Police sued over ‘brain dead’ man
originally published:
6th August 2009
A mother has begun legal action against Merseyside Police after her son collapsed in custody leaving him “completely brain dead”.
James Byrne, 37, suffered a cardiac arrest at Southport police station after his arrest on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly in April 2008. He collapsed in a cell five hours after his inhaler was taken away and requests for medication and water were ignored.
A police watchdog found Merseyside Police had made a number of “failings”. His mother Shelia Clarendon, from Belle Vale, Liverpool, blames the force for “taking away his life”.
Mr Byrne had previous health conditions, including epilepsy, for which he was on medication. On the day he collapsed a prescription for his medication was taken from him by a sergeant on duty.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which investigated the incident, said the sergeant had failed to carry out an “appropriate risk assessment” during Mr Byrne’s arrest, check his medical condition or call a doctor.
The officer received a written warning, the IPCC said.
