Cause of Mohamud Mohammed Hassan's death 'unascertained', inquest told

A post-mortem has failed to establish the cause of death of a Cardiff man who died hours after being released from police custody, an inquest has heard.

Mohamud Mohammed Hassan, 24, was arrested at his Newport Road flat on the evening of January 8 on suspicion of a breach of the peace.

He was released the next morning without charge, but was then found dead at the same property later that day.

Mr Hassan's family claim he was left bloodied and bruised after being in custody.

Following a post-mortem by pathologist Dr Deryk James, the coroner's court in Pontypridd was told that the cause of death had been given as "unascertained".

Coroner Graeme Hughes said: "Given that Dr James has indicated in his most recent report that he is unable to advance a medical cause of death at this time, it falls upon me to conduct an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mr Hassan's death, and then conclude that investigation by way of an inquest." 

Mr Hughes told Mr Hassan's family, who attended the hearing virtually, that his investigation would be limited to "who was the deceased, when did he die, where did he die, and most importantly how did he come about his death".

The coroner acknowledged that an ongoing Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation into Mr Hassan's death, following a self-referral by South Wales Police, was "in its infancy".

Rebecca Hinton, representing the IOPC, said it expects to conclude the investigation before September, saying: "We are hopeful that we should be complete within six months," but added that is on the provision "we experience no further slippage with technical issues" including CCTV.

Mr Hughes said a pre-inquest review hearing will take place on December 3, but a written update from the IOPC could be requested in August.

On Tuesday, the IOPC said there is "no evidence" a Taser was used on Mr Hassan during his arrest or detention, following allegations to the contrary by his family.

A spokesperson said officers attended Mr Hassan's flat following a report that five men had entered the address and were fighting with five occupants, some of whom already had visible injuries when the officers turned up.

It also said it is gathering accounts from 46 officers and police staff, including those who were on duty at Cardiff Bay police station over two separate shifts, those who were in supervisory positions, and those who attended Mr Hassan's address during his arrest and after his death.

One officer who brought Mr Hassan to the station in a police van has already been issued a misconduct notice in relation to whether the individual failed to relay Mr Hassan's complaints of having a fit and being in pain to custody staff.

The most serious sanction the officer could receive if found to have breached professional standards at misconduct level is a written warning.

Several Black Lives Matters protests and vigils have been held outside Cardiff Bay police station to call for CCTV and police bodycam footage of Mr Hassan's arrest to be made public.

The IOPC says it cannot do so, citing the possibility it may be needed for criminal, misconduct, or inquest proceedings.

Hilary Brown, a lawyer representing the family of Mohamud Hassan, has previously criticised the IOPC in its handling of its investigation.

Ms Brown told the PA news agency: "My concern is by the time the IOPC will have concluded their investigation, they will have written up a report on their findings, and that will influence the coroner.

"We wanted the inquest to come forward because we want to be able to ensure that everything is on track, and lines of enquiry that we feel are relevant are actually followed."