Rashan Charles death: Father-of-one swallowed 'paracetamol and caffeine' before dying in police custody, watchdog reveals

IPCC investigation: Rashan Charles was pronounced dead in hospital
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Tom Powell3 August 2017
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The young man who died after being restrained by a police officer in east London had tried to swallow a mixture of paracetamol and caffeine wrapped in plastic, forensic tests have revealed.

Rashan Charles, 20, was pronounced dead in hospital after being chased and wrestled to the ground in a shop in Dalston on July 22 – sparking both peaceful and violent protests in the community.

The independent police watchdog – which is conducting an investigation into his death - revealed on Wednesday that a package he had swallowed before his death did not contain drugs.

Cindy Butts from the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) added on Thursday: “Yesterday, we received analysis of the contents of a package that paramedics removed from Rashan’s airway after he was detained and restrained by a police officer and member of the public.

“Following a very constructive meeting with Rashan’s family, we stated that the package did not contain controlled substances.

“We did not provide further details, because the contents of the package are not directly relevant to our investigation – we are looking into the circumstances of Rashan’s death, not investigating Rashan.

“However, given the inflammatory nature of some ongoing speculation I will confirm that the package consisted of a mixture of paracetamol and caffeine wrapped in plastic.”

Last week, the IPCC said the evidence it had seen so far suggested Mr Charles was detained by a Metropolitan Police officer who had followed him on foot into a shop on Kingsland Road after an earlier attempted vehicle stop.

The officer restrained Mr Charles, with the help of a member of the public, and he was handcuffed.

After he was detained, attempts were made to remove an object from his mouth or throat.

His condition deteriorated, and the officer called for a police medic who provided assistance prior to the arrival of paramedics, according to the IPCC.

Ms Butts said no cause of death had been confirmed.

The police watchdog's announcement came after shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said the initial forensic findings would cause "deep concern" after figures showed a "disproportionate" use of force against minority groups by police.

On Tuesday figures released for the first time showed Metropolitan Police officers used "force" at a rate of around once every 10 minutes.

Mr Charles' family said the contents of the package swallowed "must not detract" from investigating the conduct of the police in the lead-up to his death.

Local MP Diane Abbott attended a vigil outside Stoke Newington police station
REUTERS

They released a statement which read: “We are a large family and speak with one voice. Our single objective is to establish what happened to Rashan, and to do this using all lawful means available. We expect the IPCC to conduct an investigation to the highest possible standards, and to provide the answers we urgently seek.

"We have raised concerns with the IPCC about openness and transparency, which is regrettable at this early stage. We are aware too of the results on the forensic analysis conducted on the package recovered at the scene.

"Whilst this is important, we wish to make clear that the content of the package must not detract from our primary concern, which is to investigate the conduct of those involved in the incident that led to Rashan’s death”.

The father-of-one's family have urged calm following a series of protests against police in east London over his death.

Dalston protest: Several wheelie bins and a mattress were set alight 
PA

On Friday evening, a large gang of protesters - many of whom had their faces covered - clashed with riot police as tensions came to a head.

The group blocked busy Kingsland Road before hurling bottles, stones and other objects at police and starting a fire in the middle of the road.

A vigil held the following day outside Stoke Newington police station saw Mr Charles' father call for "dignified" demonstrations.

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