A police officer – aged in his 20’s – has been found dead three weeks before he was due to stand trial after being accused of using excessive force during an incident of disorder amongst football fans.
PC William Sampson was due to go on trial on 7th March after the Crown Prosecution Service charged him with unlawful and malicious wounding.
The charge came following an incident on Midland Street, Barnsley, on Saturday, February 8, 2020, in which a Sheffield Wednesday fan was allegedly struck with a police baton.
Partial footage of the incident was shared online.
It was subsequently picked up and shared by the mainstream media, leading to an investigation being launched by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
After the IOPC finished its investigation, a file was referred to the CPS, which made the decision to charge the officer.
PC Sampson, known to his friends and colleagues as ‘Billy’, had pleaded not guilty to the charge.
He appeared before both Leeds Magistrates’ Court and Leeds Crown Court for initial hearings over the incident and a five-day trial was due to begin on March 7, 2022.
It was revealed yesterday that PC Sampson was found dead in a property on Thorncliffe Lane, Chapeltown, on Friday afternoon.
A witness said four police cars and two ambulances were spotted outside a property and claimed an air ambulance landed in a nearby field.
South Yorkshire Police said:
“We are incredibly saddened by the news of Billy’s death.
“Our thoughts remain with Billy’s family and loved ones and they will be offered our full support.”
A spokesperson for the South Yorkshire Police Federation said:
‘The thoughts of South Yorkshire Police Federation are with the family, friends of and close colleagues of PC Billy Sampson, who has died.’
Emergency Services News understands that PC Sampson was on restricted duties at the time of his death.
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