The officers present when a black former paratrooper choked to death in a police station last night denied any neglect or racism, despite a damning report into their "disgraceful" conduct.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said their treatment of Christopher Alder, 37, amounted to "unwitting racism" and the "most serious neglect of duty".

CCTV footage caught Mr Alder's last moments as he died on the floor of the custody suite at a police station in Hull nearly eight years ago.

The IPCC's chairman Nick Hardwick said the officers who dealt with him that night had made a series of assumptions "based on negative racial stereotypes".

That meant they did not give the ex-soldier, a father-of-two who served in Northern Ireland, the care and immediate attention that he needed, Mr Hardwick said.

However, speaking for the officers, Humberside Police Federation chairman John Savage said: "All of the officers involved are deeply disappointed by the outcome of this review and strongly dispute the IPCC's findings.

"The officers concerned categorically deny that they were in any way neglectful of their duties or that their handling of the situation was influenced by race.

"They also deny that any of them were guilty of racism, unwitting or otherwise."

He added that the officers felt they had received unfair treatment from the IPCC.

In response, Mr Alder's sister Janet said: "You see the video evidence and it is clear for everyone to see just what has happened. They must be living in a totally different world."

She described her brother's treatment as the "most severe type of inhumane negligence". Her legal team confirmed a claim for damages against Humberside Police was still ongoing and that a case would taken to the European Court of Human Rights.

Mr Hardwick said: "I cannot say for certain that Mr Alder would have been treated more appropriately had he been white - but I do believe that the fact he was black stacked the odds more heavily against him."

There was "banter" both before and after Mr Alder's death, including officers making "monkey noises", said the report.

Humberside chief constable Tim Hollis said: "The time is right for me publicly to apologise to Christopher Alder's family for our failure to treat Christopher with sufficient compassion and to the desired standard that night."

However, the five officers named in the report refused to co-operate with the IPCC, and the dead man's family insisted they still had questions to answer.

Repeating calls for a public inquiry with the power to compel people to give evidence, Ms Alder said: "Apologies are no good, we need the truth to be able to move on."

Her brother, of Dagger Lane, Hull, banged his head during a scuffle outside a hotel and was arrested for an alleged breach of the peace.

He was taken to hospital for treatment.

But later, at the police station, he choked to death on his blood and vomit as he lay on the floor without moving for 11 minutes.

The four officers involved were PC Matthew Barr, PC Neil Blakey, PC Nigel Dawson and Sergeant John Dunn.

A fifth officer, Acting Sergeant Mark Ellerington, was also involved but to a lesser extent than the others, the report added.

All five were cleared of manslaughter or misconduct in a public office charges at Teesside Crown Court in 2002, on the orders of the judge.