Police trainee Anugrah Abraham said sergeant was 'harsh' but not a racist bully, inquest hears

A West Yorkshire Police trainee who took his own life told his university tutor that his sergeant was 'harsh' but not a racist bully, an inquest heard.

Anugrah Abraham, 21, from Bury, Greater Manchester, feared he was not cut out to be a police officer and was struggling with stress and anxiety, the hearing at Rochdale Coroner’s Court was told.

He had also suffered nightmares about his station sergeant, which left him feeling afraid he could be dismissed.

Mr Abraham, who was training at Halifax police station, reportedly experienced bullying and racism allegations which West Yorkshire Police (WYP) have denied.

His father had previously claimed his son faced racism while working as a trainee.

The inquest heard that Mr Abraham, described as "intelligent, polite and lovely" by his university progress tutor, felt he had led a "sheltered" life and was shocked by the culture of police work.

He had also been juggling the pressures of a full-time role as a police officer with a degree apprenticeship at Leeds Trinity University.

While there were no concerns about his academic work, Mr Abraham had been placed on a development programme due to difficulties with his practical police training.

Lyn Farrell, his progress tutor, told the inquest that during a meeting on 19 January 2023, two months before Mr Abraham’s death, he told her he no longer wanted to be a police officer.

Ms Farrell said he felt ill-prepared for the challenges of the job and had been shocked by certain aspects of police work, including being criticised for being the "last person out of the car" during incidents.

Mr Abraham's tutor also revealed that she was unaware he had been referred to occupational health following thoughts of self-harm and suicide.

She expressed surprise that this information had not been communicated to her. “He was exactly the sort of officer they advertised they wanted,” Ms Farrell said.

“He was articulate, intelligent, polite and lovely. My only fear was that he might drop out of the course, but I didn’t know about the other struggles he was facing.”

Mr Abraham was found dead on 4 March 2023, the same day he was due back to work after a two-week break.

The inquest also heard that Mr Abraham was asked whether his sargeant was bullying or being racist towards him. He responded that while his sergeant’s training style was "harsh", it was not targeted at him personally, and he did not believe his sergeant was being racist or a bully.

The inquest raised concerns about a wider problem in policing, with the issue being raised of many police officers coming into the profession younger and being managed by less experienced colleagues.

There has been a significant increase in officers requesting welfare support, as well as higher dropout rates among degree apprenticeship recruits.

The force has since reduced the number of recruits coming through the degree apprenticeship pathway.

The inquest continues.

For anyone struggling with their mental health: The Samaritans are available 24/7. Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.