Police watchdog finds no evidence that officers' actions contributed to death of Mohamud Hassan

An investigation has found the actions of police did not contribute to the death of a man who had been in custody in Cardiff.

Mohamud Hassan, 24, died at a flat on Newport Road in January 2021 after being released by officers.

He had been arrested the previous night on suspicion of an alleged breach of the peace.

An Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation into the actions of South Wales Police Officers concluded he was not treated less favourably because of his race but was shown a lack of respect by some officers.

At an inquest held in Pontypridd, the jury today [2 May] returned on open outcome for Mr Hassan's cause of death. The cause of death was given as unascertained.

Mr Hassan was released the morning after his arrest. At 10.22pm that day, a family member made an emergency call stating that he had been found unresponsive.

At 10.29pm, paramedics arrived at the property and, soon after, confirmed that Mr Hassan had died.

A post-mortem examination showed that there was no physical injury sustained by Mr Hassan to explain a cause of death.

The post-mortem evidence also stated that there was no indication of the use of a Taser, or of weapons such as batons.

The IOPC investigation found that there was evidence that Mr Hassan may have felt discriminated against and that he voiced that belief to officers while he was in custody.

After scrutinising bodycam footage, audio recordings, and taking witness statements, investigators also found that evidence did not support the assertion that Mr Hassan was treated less favourably by officers because of his race, or that he had been assaulted by officers.

However, the watchdog did determine that there was an overall lack of respect and care in the way some officers treated Mr Hassan during his arrest, transport and detention.

It also identified "areas of learning" for South Wales Police. These included the safe management of potentially vulnerable detainees, as the level of service Mr Hassan received in custody sometimes "fell below the standard required".

The IOPC identified the need for improved maintenance of CCTV, as some of the equipment was broken and this could have led to the loss of evidence. Other footage could not be secured which "could have also caused what may have been significant evidence to be lost".

IOPC Director David Ford said his "thoughts and sympathies remain[ed] with Mr Hassan’s family, and everyone affected by his death".

He continued: "This was a complex investigation, examining police contact over an extended period. We reviewed a large amount of evidence including detailed accounts from a significant number of officers involved, either directly or indirectly, with Mr Hassan, accounts from family members, police body worn video, CCTV footage, photographs, police radio transmissions and call logs. Investigators examined the police cell in which Mr Hassan was detained and visited the property on Newport Road, to view the scene of his arrest and secure relevant evidence.

"Whilst we identified some areas of learning for South Wales Police and for individuals arising from the events, and a case to answer for one officer for use of force, we found no evidence that the actions of police officers had contributed to Mr Hassan’s sad death.

"After our investigation was completed, we provided Mr Hassan’s family with the detail of our findings and submitted our report to the coroner to assist with the inquest."

In reaction to the findings, South Wales Police Assistant Chief Constable Joanna Maal said: “We can only imagine how difficult this period of time has been for Mohamud Hassan’s family and the pain and grief that they have endured since his death.

“This case has been the subject of much independent and public scrutiny. Now that the facts have been published and heard during the inquest proceedings we hope that answers have been provided to the many questions which have been raised.”

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