(Source: Chris Greenwood of the Daily Mail)
Police were last night accused of failing to investigate the suspicious death of a black bus driver as the racism crisis deepened.
The charred remains of Kester David, 53, were found under a railway arch almost two years ago and officers insisted he took his own life.
But his family are calling for an independent inquiry after a damning internal inquiry revealed a ‘catalogue of errors’ by the Metropolitan Police.
The troubling case is the latest to come to light as a racism storm threatens to engulf the embattled London force.
Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe will return from holiday this week to calls for him to show decisive leadership and steer the organisation clear of the furore.
The senior officer has already said he will not tolerate any racism but campaigners say the slew of fresh claims threatens to damage confidence in police.
It also emerged yesterday that its neighbour, City of London Police, is being sued by a black former trainee officer who claims he was forced out by bigotry.
Father-of-three Anthony Joseph, 43, alleged there is an ‘insidious belief’ at the Square Mile force that it ‘should just be all white’.
The Met is being sued by the grieving family of Mr David who believe a third party played a role in his death in July 2010.
Met Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe will return from holiday amid calls for him to show leadershipThe London bus driver died from 100 per cent burns and inhaling petrol fumes. His body was discovered in Palmers Green, North London.
A leaked report said police who investigated his death were responsible for blunders ‘amount to a failing in the duty’.
His mother claims the Met failed to investigate the case thoroughly because the victim and his family are black.
They have compared the inquiry to the Stephen Lawrence case, claiming it shows that the Met has learnt little since the inquiry into the black teenager’s murder in 1993.
A coroner returned an open verdict after a forensic expert said he could not rule out the involvement of someone else in his death.
Officers had not checked CCTV footage, failed to cross-reference DNA from the scene, did not examine mobile phone evidence and ignored potentially key witnesses.
During last year’s inquest, the family’s lawyer said ‘it was no secret the family believe there was someone else involved’ in the death.
They believe he was murdered because he was a police informant and are demanding an inquiry by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).
In a statement, his mother Winifred Griffith said: ‘If Kester had been a white man, the police would have conducted a much more effective investigation.’
The family are supported by black broadcaster and historian Alex Pascall who is related to the Mr David.
He told a Sunday newspaper: ‘At no point … do I feel that the police have conducted a robust investigation into the murder of this man.
‘Equal support should be afforded to all victims of crime regardless of their racial orientation.’
Catalyst: The racism crisis began when Mauro Demitrio recorded a police officer racially abusing him during the London riotsIn recent weeks the Met has referred 10 cases of alleged racism involving 18 officers and a civilian worker to the IPCC.
The crisis was ignited by Mauro Demetrio, 21, when he secretly recorded an East London Pc subjecting him to a torrent of racist abuse after he had been arrested.
The deluge of public outrage prompted senior officers to ask the independent watchdog to review some cases and examine several more.
A Met Police spokesman said: ‘There have been a number of reviews carried out by senior officers from the borough, and the results of those reviews remain under consideration.
‘No evidence of racism has been found during these reviews. We continue to be aware of the family’s concerns.’
Speaking about Mr Joseph, Chief Supt Rob Bastable, of City of London Police, said: ‘City of London Police strongly refutes the allegations made by this individual.
‘The force has an excellent reputation for equality and diversity, and was recognised in November as the National Association of Muslim Police’s force of the year.’
