Gavin Brown: Family want reinvestigation of 'chokehold' death

Mr Brown's family said he was a "cheeky chappie" who enjoyed making people laugh

The family of a man who an inquest jury concluded was unlawfully killed as a result of being restrained have called for a new investigation into his death.

Gavin Brown died eight days after being put in a "chokehold" outside a pub in Stretford, Greater Manchester, in 2019.

Manchester South Coroner's Court heard "physical restraint" caused his death.

His family said the inquest had "revealed major shortcomings" in a police investigation which saw five arrested people face no further action.

Greater Manchester Police's (GMP) original investigation was closed after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided there was not sufficient evidence to bring charges.

'A melee'

During a two-week hearing, the jury was told the father-of-two had a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, which was being managed with medication, and was under a community treatment order at the time of his death.

His family said he was a "cheeky chappie" who enjoyed making people laugh and a sensitive man, who was loyal and cared deeply for others.

The court was shown body-worn camera footage from police officers, which showed Stefan O'Donnell holding him on the ground outside the Melville Hotel on 12 April 2019.

Mr Brown did not respond when officers spoke to him, but they continued to arrest and handcuff Mr Brown while he was being held down.

They then rolled him on to his back and attempted resuscitation after one officer said he had a "very weak pulse".

The inquest also heard that a plastic bag was found to be covering the lower part of Mr Brown's face when emergency services arrived.

Gavin Brown was restrained outside the Melville Hotel in 2019

Mr O'Donnell, who had drunk eight pints of lager in the pub before the incident happened, told the court he became involved when a friend told him to go outside because "a doorman needs some help".

Another witness said Mr Brown had thrown two punches at a doorman, before pressing down on to his eyes.

The jury heard Mr O'Donnell saw "a melee" involving a member of the pub's security team and Mr Brown, who he said was "angry and furious".

He tried to hold Mr Brown, who he said "only became quiet when we heard the police sirens".

"Up until that point, it was a struggle," he added.

Mr O'Donnell denied he had learnt the restraint technique during his training in the Royal Army Ordinance Corps or when he worked as a security guard and did not dispute an eyewitness assessment that he "appeared intoxicated".

'Let down'

Pathologist Dr Charles Wilson told the court he recorded the cause of death as hypoxia, "as the brain damage was due to a cardiac arrest in the context of physical restraint".

The jury found that Mr Brown had been held in a restraint for a minimum of six minutes and 19 seconds and during that time, no welfare checks were made.

Their conclusion was that he had been unlawfully killed.

In a statement, Mr Brown's family said they were "relieved and grateful that a jury has vindicated our longstanding belief that Gavin was unlawfully killed".

"The inquest revealed major shortcomings of the police investigation into Gavin's death, and has shed light on many of the questions we had about Gavin's death, though it is clear to us that much of this evidence was available to the police all along," they said.

They added that the decision not to bring charges against any of those arrested over Mr Brown's death had been "heartbreaking" and had left them feeling "let down by the criminal justice system".

Lucie Boase, representing Mr Brown's family, said Mr Brown died after being put in a "chokehold by a member of the public acting out of drunken bravado, while a trained door supervisor looked on and made no attempt to intervene".

She added that "given the evidence which was available to the police", it was "very hard to understand" why no charges had been brought.

A GMP spokesman said following Mr Brown's death, the force "conducted a full investigation into this incredibly tragic case and arrested five men".

"GMP presented the case to CPS and following their review, the decision was made to take no further action against all five men," he said.

He added that as a result of the inquest, officers would "now review the investigation and consult with the CPS".

A CPS spokeswoman said prosecutors would liaise with GMP "regarding the outcome of the inquest".

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