It is a legal requirement for the police to refer any case in which a person dies while in police custody, or shortly after being released from custody, to the Police Ombudsman's office for independent investigation.
In accordance with this procedure, the RUC asked the Ombudsman's office to investigate the death of a 27-year-old man who died five hours after his release from police (we have not identified the police station in this account to avoid any further distress to friends and relatives of the deceased). The man had been arrested and questioned at the station before being released just before midnight on the 9th May 2001.
The man was subsequently found hanged from a tree just yards from the family home shortly after 5am.
During their investigation into the man's death, Police Ombudsman investigators established that the Custody Sergeant on duty at the time of the man's admission to the police station had followed guidelines by checking whether he was suffering from any medical condition or was on medication. He also requested that the Force Medical Officer should attend to assess whether the man was fit to be detained and interviewed. The man was subsequently examined and declared to be fit.
The man was described as being mentally alert during subsequent questioning and was said to have had a positive attitude towards the interview, during which he vehemently denied the allegations against him.
After his release from custody he was collected by his father and taken home.
However, the man's father awoke at 3.45am to find that a window in his son's bedroom was open and his son was missing. Police were contacted and arrived to help search the area around the family home. The man's body was found at 5.15am and life declared extinct at 5.45am.
Outcome of investigation:
After reviewing all the evidence in relation to the case, the Police Ombudsman, Mrs Nuala O'Loan, concluded that the officers who had dealt with the man had "acted in accordance with their legal and conduct requirements." There was no evidence of any police misconduct.