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Duncan Tomlin inquest: Police 'panic' as restrained man stopped moving Duncan Tomlin inquest: Police 'panic' as restrained man stopped moving
(about 5 hours later)
A police sergeant has spoken of his "panic" when a man he was restraining suddenly became unresponsive. A police sergeant told of his "panic" when a man he was restraining suddenly became unresponsive.
Duncan Tomlin, 32, had epilepsy and died in July 2014 after being arrested in Haywards Heath, West Sussex. Duncan Tomlin, 32, who had epilepsy, died in July 2014 after being arrested in Haywards Heath, West Sussex.
Sgt Christopher Glasspool told an inquest jury Mr Tomlin had been "violently kicking out" at officers in the back of the police van. Sgt Christopher Glasspool told an inquest jury Mr Tomlin had been "violently kicking out" at officers in the back of a police van.
When he suddenly stopped struggling, Mr Glasspool said: "I realised it wasn't compliance, it was a problem." When he suddenly stopped struggling, Sgt Glasspool said: "I realised it wasn't compliance, it was a problem."
West Sussex Coroner's Court previously heard that on the night of 24 July Mr Tomlin had been under the influence of drink and drugs and had punched another officer before being arrested. Sgt Glasspool had been called as back-up when officers struggled to restrain Mr Tomlin, who, West Sussex Coroner's Court had previously heard, had been drinking and taking drugs.
The jury was shown videos from a camera in the back of the police van, showing Mr Tomlin lying on his front with his hands cuffed behind him and surrounded by officers. 'Suddenly stopped'
Mr Glasspool said: "We were all telling him to calm down, to stop struggling and stop resisting…Duncan was still shouting and screaming incoherently and aggressively. The jury was shown footage from a camera inside the police van, showing Mr Tomlin lying on his front with his hands cuffed behind him and surrounded by officers.
Sgt Glasspool denied the reason Mr Tomlin had been shouting and screaming was because he was in pain.
He said: "We were all telling him to calm down, to stop struggling and stop resisting… Duncan was still shouting and screaming incoherently and aggressively.
"He just suddenly stopped.""He just suddenly stopped."
He added: "I was starting to panic, I was really concerned for Duncan... I didn't know why it had happened."
'Distraught''Distraught'
Mr Tomlin became unresponsive, the inquest heard, so Sgt Glasspool performed a sternum rub to try and elicit a pain response - as per his training - but it did not work.
"I was starting to panic, I was really concerned for Duncan... I didn't know why it had happened," he said.
The jury was shown body-worn camera footage from another officer in the van, showing the officers agree to drive Mr Tomlin directly to hospital as the ambulance was too far away.The jury was shown body-worn camera footage from another officer in the van, showing the officers agree to drive Mr Tomlin directly to hospital as the ambulance was too far away.
En route he stopped breathing, and the officers performed CPR.En route he stopped breathing, and the officers performed CPR.
Mr Glasspool said tearfully: "I was fairly distraught to be honest, this man was dying in front of me." Sgt Glasspool acknowledged it took four minutes for them to take Mr Tomlin from the van, but he said he had been trained to perform CPR only when someone had stopped breathing.
He said: "I was fairly distraught, to be honest, this man was dying in front of me."
Mr Tomlin had suffered a cardiac arrest, and died in hospital two days later.Mr Tomlin had suffered a cardiac arrest, and died in hospital two days later.
The inquest continues.The inquest continues.