Angry family calls for justice for tragic Jack
Mayor also vows action to ‘avoid repeat’ of incident after man unlawfully killed by Metrolink-contracted workers
A GRIEVING mum is calling for four Metrolink-contracted staff who forcibly restrained her son before his death to be prosecuted after a coroner ruled he had been unlawfully killed.
And yesterday Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham pledged that action would be taken to “avoid a repeat” of the incident.
Jack Barnes was shown on distressing bodycam footage begging to be let free as he was restrained by the men.
Jack, 29, repeatedly said ‘I can’t breathe’ and ‘let me breathe’ as he was pinned down on his front outside Australasia restaurant in the city centre in October 2016.
Whilst being restrained by four customer service representatives who were working for Metrolink at the time, the dad-of-one suffered a cardiac arrest.
Mr Barnes, who is originally from Hull, was transferred to hospital where he died seven weeks later, having suffered a hypoxic ischaemic brain injury.
At an inquest at Manchester Royal Exchange on Friday, senior coroner Nigel Meadows concluded that Jack had been unlawfully killed, and that his death amounted to manslaughter.
Mr Meadows said the four men who took part in the restraint process-Stephen Rowlands, Brian Gartside, Matt Sellars and Paul Fogarty - had acted with ‘excessive’ and ‘unreasonable force.’ All four men were contracted by Metrolink on a selfemployed basis.
Four men were arrested on suspicion of assault following the incident on October 11, 2016, and were released without charge.
Mr Barnes’ family twice requested that the case be reviewed under the Victim’s Right to Review scheme but specialist prosecutors reached the same conclusion - that there was insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges in the case.
But Jack’s mother, Patricia Gerrard, said she hoped that criminal charges would now be brought against the four men involved in restraining Jack.
“From day one I have said that the people involved have needed to be prosecuted for what they did to Jack,” she said, speaking after his inquest.
“If this had been the other way around, my Jack would have been sent to prison, I am certain of that. He should still be here with us and to see his beautiful daughter grow up.
“How can anybody justify ignoring somebody’s repeated pleas to be allowed to breathe?
“It is absolutely appalling and the actions of these men are the reason Jack is no longer here and no longer able to see his little girl, who was just three years old when he died.
“I hold them all responsible.” Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said the footage of Mr Barnes being restrained had caused “a lot of distress right across Greater Manchester transport authorities and public bodes.”
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Mr Burnham said: “I feel deeply for the family and friends and it is not something you would ever want to see on the streets of Manchester.” Mr Burnham said he will say more next week as he vowed action would be taken ‘to avoid a repeat’ of the incident.
Transport for Greater Manchester’s chief executive Eamonn Boylan said on Friday: “First and foremost I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to the family of Jack Barnes.
“This was a tragic and deeply upsetting incident. There were clear policies and training in place at the time of the incident, which those involved that evening completely disregarded.
“The coroner has been clear in his findings and given the potential for this matter to be further reviewed, it would not be appropriate to add anything more at this time.”