Police officer involved in restraint and arrest of man, 37, who died shortly after will not face criminal charges

The officer will face gross misconduct proceedings in connection with the arrest of Roberto Villa, who died in hospital after becoming unresponsive during the incident at the Edgerton Hotel, on New North Road, in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, in December 2018.

Five other officers have misconduct cases to answer in connection with the incident, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.

The IOPC launched an investigation into the conduct of the six West Yorkshire Police officers and passed a file to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to consider criminal charges in relation to one of the officers.

On Tuesday, an IOPC spokesman said the CPS had confirmed it will not be authorising any charges.

The spokesman said the investigation found that the officer had a case to answer for gross misconduct for alleged breaches of the standards of professional behaviour in relation to use of force and duties and responsibilities.

The other five officers had cases to answer for misconduct in relation to their duties and responsibilities, the IOPC said.

Miranda Biddle, IOPC regional director, said: “This was a tragic case that resulted in the death of a man and our thoughts remain with his family.

“It has been a long road to get to this point and I understand how difficult it must be for them.”

Ms Biddle added: “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.”