Witness appeal as IOPC investigates death of man who was in contact with Cheshire officers

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is appealing for witnesses to assist with our investigation into the death of a man following contact with Cheshire Constabulary officers.

The 40-year-old man died in hospital on Thursday 8 May, having been approached by officers earlier that day.

We have established the man was stopped and searched by an officer on Stratford Road, Chester, shortly after 11.30am. He was briefly handcuffed before he managed to swallow a package in his possession, and shortly after he became unwell.

Officers on the scene began CPR and paramedics were called but sadly he was pronounced dead later that afternoon in hospital.

Following a mandatory referral from the force on Thursday 8 May, we began an independent investigation. IOPC investigators were deployed to the scene and to the post incidents procedures to begin gathering evidence.

During our initial enquiries, we are aware there will be witnesses who saw the man being stopped by officers on Stratford Road. We believe people who may have witnessed the interaction with officers may be able to assist with our enquiries.

While our investigation is in the early stages, officers have provided their initial accounts and we have obtained body-worn video footage and CCTV in the vicinity.

A post-mortem was carried out on 13 May with the cause of death is still to be determined.

IOPC Director Amanda Rowe said: “I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the man's family and friends and anyone affected by his death. Our team has been in contact with the family to explain our role, offer support and to outline the next steps of our independent investigation.

“Any loss of life is a tragedy, and our investigation will be thorough and independent to ensure we understand the circumstances that led up to the death. If you believe you have any information, or footage of the interaction with police, I urge you to get in touch.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the IOPC at [email protected]