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Ongoing grief: Kadisha Brown- Burrell, Kingsley Burrell's sister holds a banner along with Kingsley's daughter Trivita (centre) and niece Charnelle during a march for justice last year.

IT COULD be several more months before the family of Kingsley Burrell, who controversially died following police contact, get the go-ahead to bury him.

Burrell’s sister Kadisha Brown-Burrell told The Voice her brother, who died on March 31 last year, is yet to be buried more than one year after his death.

The release of Kingsley’s body has been further delayed because police watchdog, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), called in Dorset Police to investigate National Health Service (NHS) staff who were involved in the disturbance, which subsequently led to his death.

Brown-Burrell, who accused authorities of staging a cover-up, said the delay in the investigation means prolonged distress for her family, especially as Dorset police told her it could be July before she gets further news.

She said: "They (The IPCC) say Dorset Police murder squad (has) been assigned on the case to comb every detail from January, saying (then) they have to be on the case another six months. Obviously that’s going to delay Kingsley’s body being released. (This is) despite being told it would initially (be) six to nine months by the IPCC. That was back in April last year."

"The IPCC main investigator has left and now Kingsley’s whole file has been shipped to Cardiff. Tell me. What does that mean? Corruption already, And the case has not even started."

Dorset Police said: "The investigation is ongoing and a number of medical professionals and ambulance staff are helping Dorset Police with their enquiries."

It added: "We are in regular contact with HM Coroner and are acutely aware of the family's concerns regarding the release of Mr. Burrell's body. We are actively pursuing enquiries that will allow Mr. Burrell's body to be released at the earliest possible opportunity."

An IPCC spokesman said: "We appreciate the need for urgency and the difficult position the family are in. We are also wishing to ensure the investigation is thorough and provides answers. It is not our decision whether to release the body. We understand the Coroner is awaiting the conclusion of the Dorset Police investigation. We have kept the family, their representatives and the Coroner regularly updated."