A person died in hospital after being arrested as he celebrated his twenty first birthday, an inquiry heard.
James MacGregor had been held on expenses of alleged threatening or abusive behaviour and customary assault. He was taken to a station in Motherwell, Lanarkshire, and positioned in a holding cell for 2 hours the place he was 'slumped' and never responding to police workers.
A sheriff heard he had consumed drink and medicines as he celebrated his birthday with buddies. MacGregor was noticed with a bag of powder in his mouth within the police station and struggled with two constables earlier than he spat it out.
He was pushed in a police van to close by College Hospital Wishaw to be checked over after being sick within the station. Whereas there MacGregor turned aggressive with PC Karen Selley and her colleague PC Craig Wordie and was restrained.
However he went right into a 'fit-like' state earlier than a 'bloody foam' started pouring from his mouth and medics rushed to his assist. MacGregor, of Hamilton, Lanarkshire, was stored in hospital and positioned in an induced coma however died 10 days later in August 2019.
The circumstances of his loss of life are being probed in a deadly accident inquiry at Hamilton Sheriff Courtroom. PC Selley instructed the listening to she had been requested to take care of MacGregor within the police cell the place he was in a 'sleepy state' and had later pushed him to hospital.
She stated: "After I arrived he was slumped over and never very alert. I might been instructed he'd been ingesting and consuming medicine whereas celebrating his twenty first birthday.
"I imagine he had been awake for extra hours than a traditional individual could be awake for and he had been up all night time ingesting and I did not assume it was out of the abnormal for him to be in a sleepy state now he had stopped ingesting. He was then taken to the cost bar for the custody care plan to be learn over to him however I believed he had one thing in his mouth and my colleague then noticed a bag.
"He was taken to the bottom and he ultimately spat the bag out. We then received him again on his toes and he then intimated he was going to be sick and he introduced up a little bit of bile and he was taken to hospital."
The constable instructed the inquiry MacGregor had change into indignant within the hospital and had tried to headbutt her and her colleague and had additionally tried to spit at them. MacGregor was handcuffed and straps had been utilized earlier than he took a match.
PC Selley added: "He continued being aggressive for a few minutes after which he went right into a match like state the place he was shaking uncontrollably and this lasted for possibly 20 seconds earlier than a bloody foam got here out of his mouth and I instantly went to get a nurse.
"We moved him onto his aspect as a result of we had been fearful he would choke on his tongue or one thing. He was taken to resus and the handcuffs and straps had been eliminated whereas the docs and nurses began doing checks on him.
"After I left the hospital that night time he had been moved to grownup vital care, had been sedated and was in a medically induced coma."
The courtroom additionally heard specialists had dominated out any hyperlink between his loss of life and the bag of white powder. It was discovered nonetheless sealed when MacGregor spat it out within the police station.
The inquiry earlier than Sheriff Linda Nicolson continues.
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