Skelton man who died at North Yorkshire holiday park was unlawfully killed, coroner finds
A coroner has said a man who died after being restrained at a holiday park in North Yorkshire was unlawfully killed.
Ryan Vincent, 22, from Skelton, died in hospital after being detained by two security guards at Haven Primrose Valley holiday park in 2017.
Following the ruling, his family has said they want prosecutors to reopen the case into his death.
No criminal charges were brought against the security guards.
An inquest at Northallerton Coroner's Court heard Mr Vincent had taken his girlfriend Chloe Edwards, their four-month-old son Veejay and Chloe's daughter Maddie to the caravan park in Filey for a holiday in May that year.
He was involved in an incident when saw him being restrained by security guards Tony Walpole and Peter Conway, who chased after him because they believed he was the driver of a car they had earlier seen speeding through the park.
The inquest heard Mr Walpole sat on Mr Vincent's back, putting pressure on his chest, for 16 minutes.
Mr Walpole said he was just trying to keep Mr Vincent there until the police arrived, telling the court he thought he had given up trying to get away when he stopped moving.
Multiple witnesses heard Mr Vincent say he could not breathe.
In court, Haven said they have no expectation for security guards to detain members of the public and would rely on them to call police if a situation arises.
Coroner Jonathan Leech concluded Mr Vincent was unlawfully killed.
Following the inquest, a CPS spokesperson said: “Following the coroner’s verdict of unlawful killing, we will now consider whether any new evidence or information from inquest alters the original decision not to bring criminal charges against both suspects.”
What is unlawful killing?
Unlawful killing is a conclusion driven from either an act of murder, manslaughter or infanticide.
In this case, the Coroner ruled that the actions of the security guard who sat on Ryan's back qualified for unlawful act manslaughter and also gross negligence manslaughter.
While these are crimes, a coroner's court can only work on a civil basis so it is up to the Crown Prosecution Service to look at this as a criminal case.
In 2018, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided there was no criminal case of manslaughter to answer.
Mr Vincent's family is now writing to the CPS to ask for the case to be reopened.
Speaking to ITV News Tyne Tees, Chloe said: "We're happy with the conclusion. It was what we were originally going for. It's taken seven years.
"It's been hell. It's been up and down, it's been so frustrating - angry at times, and not being listened to and not taken seriously."
She added: "Ryan was very bubbly and outgoing. He had loads of friends and he was a great father. He lived for his kids, he just wanted to make memories.
"He was a great partner - the love of my life."
A spokesperson for Haven said: "Our deepest sympathies are with the friends and family of Ryan Vincent. We have provided our full assistance throughout the investigation and our thoughts remain with everyone affected.”
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