Dad's inquest death: Expert tells of 'critical event' in police van

Nov 25 2009 by Paul Suart, Birmingham Mail

A MAN died in police custody in Birmingham because of the way he was restrained, a medical expert told an inquest jury.

Officers used CS gas and physical force to control father-of-three Michael Powell after he smashed windows at his mother’s home in Wilton Street, Lozells, in September 2003.

He was eventually handcuffed, bundled into a van and taken to Thornhill Road police station in Handsworth where he died after suffering a cardiac arrest. It is not known if Mr Powell, 38, was forced to lie face down or on his side in the police van.

Forensic pathologist Jack Crane said a “critical” event had happened in the van which caused Mr Powell to die of positional asphyxia – a condition which occurs when someone’s position prevents them from breathing adequately.

Dr Crane, former Northern Ireland state pathologist, said: “Laying on your front with one’s hands handcuffed behind one’s back with an individual exhausted is one of the most dangerous positions an individual can be put in.

“We have a person fully conscious when put in the van. A short time later he’s effectively dead and suffers a cardiac arrest.

“It seems to me that some critical event occurred when Michael Powell was in the police vehicle.

“Laying face down there’s a very real risk of positional asphyxia, on his side there’s still a risk of positional asphyxia for an individual handcuffed and already fatigued.”

Mr Powell had carried the sickle cell trait (SCT), a genetic blood disorder found in small numbers of people from minority ethnic groups, which research has shown can be fatal following extreme physical exertion.

Pathologists who had previously given evidence at the inquest said SCT, coupled with Mr Powell’s physical activity at the time of arrest, had led directly to his death.

But Dr Crane, who attended the second post mortem in September 2003, dismissed the condition as contributing to his death.

He also said that the CS gas used to restrain Mr Powell in no way caused his death, nor did faint traces of cocaine or Gaviscon found in his blood, urine and public hair.

Dr Crane said he based his verdict of positional asphyxia on the facts that Mr Powell did not have a high body temperature and had not sweated, had no sickling in his lungs, was not dehydrated and had shown no signs of muscle damage or myoglobin in his urine and kidneys.

(Proceeding)