An inquest jury has found that the use of an emergency response belt contributed to the death of Thomas Orchard, a mentally ill man who died seven days after being taken into custody in Exeter in 2012. The belt had been used to restrain him after his arrest, and was meant to prevent people in custody from spitting and biting. While the jury found that the use of the belt was reasonable, they also concluded that its prolonged use had caused Mr. Orchard’s death.
Mr. Orchard had paranoid schizophrenia, but his life had improved through medication and after he became a Christian. However, he became ill after he stopped taking his medication and was arrested after a disturbance in the city centre. The inquest heard that the belt was placed around his head “without prior warning or explanation” after a “perceived attempt to bite”. After the belt and restraints were removed, Mr. Orchard was left alone in the locked cell for 12 minutes before custody staff commenced CPR.
Devon and Cornwall Police apologized for their failings, admitting that the belt had not been adequately considered or assessed for use as a spit or bite guard, among other issues. They said that training had been “inadequate” and that they had failed to identify the risk to breathing. In 2018, the force admitted to breaking health and safety rules over the use of the restraint. Though they did not accept that the belt directly caused Mr. Orchard’s death, they acknowledge that failings in training may have contributed to it.
Thomas Orchard’s mother Alison said that the family felt “Thomas was let down by those involved in his arrest and detention and they missed many opportunities to prevent his death.” She said that the family had been troubled by the way the police had sought to defend their reputation instead of taking accountability for their actions. Devon and Cornwall Police Acting Chief Constable Jim Colwell offered an unreserved apology for the failings of his force and said that the inquest had provided answers to a number of long-standing questions
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