Darren Hunter

**Darren Hunter** is a criminal known to Central Police and the son of Tommy Hunter.

## Background

### Personal

Hunter was born on the 17th March 1982 to OCG boss, Tommy Hunter and an unnamed woman. Through his father he is also related to Acting DSU Joanne Davidson. He currently resides at 7 Hector Rise, Edge Park, VM44 2BN.

### Professional

Despite his father's involvement in high level organised crime as part of the Organised Crime Group, Darren primarily stuck to low level offending. This was until 2003, in which he and a group of several other men attacked architect Lawrence Christopher in a violent hate crime.

## Series 6

### Episode 5

A briefing by DC Chloe Bishop sheds light on Hunter's criminal background. In 2003 when Hunter was 21, he along with a group of other men comprising of Thomas McTulloch, Robert Parker, Michael Harrison and Samuel Bush, attacked architect Lawrence Christopher as he walked home through the Moss Heath area. The attack was a racially motivated hate crime, and the group had previously attacked other Black men in a similar fashion. They beat Christopher severely with a lead pipe, leaving him with a fractured skull. Members of the public called Central Police when they discovered the injured Christopher. However, officers from the Patrol Unit who arrived deemed Christopher's behaviour to be "uncooperative" and arrested him. He was placed in a custody cell without being given a medical examination or treatment, and it is implied officers may have further beaten him due to his lack of being able to cooperate. As Christopher begged for help he was mocked and subject to racist taunts. He eventually died in the cell as a result of internal haemorrhaging from the skull fracture.

After accusations the beating was gang related were dismissed by the family (Christopher was an architect with no criminal record), Central Police appointed DCI Marcus Thurwell as Senior Investigating Officer to investigate the men who attacked Christopher. Other officers involved in the investigation were then DC Ian Buckells and then Inspector Philip Osborne. However, as Darren's father, Tommy Hunter was at the time a senior figure in the Organised Crime Group, he put pressure and used his connections to Thurwell to delay the investigation. Thurwell waited over three weeks to arrest Hunter and his accomplices, despite there being ample evidence and previous incidents of a similar nature. By the time they were arrested, Hunter and the men had shaved their heads in order to resemble each other and had reinforced their alibis. Attempted identity parades failed and the Crown Prosecution Service was forced to drop all charges. Furthermore, Hunter and his friends were given anonymity in the reporting of the case. Additionally, none of the officers involved in the neglect of Lawrence Christopher when he was in custody faced any charges or disciplinary action, and were actually able to counter claim for stress-related compensation on top of their pensions when they retired.

It is noted by DI Steve Arnott that especially compared to his late father, Darren Hunter is a rather "small fry" within the criminal underworld, and does not appear to have many solid links to the Organised Crime Group as of 2021.

### Episode 7

Due to overwhelming evidence that the initial investigation into the murder of Lawrence Christopher was sabotaged in 2003, DI Kate Fleming directs the Murder Investigation Team to open a cold case file in order to re-investigate and try to secure a conviction with the new evidence. Hunter is later seen being escorted to holding cells in Hillside Lane Station, under the eye of DS Chris Lomax.

## Gallery

Darren Hunter mugshot circa 2003 (Aged 21).Darren Hunter criminal record.