John Mikkleson

John Mikkleson died after being overpowered by the police at Hounslow police station.

He had been a Hells Angel. He had been arrested in Bedfont on 15 July 1985 with three other men during an alleged fracas with the police at a pub in Bedfont Close, following a Hell's Angels' chapter meeting.

They were all then taken to Hounslow Police Station just after midnight after which John Mikkleson was hit over the head with a police truncheon, and just over an hour later, he was rushed to Middlesex Hospital where he died.

When he arrived at the hospital he was found to have had a weak pulse and he died 25 minutes later.

His inquest returned a verdict of unlawful killing on 27 March 1987.

However, following the verdict the Director of Public Prosecutions decided not to prosecute.

however, prior to the conclusion of the inquest, London Weekend Television made a half-hour documentary into his death which was due to be aired on Friday 8 November 1985, but that just hours before its scheduled screening the Police Federation won a last minute injunction to stop it going out.

The programme had been titled:

The Police Federation had also won an earlier injunction to prevent the production company from filming near to the scene on the grounds that it might influence jurers.

On 8 November 1985 it was heard that an injunction issued the previous week demanded that filming of the reconstruction of his arrest not be carried out within a mile of the pub to prevent prejudicing possible witnesses. As such, the producers went ahead with actors behind shut gates in Battersea Park. However, when the documentary was scheduled to be aired on Friday 9 November, the Police Federation won another last minute injunction stopping it.

The programmes editor said that he was disappointed by the injunction, describing it as 'barrel-scraping', to use the Coroner's adjourned inquest on John Mikkleson's death as a reason to ban the programme. He said:

When his inquest resumed on 27 March 1987, a verdict of unlawful killing was returned after which ten police officers, including five senior police officers, were suspended and eight police officers went to the High Court in December 1986 in a bid to have the Coroner's verdict quashed and a new inquest held. At the High Court hearing their counsel said that the suspension of the senior police officers was a complete waste of public money, noting that one of the senior police officers, a Chief Inspector, had an unblemished career behind him, but had been under suspension on basic pay by then for nine months.

They said that the Coroner's finding was not supported by the evidence and that the Coroner's directions to the jury on the meaning of unlawful killing and on the standard of proof necessary to return such a verdict were wrong.

Also, following the inquest, but before the High Court ruling, a Council meeting was held in which a Councillor tried to put forward a motion on the matter, stating that the director of Public Prosecutions decision not to prosecute was appalling. However, opposition Conservative and SDP councillors walked out during the motion, later stating that they didn't want to engage in the debate whilst police lawyers were pleading in the High Court for a judicial review of John Mikkleson's inquest evidence. The conservative leader said:

However, the councillor that tabled the motion said:

He went on to note that it had been almost 18 months since John Mikkleson died whilst in police custody but that neither his family nor the people of Hounslow yet knew who was responsible, adding that a criminal trial would have allayed substantial public concern over the case.

The councillor added:

He then said that he urged council support of campaigners who wishes to see justice done for John Mikkleson and said:

John Mikkleson had been from Windsor.