want is a conviction because that is when it will send a clear message to officers. We have recommendations after recommendations, we have got so many reports. But they don’t implement them. Why?

‘(They say) “lessons will be learnt”. What lessons? What training do you need to know that if you restrain someone for X amount of minutes they are going to die? If you put a pillow over somebody’s head for X amount of minutes you are deliberately doing it, you are going down for murder. Why can’t a police officer?’

Dr Baker, who works at Liverpool University, called for ‘some sort of agency’ to analyse deaths in custody independently and for the current organisations involved to talk to each other.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which currently looks into deaths, said its role is to ‘thoroughly investigate the circumstances’ and then refer it to the Crown Prosecution Service ‘where the evidence suggests criminality’.

A spokeswoman said: ‘We always refer matters to the CPS where there is sufficient evidence. The CPS decides whether a prosecution goes ahead and, when it does, only a jury can make the decision to convict a police officer.’

She added: ‘Now more than ever we need to strengthen, not weaken, police accountability.’

The Home Office is currently ‘exploring’ alternative methods of restraint following the Independent Review of Deaths and Serious Incidents in Police Custody.

A spokesperson said: ‘Every death in police custody is a tragedy and we recognise how devastating they are for families and friends – they are always thoroughly investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.’

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said Mr Rigg’s death ‘has always been a matter of regret for the Met along with the additional stress suffered by both the Rigg family and the officers involved caused by the delay in bringing matters to a more timely conclusion.

‘We are pleased the Rigg family are also working closely with us to improve our public misconduct hearing processes as well as the Met response in general to those suffering mental ill-health.’

The National Police Chiefs’ Council says it is developing a ‘plan of action looking at issues of diversity and inclusion and concerns about racial inequalities in policing and the criminal justice system’.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
×