WIREDGOV

An investigation we carried out into police contact with a man who died after his arrest in Nottingham found that officers acted appropriately and did all they could to save him when he suddenly collapsed.

Cain Hargreaves, who was 21, was arrested at home in Carlton on suspicion of drink driving late on 5 January this year (2018). His car had been involved in a collision.

Mr Hargreaves suffered a seizure in a police car as Nottinghamshire officers began to drive him to the custody unit at Bridewell. While waiting for an ambulance the officers administered first aid at the roadside and carried out CPR when his condition deteriorated. Paramedics took him to hospital where, sadly, death was pronounced a short time later.

An inquest which finished on Friday (9 November) recorded a narrative conclusion which found that the death was drug related, contributed to by a developmental brain abnormality. 

Our investigation, completed in May, found that Mr Hargreaves had not shown any signs of injury even though he had been in a road collision and there was no evidence to suggest medical intervention was required before officers decided to take him into custody.

IOPC Regional Director Derrick Campbell said: “I would again like to send my condolences to Cain’s family and friends. This is a tragic case where a young man who appeared fit and healthy died after becoming unwell shortly after his arrest. We found nothing to suggest that anything the police did contributed to his death.

“The information gathered by our investigator indicated that police acted appropriately and in accordance with policy throughout the incident. There was also clear evidence that when Cain became ill the officers did everything they could to try to help him and save his life in what was a traumatic situation.”

All police officers were treated as witnesses during the course of our investigation.