Police watchdog investigates death of man in custody in Luton
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Version 0 of 1. The police watchdog has launched an investigation after a 25-year-old man died in custody. The man was arrested by Bedfordshire police officers at an address in Luton at 8.47am on Saturday and taken into custody. He subsequently became unresponsive in his cell and died. The Independent Police Complaints Commission was informed and has begun carrying out an investigation. Associate commissioner Guido Liguori, who is overseeing the investigation, said: “I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the man’s family following his death. “We are in the process of making contact with them to explain our role.” In a statement, Bedfordshire police confirmed the man was initially arrested on suspicion of domestic violence in the Purley Centre area of the town. They also said there was nothing to suggest the death was caused by police action. DCC Jon Boutcher said: “The man was taken to custody at Luton police station and became ill in his cell, where he was subsequently pronounced dead. “The IPCC was informed of the incident … No further details will be released in relation to the deceased until a formal inquest has been opened. “Our thoughts are with the family at this sad time and we will do all we can to cooperate with the investigation and help provide the family, the coroner and the IPCC with accurate information about how and why he tragically died. “Without prejudice to the ongoing investigation, from what we know at this time there is nothing to suggest this tragic death was caused by any police action, but we are keeping an open mind and we are determined that a full and transparent investigation is conducted so that the causes of this sad loss can be established for the family. “As there will be an IPCC independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding this death it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.” |