Police Taser 'not to blame' for death of Braintree dad, 29, who had taken cocaine

A watchdog has found that police officers who Tasered a young father who was high on cocaine did not contribute to his death.

Sali Byberi, 29, died after contact with officers in Braintree on 21 November 2022 after a member of the public raised concerns over a domestic dispute at his home.

Speaking after an inquest into his death concluded, his family said hearing the evidence had been "incredibly upsetting" but that they took comfort from hearing some answers surrounding his death.

Paying tribute, Sali's sister Eli Sokolaj, 36, and his partner Leonora Mafra, 33, described him as "a wonderful and loving son, dad, brother and uncle".

They added: "Everyone adored him and his infectious personality. He was very family-orientated, hardworking and generous. Nothing was ever too much trouble for Sali."

The inquest into Mr Byberi's death at Essex Coroner's Court found he died of acute toxicity with acute behavioural disorder and that the use of the Taser did not contribute to his death.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said its investigation found that officers' initial restraint of him was also "necessary and appropriate".

However the jury at the inquest into Mr Byberi's death concluded that the actions of one police officer were "inappropriate and probably inflamed or escalated the situation".

The IOPC said that two officers were called to Mr Byberi's home in Clockhouse Way at around 11.30am following a call from a member of the public who had heard arguing.

The inquest heard that the couple's relationship was described as “good, but arguments do happen” and it was claimed Mr Byberi would take cocaine “on a regular basis”.

The IOPC said police body cam footage showed that he had acted erratically and assaulted one officer, before resisting arrest.

Mr Byberi, who worked for his family's car wash business, was Tasered as he continued to struggle with the officers, and once more as they tried to put handcuffs on him.

The IOPC said one officer suffered a serious leg injury during the incident.

More officers arrived, and Mr Byberi was handcuffed but continued to struggle, complaining that he could not breathe.

Having been made aware that Mr Byberi had taken cocaine, officers recognised that he was displaying symptoms of acute behavioural disorder.

Officers attempted to calm him down and held him down on the bed to apply leg restraints.

Mr Byberi’s condition deteriorated and paramedics arrived at the scene, but he died a short time later.

The IOPC said that a post-mortem found no causal link between the Taser discharge and Mr Byberi’s death, which was attributed to complications resulting from acute cocaine toxicity.

The watchdog said that it found no indication that any officers had behaved in a manner that would justify disciplinary proceedings.

IOPC regional director Charmaine Arbouin said: “The officers were met with a volatile situation and Mr Byberi’s behaviour was unpredictable and he refused their instructions.

"We consulted with a use of Taser expert, whose view was that the officers were left with no other option than to eventually use Taser to subdue and arrest him.

“We found that the use of Taser was necessary and proportionate, along with the use of restraints.“

Essex Police said the force's thoughts were with Mr Byberi's family.

A spokesman said officers had been dealing with a challenging situation and that no evidence of misconduct had been found by the independent police watchdog.

It added: "We note the jury’s findings regarding one officer’s engagement with Mr Byberi and will work to fully understand their conclusion and how that is balanced with the independent, expert evidence given during the inquest.

"We understand that the last two years have been very difficult for Mr Byberi’s family, and we would again like to extend our thoughts to them."

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