Officers ‘did all they could’ to try to save man

SOUTH Wales Police have “no case to answer for misconduct” following a review into the death of a man who tried to swallow drugs after being stopped by officers.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has investigated the death of Peter Garry Jonathan, 44, who was stopped by police in Bute Street, Aberdare, on April 7 last year.

According to the IPCC, Mr Jonathan attempted to swallow packages containing what the officers thought were drugs, and as time progressed he started to display signs of airway obstruction.

Despite receiving first aid he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The investigation, completed in December, examined the circum- stances leading up to the stop and search of Mr Jonathan, whether any restraint or force was used on him and if there was any evidence to suggest police may have caused or contributed to his death.

It also looked into whether officers’ decisions and actions were in line with policies, procedures and guidelines.

The IPCC has said that, having seen Mr Jonathan swallow the packages, the officer involved made efforts to provide him with medical assistance at the earliest opportunity.

An IPCC statement said: “After examining the evidence including accounts from officers, the IPCC investigator found that officers had no case to answer for misconduct and acted in accordance with their training.”

IPCC Commissioner for Wales Jan Williams added: “This was a tragic event and I express my sincere condolences to Mr Jonathan’s family.”

According to the IPCC, a post-mortem examination found that Mr Jonathan died following a cardiac arrest associated with multi-drug misuse and airway obstruction. An inquest returned a finding of death by misadventure.

Chief Superintendent Dorian Lloyd, of South Wales Police’s professional standards department, added that officers had done “everything they could” to try and save Mr Jonathan’s life.

He said: “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragic incident.”