Police misconduct hearing over the death of Luton man Leon Briggs is dismissed

Anglia
Friday 21 February 2020 at 11:43am

A misconduct hearing regarding the events surrounding the death of Leon Briggs, who died while in police custody has been dismissed.

Six officers from Bedfordshire Police were initially due to be subject to the hearing, which was expected to last four weeks.

Mr Briggs was detained in Luton and taken to Luton Police Station.

The 39-year-old was restrained by officers at Luton police station while being held under the Mental Health Act.

He fell ill at Luton Police Station and was taken to Luton & Dunstable Hospital and pronounced dead a short while later.

None of the officers were accused of causing or contributing to Mr Briggs death after a full investigation was carried out by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

The hearing was intended to investigate allegations that the six officers - who were all suspended - breached standards of professional responsibility.

This morning, the hearing at Wyboston was dismissed and the police federation expressed their relief.

Jim Mallen, Chairman of Bedfordshire Police Federation, said:

Bedfordshire police officer, Assistant Chief Constable Jackie Sebire said:

“Firstly, our thoughts are with the family and friends of Leon Briggs who will understandably be upset and frustrated by this outcome. “Our thoughts too are with the officers involved in this matter who have been living with uncertainty since Mr Briggs’ death on 4 November 2013. “The force has always wanted a fair and transparent hearing to provide answers to the family of Mr Briggs and provide confidence to the public. “However, we became aware during the initial legal arguments of failings in the independent investigation which called into question the proportionality, fairness and the public interest in continuing with this hearing. Those concerns, coupled with the likelihood of yet further delay to proceedings, which have already gone on for an unacceptable length of time, meant we were left with little option but to ask the IOPC to review its decision over directing the hearing. “We must be mindful that there is still an inquest due to be held, however it is important to stress that none of the officers involved in this hearing were accused of causing or contributing towards Mr Briggs’ death. “The welfare of people in our care is paramount and, irrespective of the outcome of this failed investigation, we have already brought in a raft of measures over recent years to improve our approach to mental health and other vulnerabilities. An example of this is the introduction of our Mental Health Street Triage which has prevented 588 police detentions of people under section 136 of the Mental Health Act in a 12-month period to March 2019. “This is a regrettable and unfortunate situation which could, and should, have been resolved a long time ago."

A spokesperson from the Independent Office for Police Conduct said:

Mr Brigg's family have been campaigning since his death for justice for him and say they want to find out exactly what happened.

They say he was struggling with his mental health and should have been safe in the custody of the police.

An inquest into his death is scheduled for early next year.