Police used racist code word for dying teenager, family says

19-year-old Sheldon Lewcock died in August 2022 following a collision with a van in Reading

Sheldon Lewcock died in August 2022 following a collision with a van in Reading (Thames Valley Police)

A codeword used by police to grant family access to their dying teenage relative in hospital was racist, his mother has alleged.

19-year-old Sheldon Lewcock was hit by a van in Tilehurst, Reading in August 2022.

Police gave his mother, Angela Lewcock, the codeword “banana” to use when visiting her son, who was mixed-race, in hospital. Thames Valley Police’s professional standards department is now investigating the use of this word.