Police officers sacked after man dies in custody
A disciplinary panel found the actions of Pc Grant Mackenzie and Pc Dean Hunkin, from Devon & Cornwall Police, amounted to gross misconduct – and they were dismissed without notice on Thursday, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.
It follows the death of Stephen Reardon, who was arrested on July 13, 2023 in St Austell, Cornwall, on suspicion of driving while unfit through drink or drugs and failing to provide a sample of breath.
The officers had appeared before a misconduct panel accused of breaching the standards appropriate to the conduct of a police officer in respect of the exercise of their duties and responsibilities in relation to Mr Reardon.
The IOPC said he was handcuffed and put in the back of a police van for the journey to Newquay Police Station. He became unwell during the trip.
Officers gave him first-aid in the yard of the station after he arrived at the custody unit.
He was taken by ambulance to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The incident was immediately referred by the force and an independent IOPC investigation was held, along with this week's misconduct hearing.
The panel ruled that Pc Mackenzie be dismissed without notice and Pc Hunkin would have been dismissed without notice if had he still been a serving police officer.
Assistant Chief Constable Glen Mayhew said: 'Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Mr Reardon who have our utmost sympathy.
'Through their actions, the officers undermined public trust and confidence in the force and did not fulfil their duties and responsibilities towards Mr Reardon.
'Devon & Cornwall Police made an immediate referral to the IOPC following this incident and has fully co-operated with the subsequent independent investigation.
'Due to Mr Reardon's forthcoming inquest, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.'
Both officers are to be banned from policing as their details will be submitted to the College of Policing Barred List, the IOPC said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
24 minutes ago
- BBC News
Redditch man drowns at Nuneaton beauty spot
A man has drowned after getting into difficulty while swimming at a Warwickshire beauty Berlan, from Redditch in Worcestershire, was swimming in Ensor's Pool in Nuneaton on Sunday afternoon, Warwickshire Police crews were called at about 12:30 BST to reports that the the 27-year-old man had disappeared in the water and not resurfaced for five was pulled from the water but confirmed dead at the scene at about 13:30, police said. The force is continuing to investigate on behalf of the Berlan's next of kin have been informed, a police spokesperson added, and anyone who was there at the time is asked to contact pool, in the south-west area of the town, is a former clay pit that served a nearby colliery and brick works and is now a site of special scientific interest. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Sally Rooney vows to use royalties to support Palestine Action despite terror ban
Novelist Sally Rooney has vowed to continue supporting Palestine Action 'in whatever way I can' using royalties from BBC adaptations of her books. The Normal People author, 34, publicly reaffirmed her support for the direct-action group, which was designated a proscribed terrorist organisation by the Home Office last month. It means showing support for the group is illegal under the Terrorism Act in the UK, punishable by a maximum of 14 years in prison. In an impassioned piece published in the Irish Times, the writer hit out at the arrest of more than 500 'brave individuals' holding placards declaring 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action' in London's Parliament Square last weekend. 'In this context I feel obliged to state once more that – like the hundreds of protesters arrested last weekend – I too support Palestine Action,' she wrote. 'If this makes me a 'supporter of terror' under UK law, so be it. My books, at least for now, are still published in Britain, and are widely available in bookshops and even supermarkets. 'In recent years the UK's state broadcaster has also televised two fine adaptations of my novels, and therefore regularly pays me residual fees. 'I want to be clear that I intend to use these proceeds of my work, as well as my public platform generally, to go on supporting Palestine Action and direct action against genocide in whatever way I can.' She said she would happily publish the same statement in a UK paper, but noted that would now be illegal. Ms Rooney accused the British government stripping its citizens of basic rights and freedoms 'in order to protect its relationship with Israel'. 'The ramifications for cultural and intellectual life in the UK – where the eminent poet Alice Oswald has already been arrested, and an increasing number of artists and writers can no longer safely travel to Britain to speak in public – are and will be profound,' she added. Ms Oswald, 58, who won the TS Eliot prize in 2002 and was professor of poetry at the University of Oxford, was among those detained in central London last week. Afterwards, she said her motivation for taking part included the very personal experience of giving online poetry classes regularly to young people and children in Gaza. Half of the protesters arrested and now facing potentially life-changing terror convictions were over 60, Metropolitan Police figures show. Home secretary Yvette Cooper this weekend defended the decision to ban Palestine Action, insisting it is more than 'a regular protest group'. Ms Cooper said counterterrorism intelligence showed the organisation passed the tests to be proscribed under the 2000 Terrorism Act with 'disturbing information' about future attacks. 'Protecting public safety and national security are at the very heart of the job I do,' she wrote in The Observer. 'Were there to be further serious attacks or injuries, the government would rightly be condemned for not acting sooner to keep people safe.' Protesters have vowed to continue defying the ban as Huda Ammori, the group's founder, brings a legal challenge to the High Court in November.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Judge who let knife-wielding migrant stay in UK was on asylum seeker charity board
A judge who allowed a migrant convicted for drug dealing and sexual assault to stay in the UK is a former executive of a pro-asylum charity, it has been revealed. Judge Fiona Beach ruled that Christian Quadjovie was not a threat to the British public at a hearing last year. French-born Quadjovie has spent a total of 963 days behind bars in UK prisons since arriving in Britain at the age of 10. Quadjovie, who was set to be deported, was granted a reprieve by Judge Beach, an ex-director at Asylum Aid who represented migrants for free on behalf of the Bail for Immigration Detainees charity. The decision has since been overturned after government lawyers claimed her judgment was 'made against the weight of evidence'. Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, said Judge Beach's apparent conflict of interest 'undermines confidence' in the courts. 'Judges must be independent' He added: 'This is the latest example of an immigration judge with open borders views. 'The similarity between her decisions and the political views she has broadcast totally undermines confidence in the system. Judges must be independent.' Records show Judge Beach was a director of Asylum Aid between September 2004 and February 2007. She is understood to have stepped back from the group in December 2006 when appointed as a part-time judge. Quadjovie's case was first brought before her in April 2024. He was first convicted as a boy of 12 for sexually assaulting a girl under 13. In 2016, he was given a nine-month referral order for carrying a knife in public. Later that year, he was convicted of drug offences. He was detained for 30 months and caught with more drugs after his release. The Home Office tried to deport him, but he argued that he would not be able to reintegrate in France. Judge Beach's stated in the tribunal decision: 'The appellant had some support in the UK in the form of family support, potential access to education and public funds and access to housing assistance, yet found himself involved with gangs and drug dealing. 'The concern would be whether the appellant would slip back into the same way of earning money which he did in the UK, i.e. drug dealing. 'There is a real risk that this would occur again as a young man in France with few ties, no accommodation, no qualifications other than a GCSE in French and no employment experience on which to rely.' 'Not a serious threat to public security' The decision concluded: 'Taking account of all the evidence, I find that the evidence does not show that the appellant is a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat to public policy or public security.' However, in October, Home Office lawyers said Ms Beach's judgment was made 'against the weight of evidence' and has since been overturned. A spokesman for the judiciary said: 'In each case, judges make decisions based on the evidence and arguments presented, and apply the law as it stands.' In a letter, seen by the Sun on Sunday, Mr Jenrick made a formal request to the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office to probe whether Judge Beach had declared her previous roles. In an interview with The Telegraph last week, Mr Jenrick said it was time to sack what he called 'activist' judges. He said: 'If judges want to enter the political sphere themselves, then they should stop being judges and go into politics. 'We have to have a situation where judges who act politically and bring their own personal politics into their job as a judge are held to account and frankly, can be removed.'
