Policeman tried to revive Birmingham man who died in custody

from Birmingham Post
3rd December 2009

A policeman has told and inquest how he tried to revive a Birmingham man who died in custody.

Sergeant Russell Tringham gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until paramedics arrived when he realised that Michael Powell was no longer breathing.

The father-of-three had been arrested following a violent struggle outside his mother’s address in Wilton Road, Lozells, in September 2003, and died shortly after he was taken to Thornhill Road Police Station.

Sgt Tringham, who was a police constable stationed at Walsall Road Police Station at the time, told an inquest that he had been attending to another call when he received an emergency radio message to go to Wilton Road.

When he arrived, he saw Mr Powell, aged 38, on his back, handcuffed with his arms above him, heavily resisting arrest by three police officers. Sgt Tringham did not assist with the restraint at that point and on orders went looking for missing police equipment for a couple of minutes.

When he returned, six officers helped to reposition the handcuffs behind Mr Powell and a large van had been called to the scene.

Sgt Tringham said he stood outside the van while officers moved Mr Powell, who was now calm and not struggling, head first into the van and placed him on his left side with his face facing the side door.

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Jail death man was ‘alive and conscious’ on arrival at police station, inquest hears

from Birmingham Mail
3rd December 2009

A young police officer who witnessed the death of Michael Powell said he “was still alive and conscious” on arrival at a police station.

Mr Powell died shortly after he was detained outside his home in Lozells and taken to nearby Thornhill Road police station. An inquest jury at Sutton Coldfield Town Hall heard from PC Luke Gill, was 20 years-old when Mr Powell died and had been patrolling the streets for less than one year.

He told the court his first impressions of the area was that there were “a lot of gun crime” incidents.

PC Gill said when he arrived in Wilton Road on September 7, 2003, he saw the 38-year-old factory worker being restrained by three police officers. He said another officer, PC Tim Lewis, had told him he thought Mr Powell “had a gun and had smashed one of the windows of a police vehicle.”

He described Mr Powell as “lying on his back with his hands cuffed above his head”.

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