Jack Barnes: Manslaughter charges over Metrolink restraint death

Jack Barnes suffered a cardiac arrest and died several weeks later in hospital

Tram staff who allegedly restrained a man who died are to face manslaughter charges, prosecutors have said.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Jack Barnes was allegedly held by four "customer service representatives" who were monitoring passengers on Manchester's Metrolink in October 2016.

The 29-year-old from Hull died almost two months later.

Stephen Rowlands, 67, Brian Gartside, 59, Paul Fogarty, 50, and Matthew Sellers, 29, will face charges.

The father-of-one died on 2 December, several weeks after the incident in Manchester city centre outside Victoria Station on 11 October.

Following an inquest in March 2021, Senior Coroner for Manchester, Nigel Meadows, ruled the death was an unlawful killing and stated the restraint "more than minimally, trivially or negligibly contributed to the cardiac arrest".

Rosemary Ainslie, of the CPS, said the four men charged "were staff members subcontracted by Metrolink at the time" and they had been charged with unlawful act manslaughter.

"Mr Rowlands will also be charged with a single offence of perverting the course of justice relating to a witness statement," she added.

Mr Rowlands, from Bolton, Mr Gartside from Rochdale, Mr Fogarty, from Bolton, and Mr Sellers, from Bury, will appear at Manchester Magistrates' Court on a date yet to be fixed.

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