Forex Trading For Beginners 2021: Leon Briggs: Police and ambulance 'failures' in restraint death

The way in which police officers restrained a father-of-two contributed "more than minimally" to his death, an inquest jury found.

Leon Briggs died in November 2013 after being detained at Luton police station under the Mental Health Act, having been held face-down in the street.

His primary cause of death was "amphetamine intoxication with prone restraint and prolonged struggling".

A jury found a number of serious police and ambulance failures.

Officers were called to Marsh Road in Luton on 4 November due to concerns about the 39-year-old's behaviour.

The lorry driver, of mixed ethnicity, was detained in a cell at about 14:25 GMT. He became unconscious and was pronounced dead in hospital at about 16:15.

The inquest, held in Milton Keynes, was told Acting Sgt Loren Short and PC Geoff Bennett restrained Mr Briggs shortly after he pushed past them in a shop.

The officers said they "wanted to do the best (they) could" for Mr Briggs while he was "shouting, struggling, and kicking out", but the lawyer for Mr Briggs's family accused them of "telling a pack of lies".

Witnesses said they heard Mr Briggs call out "please help me", while another described him as "like a child crying out for a toy".

Mr Briggs was restrained face-down on the concrete for more than 13 minutes.

The jury found the use of force in a "dangerous" position "more than minimally contributed to his death".

It also found that "inappropriate weight" was used against him "at times", though police officers did "reasonably believe" it was appropriate while he was suffering a psychotic episode and had taken amphetamines.

A secondary cause of death was given as coronary heart disease.

Officers failed to recognise that Mr Briggs was in a state of medical emergency and failed to monitor him in the police van and cell, which also contributed to his death, the jury said.

Mr Briggs had been experiencing psychotic disorder, caused by an exceptionally high usage of amphetamines, resulting in erratic and irrational behaviour and subsequent detention, it added.

East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) paramedics attended the call and had admitted a failure to check his vital signs or take him to hospital in an ambulance for medical treatment, prior to the inquest.

During the inquest, Lewis Andrews, EEAST clinical general manager, agreed the two paramedics who watched him being restrained "did not even speak to Leon" or "offer medical advice to police".