Kevin Clarke: Police watchdog to re-examine restraint death

The police watchdog is reopening an investigation into the death of a mentally ill man in custody.

Kevin Clarke, who had schizophrenia, was restrained by up to nine Met Police officers in south-east London in 2018.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said he was heard to say "I can't breathe" in footage caught on camera and this was not explored during officers' interviews with the watchdog.

The Met says the officers involved have been told and will "fully co-operate".

In October, an inquest recorded a narrative verdict, concluding the restraint used on the 35-year-old had been inappropriate and contributed to his death.

Mr Clarke died while in police custody in Lewisham Hospital as a result of acute behavioural disturbance, in a relapse of schizophrenia, leading to exhaustion and cardiac arrest, the inquest found.

Kevin Clarke was living in supported accommodation when he died

The inquest heard that in March 2018 police had found Mr Clarke lying on the ground in the Polsted Road area of Catford. He tried to get to his knees before handcuffs and leg restraints were applied.

He was made to walk to an ambulance, still bound at the knees while barely conscious. Mr Clarke's comment that he was struggling to breathe was caught on police body-worn cameras.

The IOPC cited a change in the the findings of the pathologist, based on new information presented during the inquest, as another reason for reopening its investigation.

The Met also broke regulations by holding misconduct proceedings without telling Mr Clarke's family or the police watchdog.