Most night detainees on alcohol and drugs: doctor

A DOCTOR on duty the night a man died in a police cell said yesterday that “nearly everybody” brought into custody at night was under the influence of either alcohol or drugs.

David McGowan was found dead in his cell hours after he was arrested in 2014.

Sgt Brian McKenna, who was the custody officer on the night the 28-year-old passed away, is on trial for manslaughter and misconduct in public office by wilfully neglecting to perform his duty in respect of Mr McGowan. He denies both charges.

A doctor who was acting Forensic Medical Officer at Lisburn PSNI station on the evening of May 29, 2014, and into the following morning gave evidence at Belfast Crown Court yesterday.

Mr McGowan (28) and his girlfriend Kirsty Pinkerton were brought to Lisburn Custody Suite just after 11pm on May 29 following an incident in east Belfast. Mr McGowan was pronounced dead in his cell several hours later, and a post mortem concluded he died of ‘upper airway obstruction due to inhalation of gastric contents, due to toxic effects of alcohol and drugs’.

It is the Crown’s case that Sgt McKenna failed to search Mr McGowan when he arrived, failed to act when told the detainee had consumed ‘30 to 40’ tablets, failed to provide the doctor with this information and failed to act when tramadol and diazepam were found in and around where Mr Mc- Gowan had been in the custody suite.

Called to give evidence at yesterday’s hearing, the doctor described how he tried in vain to resuscitate Mr McGowan.

He also said it was“very regular, and more so nowadays” that when people were brought into custody they were intoxicated, and that he had no real concerns about Mr McGowan’s condition when he initially examined him.

From the witness box, the medic said: “Nearly everybody we see on a nightly basis has tak- en alcohol, tablets, prescription drugs or non-prescribed drugs in some quantity.”

He also said seeing people in a hospital environment was very different from examining people brought into custody, telling the court: “Patients in a purely medical setting want to get help and want to co-operate. Often, in custody, they don’t.”

Under questioning by defence barrister Mark Mulholland, who is presenting McKenna, the doctor was asked if he found the sergeant to be professional on the numerous occasions they worked together. “That was always my impression,” he replied.

He also agreed when asked by Mr Mulholland if he found Sgt McKenna to be a diligent, hard-working man who did his “level best” to help those brought into custody.

Mr McGowan was pronounced dead at 1.44am on the morning of Friday May 30, 2014.

Asked how he felt at that point, the doctor answered: “I was pretty frazzled.”

At hearing.