Family 'steadfast' in fight for justice 20 years after custody death

Father-of-three Mikey Powell died shortly after being arrested in Birmingham in 2003

Twenty years after a man died in police custody, his family said they "remain steadfast" in their fight for justice.

Michael 'Mikey' Powell, 38, died of asphyxiation shortly after being arrested by police in Birmingham on 7 September, 2003.

Ten officers were charged with criminal offences after his death, but all were cleared of wrongdoing in 2006.

West Midlands Police said the case closed in 2016.

The father-of-three, and cousin of famed poet Benjamin Zephaniah, was hit by a patrol car that was called to his home over a disturbance, a jury inquest heard in 2009.

He was also hit with a baton before being restrained by officers then taken to Thornhill Road police station where he stopped breathing.

He died after suffocating while being transported in a West Midlands police van, the inquest ruled.

Ten years after his death, West Midlands Police issued Mr Powell's parents an apology

His death led to an outpouring of grief which saw vigils held annually for 10 years.

"There are so many emotions that we are going through. One minute we feel upset, the next minute we feel angry, the next minute we feel confused then frustrated," his cousin Tru Powell told BBC Radio WM.

"We try to remain sane and remember the good times, remember who Mikey was and not who people try to portray him to be."

Mr Powell added: "I remember seeing my mum getting the phone call, I remember her pausing and numbing up.

"It was one of the most difficult days we've had to go through as a family."

He added: "When I see Chris Kaba's cousin organising a peaceful protest in London and being confused, wanting answers and no police officers being held accountable for his death, it makes me remember what we went through.

"Twenty years on we have another black family that is dealing with the same trauma, the same grief, the same confusion - it's just really bad."

In 2013, former West Midlands Assistant Chief Constable Garry Forsyth apologised to the 38-year-old's mother, Claris, for the "pain and suffering" caused to the family.

Tru Powell, cousin of Mikey Powell, says 20 years on, the family are still looking for justice

"An apology is an apology but it's not justice. When officers are being held accountable for what they did to Mikey purely based on his skin colour, that will be justice.

"For us as a family, we remain steadfast in our fight for justice."

Following his death, the Friends of Mikey Powell Campaign for Justice group was launched by his cousin Tippa Naphtali to help others affected by deaths in police custody.

Meanwhile, Tru Powell co-founded the Black Business Magazine and helps run the MBCC Awards.

Mr Powell added: "If it wasn't for Mikey, I probably wouldn't be so passionate about those things and probably wouldn't be doing those things today, we all do different things in order to not let Mikey's death be in vain."