Ricky Reel: Race 'played role' in police's spying probe, mum claims

The mother of an Asian student who died in 1997 has claimed the police spied on her because of her race.

Sukhdev Reel has spent the past 25 years campaigning for answers surrounding her son Ricky's death.

The 20-year-old's body was found in the River Thames, a week after he had been racially abused in London.

The Met Police said there was no evidence officers had targeted family members associated with the campaign, or the campaign itself.

Police have said that the Brunel University student's death was probably an accident but Mrs Reel claims he was the victim of a racist attack.

An inquest into his death returned an open verdict in 1999.

Mrs Reel learned in 2014 that officers from the Met's Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) had spied on her when she campaigned for answers around his death.

Speaking to BBC London she called for a fresh investigation into his death.

On the 25th anniversary of his disappearance, she said that when she learned what had happened she felt "unwell and thought I was dead".

"I came around and they said, 'don't worry it's just collateral intrusion, it's not spying'.

"Later on when we discovered that we were [being spied on] we asked for proof of that."

Mrs Reel later saw the unredacted reports but is unable to speak about the contents as she took an undertaking - a legal agreement - barring her from even discussing it.

The information came to light after Mrs Reel was contacted by officers from Operation Hern which is examining the practices of undercover policing.

Both Mrs Reel and her daughter Trish are now core participants in the inquiry, she revealed.

"It is not very nice reading what they were doing to me," she explained.

"I can't speak about the reports to my family or children but it's there.

"It makes me feel very angry, especially because reading the reports as to what they were doing.

"Why were they following me? Why were they listening to everything?

"I did nothing wrong. It was my right to ask for my son's case to be investigated properly.

"We have every right to ask for justice - same as everybody else.

"So why was it that I was the only one picked up - asking for justice? Was it because of my colour?

"I know my race, my colour, my religion, my caste all played a big part in this case.

"I was treated like a second class citizen."

No arrests have been made or charges brought in connection with Ricky's death.

The Met said its investigation remains open.

Commander Catherine Roper, Specialist Crime, said: "It has been 25 years since Ricky died. My thoughts are with Ricky's family and the pain they must still feel today.

"I hope that this appeal will encourage people to come forward with any piece of information they may have, however small they think it is, to help us piece together what happened that night in Kingston. We remain hopeful that we can provide answers for the family, and we need the help of the public to achieve this."

BBC London has contacted the force about Mrs Reel's allegations of racism.

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