Roberto Villa death: One officer to face gross misconduct hearing

Six officers will face misconduct hearings over the arrest of Roberto Villa

One out of six officers investigated over the death of a man after his arrest will face a gross misconduct hearing.

Roberto Villa, 37, died in hospital after his arrested at the Edgerton Hotel in Huddersfield in December 2018.

The police watchdog said five officers involved had a case to answer for misconduct unrelated to use of force.

The other officer should face a gross misconduct hearing over use of force, it found.

Mr Villa had been arrested on suspicion of drugs offences and became ill and unresponsive and officers began CPR.

A statement from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said the Crown Prosecution Service had ruled that the officer in the gross misconduct case would not face criminal charges.

It said the gross misconduct hearing would concern "alleged breaches of the standards of professional behaviour in relation to use of force and duties and responsibilities".

The other officers "had cases to answer for misconduct in relation to their duties and responsibilities", it said.

West Yorkshire Police had agreed with its findings and the force would be responsible for arranging disciplinary proceedings, the watchdog added.

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IOPC Regional Director Miranda Biddle said: "While this officer will face no criminal action in relation to the force used during Mr Villa's restraint, it remains our view that a misconduct hearing is needed so that his actions can be properly scrutinised in a public forum. We also await misconduct meetings for the other officers.

"The evidence we have gathered as part of this process will also be made available to the coroner and will ultimately play an important role in ensuring Mr Villa's family get the answers they deserve at the inquest."

West Yorkshire Police said it would not comment while misconduct proceedings were pending.