Police criticised over bail-breach boxer left free to fatally punch student

A police force has been criticised by the police watchdog following the death of a student after he was punched on a night out by a professional boxer who had repeatedly breached his bail conditions.

Jagdip Randhawa, 19, from Hounslow, London, died in hospital after hitting his head on a concrete path after he was punched by Clifton Ty Mitchell, then 21, during a night out in Leeds in October 2011.

Mitchell, from Derby, was convicted of manslaughter and jailed for seven years in 2012.

Mr Randhawa's family has fought a long battle following the killing, asking why no action was taken by Derbyshire Police when Mitchell breached bail conditions on multiple occasions.

His sister, Majinder Randhawa, has argued that if Mitchell's bail breaches had been dealt with properly by officers he may have been remanded in custody and, therefore, not been able to assault her brother.

On Friday, the IPCC upheld a complaint by the family.

It concluded: "The procedure in place at the time of the incident was fundamentally flawed and was not fit for the control of persons deemed by the court system to require active monitoring.

"This process was in my opinion so flawed that none of the staff operating under it appeared to recognise the ongoing issues with this one individual and see the obvious opportunities missed."

The commission also said there was a case to answer for misconduct for a police superintendent over his handling of the family's complaint but no further action could be taken against him as he has retired.

The report detailed how, nine months before Mitchell killed Mr Randhawa, he appeared before magistrates on unrelated charges including causing actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm with intent.

Despite Derbyshire Police presenting a detailed case for him to be remanded in custody, he was released on bail by magistrates, the IPCC report said.

The commission's investigation found that there were then 24 times when Mitchell appears to have breached his bail, from failing to "sign on" at police stations to being late for appointments.

The report said that there was evidence he competed in a number of boxing matches, one of which was in London, a few days before the assault on Mr Randhawa.

The IPCC said it was not possible for it to determine whether Mitchell would have been remanded in custody if his bail breaches had been put before magistrates again but this opportunity "was not afforded to the courts".

Majinder Randhawa said: "Our family will always be haunted by not knowing what might have happened if Mitchell had been arrested as he should have been.

"It's important that the IPCC's report highlights the significant failings of Derbyshire Police - but it's devastating to know that Jagdip's death was avoidable.

"We believe that Jagdip would still be here today, if Derbyshire Police had correctly managed Mitchell while he was on bail. It's impossible for us to ever get over that."

Debaleena Dasgupta, Liberty lawyer and solicitor for the family, said: "This is a strong report from the IPCC about a bail procedure that frankly wasn't fit for purpose. We hope their recommendations for further improvements will be implemented."

At an inquest last year, the treatment of Mr Randhawa at Leeds General Infirmary was also criticised by a jury which concluded that failings significantly contributed to the death of the student.

Derbyshire Police's Deputy Chief Constable Gary Knighton said the force accepted the IPCC's recommendations and has already changed its procedures.

Liberty said Mitchell was released from prison last year and is trying to resume his career as a boxer.