Call our No Win, No Fee* personal injury team on
0800 160 1296

 

The Accident Claimline Blog

Welcome to our blog regarding personal injury claims news and accident claims updates. Contact us for specialist advice from a solicitor today.

Three police officers charged following custody death

Three police officers have been charged with manslaughter after a man collapsed in custody and died. 32-year-old Thomas Orchard collapsed while being held in a cell at Heavitree Road Police Station in Exeter not long after being arrested. He was immediately transported to hospital, where he died.  

Mr Orchard, a caretaker at St Thomas Church in Exeter, was arrested in October 2012 on suspicion of public order offence. He was taken to the local police station where he collapsed in a cell around one hour later. An ambulance took him to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital where he died one week later.

Sgt Jan Kingshott and civilian detention officers Michael Marsden and Simon Tansley now face manslaughter charges. One charge alleges that the officers unlawfully killed Mr Orchard by the use of ‘unreasonable force’.  The second charge alleges that they unlawfully killed Mr Orchard through ‘gross negligence’. A final charge alleges that the three officers ‘acted with willful misconduct in relation to their dealings with Mr Orchard on 3 October 2012’.

“Difficult time for all of those involved”

Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer said: “Our thoughts are with the family of Thomas Orchard at this difficult time. The two-year long investigation that has followed has been difficult for all of those involved.”

The Independent Police Complaints Commission is still investigating whether the force has committed any other offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 which could include corporate manslaughter.

If you have been suffered an injury at work or in a public place, and are looking to claim compensation, please contact us.

Ambulance officer admits hillsborough disaster fai...
Spa fined after customers fall ill

Related Posts

Comments

 
No comments made yet. Be the first to submit a comment

We use cookies to improve our website and your experience when using it. Cookies used for the essential operation of the site have already been set. To find out more about the cookies we use and how to delete them, see our privacy policy.

I accept cookies from this site.

EU Cookie Directive Module Information