Inquest probes police restraint of 'zombiefied' man

Joshua Ball died on 28 May 2018

A man was seen in a frantic state, covered in blood, wearing just shorts and socks before he was restrained by police and died, an inquest has heard.

Witnesses reported seeing Joshua Ball, 26, stopping passing cars and trying to get into them in the Packmoor area of Stoke-on-Trent on 28 May 2018.

Staffordshire Police attended and he was treated by paramedics before going to hospital where he died.

The inquest is set to examine the use of force or restraint by both crews.

One police officer had a knee on Mr Ball during the events of five years ago, the court heard.

The hearing is set to last five weeks.

Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire assistant coroner Sukhdev Garcha told the jury at Stoke-on-Trent Town Hall that Mr Ball had issues with drink and drugs and his relationship was "up and down".

The inquiry heard that on 27 May, the night before his death, his girlfriend - with whom he stayed in addition to periods at his mother's home - ended their relationship.

He left a pub and went to a friend's house where he stayed until 04:30 BST before going to his former girlfriend's home to collect some of his things, and later visited his mother's home with a friend at about 08:00 BST, the court was told.

His friend left about an hour later and said Mr Ball, a van driver, seemed fine, the jury heard.

CCTV was then played to the jury showing Mr Ball before he was detained by police.

He was seen near the Dog and Partridge pub on Turnhurst Road at about 13:25 BST on 28 May, covered in blood and just wearing shorts and socks.

Witnesses said he seemed drunk, "appeared zombiefied" and had cuts on him, Mr Garcha said.

Another witness described him as "frantic, like he was spaced out, drunk or [had] taken something" and she called an ambulance, the coroner said.

According to the proceedings, which got under way on Monday, Mr Ball was approaching vehicles and trying to get in them and the owner of one called the police after his car was damaged.

Mr Ball was detained near the Dog and Partridge pub

The father-of-one was seen standing on a wall with a boulder, or rock, in his hands before he walked and jogged to High Street where he tried more cars, the court heard.

He was seen to step in front of cars and had an altercation with one driver before clambering over another vehicle and being dragged along the road, suffering more injuries, jurors learned.

Emergency services received multiple calls about the incident, with callers reporting someone possibly having a mental health episode or being in crisis, Mr Garcha said.

A police officer apprehended him and they both ended up on the floor, the court heard.

Mr Ball was screaming, not listening to officers or making sense and tried to get up, jurors were told.

They were also told one officer had a knee on him and was telling him to "stay down".

A spit guard was applied and Mr Ball was taken on a stretcher to an ambulance and then strapped in and given oxygen before he kicked at a police officer, the inquest heard.

He seemed calmer, Mr Garcha said, on the way to hospital where he was declared critically unwell.

He suffered three cardiac arrests and was resuscitated each time in theatre, but suffered several more and died, Mr Garcha explained.

Mr Ball's father described him as a loving son who enjoyed football and ran a karaoke night at a local pub and did not deserve to die.

"He had so much more to give," he said.

He added his son had faced challenges in his life and had sought help for addiction, becoming a father at a young age and losing friends to drugs which had a significant effect on him.

Mr Garcha said there was some disagreement over the cause of death.

One doctor recorded it as acute cocaine intoxication with a second recording it as the same but also listing small bowel injury and bleeding.

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