Dylan Garbe-Ashton: Police cleared after Powys man's death

Dylan Garbe-Ashton had a seizure in police custody last year and hit his head

A watchdog says officers "acted appropriately" before the death of a man held at a Powys police station.

Dylan Garbe-Ashton, 20, had taken cocaine before his arrest and hit his head following a seizure at the Newtown custody suite.

An inquest heard he died from a head injury and cocaine toxicity, and recorded a conclusion of misadventure.

The death was reported to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) which launched its own inquiry.

The investigation found Dyfed-Powys Police had a legitimate reason for detaining Mr Garbe-Ashton, when officers encountered him in a vehicle at a petrol station in the town in November 2019.

The IOPC said he was wanted on a magistrates' court warrant for failing to comply with the terms of a community order.

The inquest on Wednesday heard CCTV footage showed him putting something into his mouth shortly before his arrest.

After he collapsed, Mr Garbe-Ashton, from Llanidloes, was taken to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital where he later died.

A post-mortem report said he had an "excessive" amount of cocaine in his bloodstream at the time of his death.

Home Office pathologist Dr Richard Jones said, in his opinion, the cause of death was a combination of blunt force injury and cocaine toxicity.

Mr Garbe-Ashton became ill while at Newtown Police Station

The IOPC said footage indicated Mr Garbe-Ashton was compliant during his arrest, and that officers did not use any force against him.

During the booking-in process at Newtown police station, he was seen to retch a number of times before a seizure, falling backwards and hitting his head on the floor.

The watchdog inquiry found an ambulance was called immediately, and over the next 30 minutes, police carried out first aid - including administering CPR and using a defibrillator.

The IOPC said their investigation found no evidence that any officer acted in a manner that would justify any disciplinary proceedings

"This was a traumatic incident in police custody for all involved and it was right that we carried out an independent investigation into the circumstances," said IOPC director for Wales, Catrin Evans.

"Our investigation found that officers in the custody suite acted appropriately when faced with the medical emergency and made efforts to try to save Mr Garbe-Ashton's life.

"I send my sincere condolences again to the family and friends of Mr Garbe-Ashton at this time for their sad loss."