Police 'failed' custody death man

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/manchester/8074298.stm

Version 0 of 1.

Three police officers face disciplinary action after "misleading" information was added to the custody record of an injured prisoner who later died.

Callum McLean, 41, was taken to Ashton-under-Lyne station after being found drunk and injured at a bus stop.

CCTV showed he was visited once before being found "unresponsive" in his cell which was a "failure in duty of care", the police watchdog said.

Greater Manchester Police apologised for "failing" Mr McLean's family.

Mr McLean was found sleeping at a bus stop in Gorton on 10 April and was taken into custody over a warrant for failing to appear in court. He was drunk and had facial injuries.

He was put in a cell at about 1700 BST and checked through the spy hole for "one second" at 1741 BST, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said.

We have failed his family and we are sorry about that Ch Insp John Brennan

At about 2000 BST a doctor visited Mr McLean's cell and found him to be unresponsive.

He was taken to Tameside General Hospital by ambulance but died the following day. The cause of death was a head injury and a coroner recorded a narrative verdict.

The IPCC report found officers had failed to make regular checks on Mr McLean in line with police policy, which said he should have been visited every 30 minutes.

"Misleading and inaccurate" information was also entered on the custody record which suggested a cell visit that had not taken place.

When a decision was made to summon an ambulance, Mr McLean was left alone in his cell for another 21 minutes, the report said.

'Final indignity'

Disciplinary proceedings have been recommended against two custody sergeants and a custody detention officer.

Naseem Malik, IPCC Commissioner for the North West, said there had been a "failure in the duty of care" towards Mr McLean.

"The failure to put in place an adequate regime of cell visits was then compounded by the recording of inaccurate and misleading information," she said.

"But the final indignity was leaving a man in need of medical care alone on the floor his cell for 21 minutes."

Ch Insp John Brennan, of GMP's Professional Standards Branch, said: "We have failed his family and we are sorry about that.

"During his time in custody it was Greater Manchester Police's responsibility to look after him and we deeply regret that he was not given the care he was entitled to."

Mr Brennan said lessons had been learned form the tragedy, including a more robust risk assessment when booking people into custody.