Police-restrained man had high cocaine levels

A man who died shortly after being restrained by police had "high levels" of cocaine in his blood, an inquest heard.

Robert Gracey, 39, of Morton Terrace, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, died in the early hours of 29 September 2021 at Lincoln County Hospital.

The inquest, at the Myles Cross Centre in Lincoln, heard Mr Gracey had become unresponsive in a police van having earlier been restrained by officers after banging on the window of Gainsborough Police Station.

At Lincoln Coroner's Court on Wednesday, Dr Stephen Morley's toxicology report described the level of cocaine found in Mr Gracey's blood as being "against a potential toxic and lethal threshold".

On 4 December, the jury was shown body-worn camera footage of police officers restraining Mr Gracey shortly after midnight on 29 September, hours before his death.

On Friday, Garry Firth, who was a police officer at the time but has since retired, admitted to punching Mr Gracey twice to "distract him" while he was resisting being put in a police van shortly after midnight on 29 September.

In the statement, Mr Firth said he thought Mr Gracey may have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs and was behaving in an "aggressive manner".

After getting Mr Gracey into the van, Mr Firth and PC Nicky Briscoe were heading to Lincoln Police Station when Mr Gracey became unresponsive. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

On Wednesday, Dr Jasmeet Soar, a consultant in anaesthesia and intensive care told the jury he believed Mr Gracey had experienced a cardiac arrest before he died.

Dr Soar said cocaine use "increased his risk of death" and the "stress of the interaction with the police was an additional significant, causative factor in his death".

"Cocaine had disrupted Mr Gracey's thoughts and perceptions and he had difficulty knowing what was real and what was not," he told the jury.

He added that the blows from police "didn't cause any trauma to him that was life-threatening."

A report by Prof S Kim Survarna, a former consultant in histopathology, found Mr Gracey had an "enlarged heart" which was "in keeping with cocaine-related effects".

Dr Soar said Mr Gracey's heart showed evidence of scarring, and there were "high levels" of cocaine found in his blood.

Dr Stuart Hamilton, a forensic pathologist, told the jury he believed the cause of death was "a combination of the use of cocaine, the underlying heart disease and sequence of events that occurred."

"I believe it is plausible that, with or without restraint, he could have died," Dr Hamilton added.

The inquest previously heard suggestions Mr Gracey was suffering from acute behavioural disturbance (ABD) - an umbrella term for the presentation of a number of conditions, according to College of Policing guidelines.

PC Christopher Phillipson, royalty and specialist protection command for the Metropolitan Police, said ABD was "rare" but he had seen "an increase of cases over the last few years".

He told the inquest: "A core duty of police officers detecting ABD remains unchanged from September 2021 to present.

"The individual must be recognised as being in a state of medical emergency, ambulance must be called and taken to hospital not a police station."

PC Phillipson told the inquest restraint must be used "as a last resort" and for a "minimum duration necessary" while "avoiding pressure to neck, back and chest" for individuals with suspected ABD.

The inquest continues.

Listen to highlights fromLincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch thelatest episode of Look Northor tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.

Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices