South Yorkshire Police review training after man's custody death

Matthew Terrill died at Shepcote Lane custody suite in Sheffield in 2020

A police force has said it had reviewed the training of custody staff following the death of a man in their care.

Matthew Terrill, 46, died at Shepcote Lane custody suite in Sheffield in 2020 after having a cardiac arrest.

Five South Yorkshire Police officers came under criminal investigation following Mr Terrill's death but no charges were bought against them.

The force's Assistant Chief Constable Dan Thorpe said they were "deeply sorry" he died while in their care.

"Extensive enquiries have been carried out since his death in April 2020 to ensure we improve the service to those in our care," he said.

"This includes reviewing training of all custody sergeants and officers, an independent scrutiny panel to consider our use of force, and amendments to our policies around using force and restraint."

Jurors at Mr Terrill's inquest, which concluded last week, said the training for officers was "inadequate".

They also found that paperwork was "unclear and poorly structured" and communication was "ineffective".

Five police officers were interviewed under caution following Mr Terrill's death

Two South Yorkshire Police officers were tasked with watching Mr Terrill after he began self-harming following his arrest.

One of the officers, PC Sian Ahmed, told the inquest 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.

Pathologist Dr Jamie Edward Robinson said Mr Terrill had died from a heart attack, with traces of cocaine, heroin and spice all found in his system.

A spokesperson for Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said they interviewed five officers "under criminal and misconduct caution" in relation to the incident.

A file was passed to the Crown Prosecution Service to consider but a prosecution was not pursued.

The IOPC spokesperson added: "Now that the inquest has concluded, it will be for SYP to arrange misconduct proceedings."