Shooting of James Ashley

For the United States Congressional Representative, see James Mitchell Ashley.

For the British politician, see James Ashley (politician).

James Ashley was a 39-year-old man who was killed during a police raid on his flat in St Leonards, East Sussex, United Kingdom, on 15 January, 1998. Ashley and several of the apartment's other residents were suspected of involvement in large-scale drug deals. Having previously served two years on a charge of manslaughter, Ashley had been involved in a pubroom stabbing several months earlier. A search of the premises later turned up a trifling amount of cannabis.

At a press conference, the Chief Constable of Sussex Police, Paul Whitehouse, claimed that James Ashley, who came from Liverpool had been wanted for murder but this was not correct. It was clear early on that Sussex Police had embarked on a damage limitation exercise to cover up a badly planned and amateurishly executed operation and were to use the media to facilitate this. Mr. Ashley's name was never mentioned in the ensuing television or press bulletins without the addition of the phrases "convicted murderer" - which he was not - and "criminal from Liverpool," - which ignored the fact that convicted criminals come from every city in Britain.

An enquiry was held into the incident and Sir John Hoddinott, the Chief Constable of Hampshire Constabulary later found "suggestive evidence of collusion between some or all of the chief officers of the Sussex force to conceal what they already knew, and that an arguable case of attempting to pervert the course of justice might be made out."

Hoddinott also said that there was evidence of criminal malfeasance and falsehood, neglect of duty, discreditable conduct against the Deputy Chief Constable of Sussex, Mark Jordan, and aiding and abetting the false statements of his chief, Paul Whitehouse. Mr. Whitehouse insisted that he bore no responsibility for the events that had occurred but when the Home Secretary, David Blunkett suggested that he resign, he wisely took that course of action. Had a proper enquiry been held, it might have well have established how a police operation had been so badly planned by and carried out by untrained officers that it had resulted in the death of James Ashley. Unfortunately, this did not occur.

Constable Sherwood and four other officers were all charged and found not guilty in James Ashley's death. Despite their incompetence, they continue to serve as policemen.

The affair re-ignited public concern about the wisdom of arming British policemen and allowing them to attend at incidents involving firearms. Their American counterparts have a number of strategies and a variety of equipment to deal with gun incidents, the last of which involves actually opening fire. British police training and the responses it generates usually results in the death of the civilian involved, armed or not, and would indicate that the psychological profiling carried out on and the training given to potential police marksmen leaves a lot to be desired. During the course of the Troubles in Northern Irelandand in the present active service in Iraq, a number of British soldiers, who during the course of their duties found themselves at the mercy of heavily armed mobs in deadly situations, opened fire. This resulted in a number of deaths and on occasions, soldiers were convicted in court of murder and received prison sentences. In contrast, British police marksmen normally find themselves dealing with mentally ill and allegedly armed members of the public who possess nothing more lethal that a cigarette lighter but are shot dead all the same. The fact that no British police marksman has ever been found guilty of the murder of a shot civilian but British soldiers in genuinely dangerous armed situations have is a continuing source of wonder to the British population.

External link

• Police will say sorry to shot man's family