Following a multi-week Inquest hearing before the Senior Coroner for Lincolnshire into the circumstances of the death of Robert Gracey in September 2021, the jury has returned a narrative conclusion heavily criticising the actions of Lincolnshire police officers and the force’s training of its officers.
Mr Gracey approached the police while in an agitated, paranoid and distressed state. Police used incapacitant spray, handcuffs, double leg restraints and multiple distraction strikes to detain and place him in the back of a police van for conveyance to police custody. During the journey and while still in restraints, Mr Gracey suffered cardio-respiratory arrest and was later declared dead at Lincoln County Hospital.
The jury concluded that there were causative failures to attempt de-escalation prior to using force and to treat the situation as a medical emergency and ensure a time critical transfer of Mr Gracey to A&E in accordance with relevant national standards and expectations in responding to a person exhibiting signs of Acute Behavioural Disturbance (ABD). They concluded that aspects of the force used were “highly inappropriate” and that the monitoring of Mr Gracey during the restraint was “seriously insufficient”. They also found failures in Lincolnshire police’s ABD training.
Raj Desai acted for Mr Gracey’s family, instructed by Carolynn Gallwey and Emily Hobhouse of Bhatt Murphy solicitors.
Bhatt Murphy’s press release can be found here.