Andrew Hall inquest: Police used 'justified' force on man who died
- Published
Police officers used "justified, necessary and proportionate" force to restrain a man who later died, an inquest jury has found.
Andrew Hall was admitted to hospital after being restrained by up to six officers at Huddersfield police station in 2016 and went into cardiac arrest.
His family's barrister had said the 43-year-old was showing signs of a medical emergency yet continued to be pinned.
It was later found that he had an undiagnosed severe heart condition.
The jury's decision was reached after a 10-week-long inquest held at Bradford's Alhambra Theatre.
Mr Allen's clearly upset partner, Natalie Dyer, left the inquest halfway through the jury spokesman's responses.
Jurors had previously heard father-of-three Mr Hall, from Dalton, had been admitted to hospital after consuming a large quantity of brandy and prescription drugs.
The inquest was told police were sent to arrest him after he allegedly slapped a nurse in the face during his treatment and officers took him from the hospital to the station on the morning of 13 September 2016.
Assistant coroner Oliver Longstaff told the jury at the opening of the inquest that Mr Hall was initially co-operative in the cells but, after a nurse began assessing his condition, a "violent struggle" ensued with a number of officers attempting to restrain him.
The whole incident was captured on CCTV, which showed up to six officers struggling with Mr Hall, delivering punches and knee strikes.
He was eventually double-handcuffed and put in leg restraints before being taken back to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, where he was examined lying face down on a trolley, restrained by several police.
The coroner said doctors noted that Mr Hall had "apparent injuries" and were concerned about possible brain injuries.
He said witnesses said he was "so distressed and disorientated he did not appear to understand what was being said to him".
Mr Hall went into cardiac arrest after he was sedated, and could not be resuscitated.
The jury found that he died from a complex series of causes which included his heart disease, drug intoxication and "exertion against subsequent restraint".
As part of its narrative conclusion, the jury said that Mr Hall "became more agitated" after he was taken into police custody.
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