Investigation into death of man detained on flight at Manchester Airport

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has begun an investigation following the death of a man who became unresponsive on a flight arriving at Manchester Airport.

We received a referral from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) due to the fact police officers briefly detained the man – who was earlier restrained by members of public on board the flight – before it became apparent he had become unresponsive. Police have named the man as Callum Kerr.

Our investigation will look at the actions and decision-making of the officers involved to understand the events surrounding the man’s death.

IOPC Director of Engagement Amanda Rowe said:

“Our thoughts are with Mr Kerr’s family and loved ones, as well as all those affected by his death.

“I want to reassure people our investigation will be thorough, and independent of the police, to ensure we understand exactly what has happened. This will focus on the actions of police, while a separate GMP investigation is considering the actions of the members of the public involved.

“We have been in contact with Mr Kerr’s family to make them aware of our role and will keep them, and GMP, updated as our investigation progresses.”

We have begun gathering and reviewing the available evidence, including body-worn video footage of the incident. We have also obtained initial statements from the officers involved.

Based on our initial review of the footage available, we have confirmed the officers are being treated as witnesses to the investigation, rather than being investigated for their conduct.

At this stage, we have established Mr Kerr, 35, was being restrained by members of the public on board the flight from Cyprus when five police officers boarded the plane at Manchester Airport in the early hours of Monday (22 June).

On arrival, one of the officers applied handcuffs and began carrying out checks. It quickly became apparent he was unresponsive and a minute later officers began CPR.

Paramedics were called and the man was taken to hospital where he died on Tuesday 23 June.