Billy Sampson: Policeman who killed himself before trial over SWFC fan 'assault' received death threats

Pc Billy Sampson, 27, was charged with assaulting a 16-year-old boy following a football match between Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday after footage was shared on social media showing an officer hitting a fan with a baton.

An inquest into Mr Sampson's death on Thursday heard how he had suffered with anxiety and depression after his arrest but had been heartened after he received an expert's report which concluded the force he used in the incident was “justified and proportionate”.

But the coroner was told how, the day before he was found dead, the officer had been told he was to be charged in relation to an unrelated domestic matter.

His mother, Nicky Sampson, told the inquest that this allegation was not true.

Mrs Sampson told the court how her son was targeted following his arrest in relation to the video, which was posted on social media in February 2020 along with details of where he lived.

She said: “He got death threats. He came to talk to me and he explained how incredibly scared he was.”

The court heard how one online blogger in particular targeted the officer. Mrs Sampson said her son had to install an expensive CCTV system and high fences at his home.

“He did share his fear of someone attacking him and his partner in his house,” she said. “He got CCTV installed but still felt extremely vulnerable in his home.” Mrs Sampson said the coverage of the football match incident “did not tell the full story of what happened”.

Detective Inspector Richard Armstrong, of South Yorkshire Police (SYP), described how he was appointed as the welfare officer to support Mr Sampson after he was arrested in 2020.

Mr Armstrong described how Mr Sampson thought he would be cleared at his trial, especially after the expert report on his use of force was finally obtained from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which commissioned it.

But he said that when he told the officer he was going to be charged with coercive and controlling behaviour in February last year he was “shocked and surprised and clearly angry about the decision”. Mr Armstrong said that, despite this, he said he did not pick up any “red flags” and Mr Sampson told him: “I will just fight this at court as well.”

The court heard that Mr Sampson was found unresponsive at his house in Chapeltown, Sheffield, the next day, February 11, by his friend and fellow police officer Phil Mackey, and was later pronounced dead.

A post-mortem examination found he had overdosed on drugs which had been prescribed to him. In a statement read to the court, Mr Mackey said his friend's arrest and charge over the football match incident “had a massive impact on Billy's mental health”.

Recording a verdict of suicide, assistant coroner Katy Dickinson concluded that Mr Sampson “suffered with his mental health due to allegations against him”.

She said: “That caused him distress and is likely the reason behind his death.”

The coroner added: “What a fine man he was.”

Ms Dickinson said she had been considering making recommendations about the training of welfare officers supporting officers facing allegations but she was reassured by evidence from Detective Superintendent Delphine Waring, the head of professional standards at SYP.

Ms Waring told the coroner about how training to support officers under investigation was developing and SYP's approach was leading the way among forces across the country.

The court heard how Mr Sampson had always wanted to be a police officer, joining as a special when he was 19, before successfully applying as a regular officer.

His mother said he wanted to be in traffic but never got the chance.

She said he passed his sergeants' exams while he was waiting for his trial and was once commended by a coroner for the support he gave after a suicide.

Mrs Sampson said: “He just didn't deserve for this to happen to him.

“All he ever wanted to be was be a police officer and help others.”

Mr Sampson was due to stand trial last year after being accused of assaulting 16-year-old boy, who was allegedly struck with a police baton when Sheffield Wednesday fans were making their way from Oakwell Stadium after watching the Owls play Barnsley FC in February 2020.

PC Sampson pleaded not guilty to unlawful and malicious wounding and was on restricted duties ahead of the planned trial at Leeds Crown Court.

When the inquest at Sheffield Town Hall opened last year, it heard that a police officer found PC Sampson lying unresponsive on the floor of his home on February 11 and conducted CPR on him while waiting for an ambulance to arrive. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

David Urpeth, senior coroner for South Yorkshire West said at the time: “The death of William Sampson is a tragedy not only to him but all those he leaves behind. My condolences go out to his family, friends and colleagues.”