24 May 2004

Man remanded over murder of Birmingham policeman

A man has been charged today with the murder of Det Const Michael Swindells.

The CID officer died after being stabbed once in the abdomen by a suspect weilding a knife in Birmingham on Friday.

Glaister Butler, 48, appeared before Birmingham Magistrates Court and was remanded in custody.

Det Const Swindells was among a number of West Midlands Police officers who were called to investigate reports that a man armed with a knife was in the Nechells area. As officers went in to make an arrest, Dc Swindells was stabbed in the stomach. He was immediately taken to the City Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

It later emerged that the officer had not been wearing a stab vest.

The 44-year-old was married with an 18-year-old daughter. He had been a police officer for almost 14 years and had been stationed at Queens Road police station in Aston.

Immediately following the death, Chief Constable Paul Scott-Lee pledged to work "tirelessly" to put the officer's killer before the courts.

He added: "Today is a tragic day whichever way you look at it. I have been, this afternoon, with the widow of a very brave officer. She and her daughter are coming to terms with the death of a loved one and we will come to terms with the death of a colleague.

"When you are in the police service every day you work with heroes but you do not know it. Every now and then something happens which shows you and everyone else there are still heroes walking the earth."

(gmcg)