Custody death father had ‘off the scale’ cocaine levels
A MAN who died in police custody had taken so much cocaine that doctors could not measure the amount of the drug in his system.
Father-of-one Steven Chesney became ill after officers detained him for brandishing a machete in the street and tests showed the quantity of the Class A drug he had ingested was ‘off the analytical scale’.
Concerns were raised by his family that more could have been done to save him and that officers did not react quickly enough.
But following a fatal accident inquiry, a sheriff has ruled that the 33-year-old died of a massive cocaine overdose and could not have been saved.
The inquiry at Hamilton Sheriff Court heard he was arrested near his home in Cleland, Lanarkshire, on May 1, 2016, and taken to Motherwell police station. Police said he collapsed as officers prepared to take him to hospital.
Consultant forensic pathologist Dr Julia Bell told the inquiry the level of cocaine in his system was the highest she had ever seen.
Sheriff Douglas Brown said: ‘A subsequent toxicological analysis of the blood revealed the presence of cocaine at a level higher than 10mg per litre, though the exact level could not be determined as it was so exceptionally high as to be off the top level of the analytical scale.
‘The pathologists concluded that the main factor causing death was cocaine toxicity. Once Mr Chesney had ingested this exceptionally high toxic dose, there was no realistic possibility of survival.
‘Had he reached hospital before the cardiac arrest, there would have been difficulty in diagnosing his illness as none of the witnesses knew that he had consumed cocaine.’
The inquiry heard two constables thought Mr Chesney was feigning illness due to the sudden onset of symptoms at the police station.
But Sheriff Brown said no blame could be attached to them for reaching that conclusion and refused submissions from the family to make a finding that police were negligent in relation to the death.