Rashan Charles: accidental death

AN INQUEST JURY has given a verdict of accidental death in the case of Rashan Charles, who died in Hackney in July last year. The jury added a narrative to their verdict.

Rashan Charles was in a car in Kingsland Road, E8, when police tried to stop it. He got out of the car and ran off – with the police giving chase. Rashan entered a shop – and that is where it becomes hard to fathom exactly what happened, even though it was caught on the shop’s CCTV.

The police officer chasing after Rashan gave an account of what happened which was made public by the Hackney Borough Commander. The officer said he saw Rashan enter the shop, try to swallow something, and Rashan was then “taken ill”.

The CCTV did not capture everything. It showed Rashan enter the shop and then it shows the police officer wrestle Rashan to the ground, where Rashan continued to struggle – and then he stops struggling and goes limp.

The big question was whether Rashan was still trying, at that point, to evade arrest – or whether he was fighting to breathe. The police officer says Rashan was “taken ill”: when was this? Rashan was certainly “taken ill” after he had been held down – so ill that he could not be revived.

The inquest heard that the medical cause of death was cardiac arrest caused by upper airway obstruction – that obstruction being the item which Rashan had tried to swallow. After his death, this was retrieved by paramedics – and found to contain a mixture of caffeine and paracetamol.

The jury’s narrative said that they believed that the police officer who held Rashan down was “justified in the use of force to handcuff Mr Charles and bring him to the floor”. They went on to say that the officer did not follow protocol by responding to Rashan’s breathing problems and the officer should have called the London Ambulance Service sooner.

However, the jury went on to say that even if the officer had responded to Rashan’s breathing problems sooner or called an ambulance sooner, “this would not have changed the course of events and Mr Charles’ life could not have been saved.”

On the other hand, the jury found that a second police officer who arrived in the shop after Rashan had been restrained “acted correctly in administering first aid and commencing CPR.”

It doesn’t add up.

First: does it say in the Metropolitan Police protocol that if a suspect is suspected of having swallowed something, is the best course of action to wrestle him to the ground and lean down on his chest?

Second: at about 1.30 on the CCTV footage, the PC holding Rashan down appears to take off his handcuffs.  He then seems to bend down to Rashan’s face, as if checking whether he is breathing – which goes on for over three minutes, until a second police officer comes in to the shop.  That is an awfully long time to dither, not calling an ambulance and continuing to pin a man down who was, by then, offering no resistance.

Watch the CCTV footage: #JusticeForRash – the CCTV

Responding to the inquest verdict, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Richard Martin, who is responsible for “professionalism”, said, “The death of anyone after involvement with police is a matter of deep regret and our thoughts and sympathies remain with all those affected.

“Having listened to all the evidence, the jury found that the officer that day lawfully and justifiably apprehended and restrained Mr Charles.

“When it became apparent Mr Charles was in difficulty, first aid and CPR was carried out but nothing the officers could have done would have saved his life. The MPS must now take time to consider the detail of the narrative and any recommendations the Coroner may make in her subsequent report. If there is learning to take forward for the Met as a whole we will take action where we need to.

“The Independent Office for Police Conduct has carried out an independent investigation into Mr Charles’ death. We understand that investigation is complete and we await the findings. Mr Charles’ death has of course had an impact on the community and local police ward officers have been working hard to address any concerns and ensure they are visible and available to offer reassurance. That work continues.”

Rashan Charles’s family responded by calling the inquest “a farce”. Rashan Charles’s great uncle is a former police officer – a Chief Inspector who worked for the Met for over 30 years. “I have due respect for the jury… but I have rafts and waves of concerns with the process,” he said. “I have had to listen to implausible evidence at times, and at times downright lies.”

With the Metropolitan Police still considering the verdict and Rashan Charles’s family still looking, with their solicitor, for a legal process to take further action, it seems this story is not over yet.

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