Tribunal over botched murder hunt
By Patrick Sawer, Evening Standard
9 September 2004

Three senior police officers are to face a disciplinary tribunal over major blunders committed while investigating the killing of a City high-flier.

Another three are to receive a warning over the failings, which severely damaged any chance of catching Jay Abatan's killers.

The decision to discipline officers is the first significant victory for the family of Mr Abatan, who have waged a five-year campaign seeking justice for the murdered father-of-two.

Mr Abatan, 42, a tax specialist of Nigerian descent, was killed in an attack outside a Brighton nightclub in January 1999.

But the police bungled the investigation, according to the report. The two suspects arrested within 24 hours of the killing had manslaughter charges against them dropped for lack of evidence, and were cleared by a jury of lesser charges. One of the suspects, 41-year-old Graham Curtis, has since hanged himself.

Mr Abatan's family welcomed today's decision. His younger brother Michael, was with him as he was attacked outside the nightclub, said: "My brother was murdered and nobody brought to justice." In today's announcement by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) three Sussex police officers - a superintendent and two detective inspectors - are to face a misconduct tribunal for their alleged blunders.

Another three officers, two of whom are still serving with Sussex, are to receive verbal warnings for complaints which were substantiated by the investigation, carried out for the IPCC by Avon and Somerset Police.

Significantly the inquiry found what it called "a separate failing attributable to one ACPO rank officer" - an officer of assistant chief constable or above.

Because that officer is now serving with another force it rests with his new employer to decide whether to take disciplinary action against him.

However, it is understood his new force has decided there is no evidence his conduct was inappropriate.

None of the men to be disciplined have been named. The IPCC's investigation into complaints by Mr Abatan's family that his death was never taken seriously by Sussex police was one of the biggest it has undertaken.

It found that detectives made several procedural blunders, including failing to interview potential witnesses, not treating the inside of the club as a crime scene and generally failing to handle the killing with the seriousness it deserved.

One senior police source said he would have been " devastated" if a similar report landed on his desk.

Michael Abatan said: "I knew early on that the investigation was not right and I told Sussex police.

"I was told to keep quiet. I also raised my concerns with the then Home Secretary Jack Straw, who wrote back reassuring Jay's family that Sussex police had carried out a thorough investigation. I now know I was lied to."