Blackburn custody death: Mother calls long wait for answers ridiculous

Ms Hartigan said her daughter "would have been right as rain" if she had received the correct treatment

A mother whose daughter died after a custody sergeant "lost control" while dealing with her has said it is "ridiculous" she has had to wait five years for answers.

Kelly Hartigan-Burns died in hospital after being found unresponsive in a Blackburn police station cell in 2016.

A disciplinary hearing on Monday found Jason Marsden's failings amounted to gross misconduct.

June Hartigan said Kelly's life should not have "ended alone in this way".

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the 35-year-old had been facing "significant challenges, including the traumatic death of her father and a recent car accident", at the time of her arrest, which had contributed to her mental ill health.

'Indifference and neglect'

The independent disciplinary panel hearing was told Ms Hartigan-Burns was arrested over an alleged assault and taken to Greenbank police station on 3 December 2016, but had earlier tried to take her own life.

Ms Hartigan-Burns, who was intoxicated, was under the care of a psychiatrist at the time and was carrying prescription medication.

The panel found that Mr Marsden, who retired before disciplinary proceedings began, failed to properly assess the "vulnerable" woman, "lost control" of the situation and would have been dismissed if he was still a serving officer.

Kelly Hartigan-Burns was taken to Greenbank Police Station in Blackburn

Ms Hartigan said that a five-year wait to "get to this point is ridiculous".

"All she needed was a calm place to rest the night, de-stress and she would have been right as rain," she said.

"There is no way her life should have ended alone in this way. It breaks our heart daily."

She added that she hoped the hearing's findings would "ensure this never happens to others".

Deborah Coles, director of support charity Inquest said it was "clear that Kelly was a woman in crisis, in need of care and specialist support, not custody".

"This indifference and neglect cost Kelly her life," she added.

Lancashire Police's Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Russ Procter offered the force's "sincere condolences" to the family of Ms Hartigan-Burns, but said due to "ongoing coronial and civil proceedings", it would be "inappropriate and unfair... to comment any further".