Sheffield custody death man was thought to be asleep, inquest told

Matthew Terrill died while in police custody at Shepcote Lane Police Station in 2020

A man who died while in police custody in Sheffield was thought to have been asleep when officers checked on him, an inquest has heard.

Matthew Terrill, 46, died at Shepcote Lane custody suite on 22 April 2020 after he had been arrested at a park.

PC Sian Ahmed said she thought her job had been to check Mr Terrill was not self-harming in the cell and she had "skimmed" a form detailing her role.

She said she watched him for over an hour before he was found unresponsive.

Sheffield Coroner's Court heard Mr Terrill had ingested a range of drugs before his arrest.

Pathologist Dr Jamie Edward Robinson said he had died from a heart attack and cocaine, heroin and spice were found in his system.

The "possibility of obstructed upper airways" from partially digested food and fluid, and the exertion from being restrained by officers, could also have contributed to Mr Terrill's heart attack, the court heard on Monday.

On Thursday, PC Ahmed talked through body-worn camera footage from when Mr Terrill had been arrested.

'Looked comfortable'

An ambulance had been called by PC Ahmed after an associate of Mr Terrill, who was being searched by other officers, told police his friend's lips were blue in colour.

However, the ambulance was cancelled after officers felt his lips were not in fact blue and any medical care could be dealt with by nurses in a police station.

"If I thought Mr Terrill had taken a drugs overdose, the ambulance would have been kept en-route," PC Ahmed told the court.

"I thought he was just intoxicated and suffering from the effects of intoxication."

Mr Terrill had been snoring as he was placed in handcuffs, with PC Ahmed feeling this was not anything "other than him being asleep".

CCTV played to the jury showed PC Ahmed and a colleague sat outside his cell door from 12:16 BST following a request from a custody sergeant to observe him.

A form detailing what the observation should consist of was signed by PC Ahmed, but she admitted not reading it fully, adding "I think I skimmed through it".

One requirement was performing a "rousal check" every 30 minutes, with PC Ahmed telling the court she did not believe the check was required as she could see Mr Terrill's shirtless chest moving and he looked "comfortable and snoring".

PC Ahmed said she could not see Mr Terrill's face from the door but her and a colleague did walk into the cell to check on him.

At 13:28 BST he was found to be unresponsive in his cell by PC Ahmed and he was pronounced dead at 13:48 BST.

The inquest continues.