Update on investigation into death of Mohamud Mohamed Hassan in Cardiff

Cymraeg isod

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation into the death of Mohamud Mohamed Hassan has made good progress and, given the significant public interest, we are now in a position to provide some further information about what we have been able to establish and independently verify so far. This information has been shared with Mr Hassan’s family and South Wales Police.

IOPC Director for Wales, Catrin Evans, said: “We are aware that there is a lot of speculation about the circumstances surrounding Mr Hassan’s death and we now know that some of that is inaccurate. As a public body we have a duty, when we are able, to try to correct misinformation that may be in the public domain.”

Having listened to the original emergency call from the evening of Friday 8 January we know that officers attended the flat in Newport Road in response to a caller who said that five men had entered the address and were fighting with the five occupants within the property. The officers’ body worn video footage shows that on arrival a number of the occupants had injuries, and officers sought explanations about where the injuries came from.

From a search of the flat, reviewing footage, officer accounts, pathology information, and an audit trail of Taser use within the South Wales Police force area we requested, there is no evidence to suggest that Mr Hassan was Tasered at any stage either prior to or during his detention.

While not all had direct contact or involvement with Mr Hassan, we are still gathering accounts from a large number of officers and police staff who were on duty at Cardiff Bay police station over two separate shifts and those who were in supervisory positions. We are obtaining detailed accounts from the 11 officers who attended the address on 8 January, ten officers who attended the premises the following evening when Mr Hassan died, and 13 officers and detention officers who were on duty over two shifts at the custody suite. We are gathering accounts from a further 12 officers who have been identified from events linked to the Newport Road address around that time which do not include the arrest or sudden death of Mr Hassan.

Catrin Evans said: “There is much more work to do to complete our investigation and our investigators continue to gather and review evidence to help us establish the events leading up to Mr Hassan’s death. We need to ensure we have spoken to anyone who may possibly have useful information to help us build a picture of what happened.

“We have concentrated on the footage from police body worn video and from CCTV at the custody suite which covers the time Mr Hassan spent there and his release from the police station. As our review of  this material nears completion, we intend to move on to scrutinise street and private footage which has been secured, which we hope will assist in identifying Mr Hassan’s movements following his release from custody, and may open up further lines of enquiry.

“An investigation like this does take time and we would ask people to be patient while the investigation runs its course.”   

Diweddariad ar ymchwiliad i farwolaeth Mohamud Mohamed Hassan yng Nghaerdydd

Mae ymchwiliad Swyddfa Annibynnol  Ymddygiad yr Heddlu (IOPC) i farwolaeth Mohamud Mohamed Hassan wedi gwneud cynnydd da ac, o ystyried y diddordeb cyhoeddus arwyddocaol, rydym yn awr mewn sefyllfa i ddarparu rhagor o wybodaeth am yr hyn rydym wedi gallu sefydlu a'i wirio'n annibynnol hyd yn hyn. Mae’r wybodaeth hon wedi cael ei rhannu â theulu Mr Hassan a Heddlu De Cymru.

Dywedodd Cyfarwyddwr yr IOPC yng Nghymru, Catrin Evans: “Rydym yn ymwybodol bod llawer o siarad ynghylch amgylchiadau marwolaeth Mr Hassan ac rydym bellach yn gwybod bod rhywfaint o hynny’n anghywir. Fel corff cyhoeddus, mae gennym ddyletswydd, pan fyddwn yn gallu, i geisio cywiro gwybodaeth anghywir a allai fod yn gyhoeddus.”

Ar ôl gwrando ar yr alwad frys wreiddiol o nos Wener 8 Ionawr rydym yn gwybod bod swyddogion wedi mynychu’r fflat ar Newport Road mewn ymateb i alwr a ddywedodd fod pum dyn wedi mynd i mewn i’r tŷ a’u bod yn ymladd â’r pum preswylydd yn y tŷ. Mae ffilm fideo a wisgwyd ar gorff y swyddogion yn dangos bod nifer o’r preswylwyr wedi cael anafiadau wrth gyrraedd, a gofynnodd swyddogion am esboniadau ynghylch o ble y daeth yr anafiadau.

O chwiliad o’r fflat, adolygu ffilm, cyfrifon swyddogion, gwybodaeth patholeg, a llwybr archwilio defnydd Taser o fewn ardal Heddlu De Cymru y gofynnwyd amdano, nid oes tystiolaeth i awgrymu bod Mr Hassan wedi cael Taser wedi ei ddefnyddio arno ar unrhyw adeg cyn neu yn ystod ei gadw'n y ddalfa.

Er nad oedd gan bob un gysylltiad neu ymwneud uniongyrchol â Mr Hassan, rydym yn dal i gasglu adroddiadau gan nifer fawr o swyddogion a staff heddlu a oedd ar ddyletswydd yng ngorsaf heddlu Bae Caerdydd dros ddwy sifft ar wahân a’r rhai a oedd mewn swyddi goruchwylio. Rydym yn cael adroddiadau manwl gan yr 11 swyddog a fynychodd y cyfeiriad ar 8 Ionawr, deg swyddog a fynychodd y safle y noson ganlynol pan fu farw Mr Hassan, ac 13 o swyddogion a swyddogion canolfan cadw a oedd ar ddyletswydd dros ddwy sifft yn  ystafell y ddalfa. Rydym yn casglu adroddiadau gan 12 swyddog arall sydd wedi cael eu nodi o ddigwyddiadau sy’n gysylltiedig â chyfeiriad Newport Road tua’r adeg honno nad ydynt yn cynnwys arestio Mr Hassan na marwolaeth sydyn Mr Hassan.

Dywedodd Catrin Evans: “Mae llawer mwy o waith i'w wneud i gwblhau ein hymchwiliad ac mae ein hymchwilwyr yn parhau i gasglu ac adolygu tystiolaeth i'n helpu i sefydlu'r digwyddiadau yn arwain at farwolaeth Mr Hassan. Mae angen i ni sicrhau ein bod wedi siarad ag unrhyw un a allai fod â gwybodaeth ddefnyddiol i'n helpu i greu darlun o'r hyn a ddigwyddodd.

“Rydym wedi canolbwyntio ar y ffilm o’r fideo a wisgwyd gan gorff yr heddlu ac o CCTV yn y  carchar  sy’n cynnwys yr amser a dreuliodd Mr Hassan yno a’i ryddhau o orsaf yr heddlu. Wrth i’n  hadolygiad  o’r  deunydd hwn ddod i ben, rydym yn bwriadu symud ymlaen i graffu ar luniau stryd a phreifat sydd gyda ni, a gobeithiwn y bydd yn helpu i nodi symudiadau Mr Hassan ar ôl iddo gael ei ryddhau o’r ddalfa, ac a allai agor trywyddau ymholi ychwanegol.

"Mae  ymchwiliad  fel hwn yn cymryd amser a byddwn yn gofyn i bobl fod yn amyneddgar tra bod yr  ymchwiliad  yn digwydd.”