Tragic dad found with ‘package of drugs in mouth which then split’
INQUEST HEARS MORE ABOUT POLICE INCIDENT WHERE 23-YEAR-OLD DIED
MORE details have come to light surrounding the death of a Derbyshire dad during a police incident in late October.
Chad George Allford died while police attended a house in Morewood Drive, Alfreton just after 5pm on Wednesday, October 27.
The 23-year-old father-of-one became unwell during the incident and, despite CPR being performed at the scene, he was pronounced dead in hospital, prompting an outpouring of grief on social media and around the area, with a vigil held the next day.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is still investigating what happened but has confirmed police went to the property in relation to drugs offences.
Opening the inquest at Chesterfield Coroner’s Court yesterday, Peter Nieto – area coroner for Derby and Derbyshire – said: “His death occurred in the context of police contact at an address he was found at during their investigations. I need to consider whether the police contact has in any way contributed to his death.
“The information I have at this stage – and obviously it is a very early stage – is that the police went to the home address of Mr Allford on 27 October in the course of an investigation concerning illicit drugs. Police found him at a nearby address with a package in his mouth, possibly drugs, and he was physically detained by police.
“The package split and Mr Allford went into convulsions and then became unresponsive. He was taken to Kings Mill Hospital where he was sadly announced deceased.
“There was no evidence for any natural disease as the cause of death, or any traumatic injuries towards the cause of the death.”
Mr Allford, who had a young son, was identified by his brother Jerome.
A post-mortem examination was carried out on October 29 but Mr Nieto said that it had not yet been able to ascertain the medical cause of death. The results of a toxicological report are yet to be finalised and Mr Nieto said it would be a number of weeks before they are provided.
Derbyshire police referred itself to the IOPC following Mr Allford’s death, with the police watchdog still combing through police bodycam footage and assessing interactions between officers and Mr Allford, the use of force in his detention, and how his welfare was treated.
Mr Nieto said he was unable to set a date for a full inquest due to several pieces of evidence being unavailable, but set a review date for Tuesday, March 8, 2022.
He said: “There are investigations by the Independent Office for Police Conduct and this is in the context of Mr Allford’s death occurring while police were in contact with him and there will be findings from that investigation provided in due course. I am not in a position to set an inquest date. I anticipate it will be quite a number of months [before all evidence is produced]. By that date [March 8, 2022] there will be a coroner’s review of the case to see what state things are at and to chase any further evidence that is required. I anticipate it is likely to be some months before we have all the evidence in.
“I extend my condolences to Mr Allford’s family for their sad loss. I adjourn to the review date of 8 March 2022.”
Friends of Mr Allford had previously described him as a “sound lad” and the “nicest guy” in online tributes, with a vigil taking place at the bottom of Morewood Drive on Thursday, October 28 in his memory. A Facebook post saying “Justice4Chad” was shared over 100 times. Dozens of floral tributes were also left at the bottom of the road following his death.
In a statement released in late October, Derbyshire police said: “The IOPC continues to investigate the tragic death of Chad Allford.
“It is important that an independent investigation is carried out to determine the true events leading up to his death. The IOPC will update Mr Allford’s family on the progress of the investigation.
“Derbyshire Constabulary fully supports this investigation and are equally committed to ensuring there is an independent review. We are aware of numerous different accounts circulating within the community, relating to the events leading up to this tragic incident.
“However, we respectfully ask for time to allow the independent investigators to determine what happened. At the appropriate time, the findings will be made available. Again, we would like to appeal for any witnesses to come forward.”