Other Custody Deaths

Larry Fedja

No convictions over more than 500 Black and Asian deaths in custody

IRR Report - DYING FOR JUSTICE
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source: The Guardian
published: 21 March 2015

More than 500 black and ethnic minority individuals have died in suspicious circumstances while in state detention over the past 24 years, but not a single official has been successfully prosecuted, a report examining institutional racism has revealed.

The report, by the Institute of Race Relations, concludes that too little has changed to prevent black and Asian people dying in detention and that seemingly racist attitudes remain a concern, with a “large proportion of these deaths involving undue force and many more a culpable lack of care”.

It concludes: “Despite narrative verdicts warning of dangerous procedures and the proliferation of guidelines, lessons are not being learnt: people die in similar ways year on year.”

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Larry Fedja

INQUEST launch groundbreaking mental health report

police & mental healthall credits: INQUEST
published: 11 February 2015

On Wednesday 11 February 2015, in parliament, INQUEST launched a ground breaking evidence based report Deaths in Mental Health Detention: An investigation framework fit for purpose? 

The report is based on INQUEST’s work with families of those who have died in mental health settings and related policy work. It identifies three key themes:

  1. The number of deaths and issues relating to their reporting and monitoring
  2. The lack of an independent system of pre-inquest investigation as compared to other deaths in detention.
  3. The lack of a robust mechanism for ensuring post-death accountability and learning

It documents concerns about the lack of a properly independent investigation system unlike deaths in prison and police custody which are independently investigated pre-inquest and the consistent failure by most Trusts to ensure the meaningful involvement of families in investigations.

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Tippa Naphtali

Old Bailey: G4S guards found not guilty of manslaughter of Jimmy Mubenga

Jimmy Mubenga source: The Guardian
published: 16 December 2014

Three private security guards who restrained the Angolan deportee Jimmy Mubenga have been cleared of manslaughter by a jury at the Old Bailey.

The 46-year-old died after being restrained by the G4S guards on a British Airways flight on 12 October 2010. Terrence Hughes, 53, Colin Kaler, 52 and Stuart Tribelnig, 39, were accused of manslaughter by forcing Mubenga’s head down and restricting his breathing as the flight prepared to take off at Heathrow airport. The jury cleared them of the charges on Tuesday after a six-week trial.

The court had heard how fellow passengers said they heard Mubenga cry out: “I can’t breathe” as he was pinned down in his seat, despite already being handcuffed from behind with his seatbelt on.

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