A THREE-WEEK inquest into the death of a Newport man who died shortly after being restrained by police is nearing its completion.

Mouayed Bashir died at the age of 29 on February 17, 2021. His brothers and parents have attended the hearings at Newport Coroners Court, which began on Monday, January 15.

Yesterday, February 1, senior coroner for Gwent Caroline Saunders summarised the evidence to jurors and asked them to reach a narrative conclusion on the circumstances of Mouayed’s death.

She said they must park their personal views on matters such as the police, NHS, and drug use, and not allow sympathy to colour their judgement, noting the “extreme distress” of Mouayed’s parents shown to the court in body-worn camera footage.

After hearing the coroner’s summary and directions, the jury could not reach a conclusion. The inquest continues today, February 2.

‘Downhill’

Mouayed was born on August 7, 1991, in Karachi, Pakistan. His family is of Sudanese heritage. He arrived in the UK aged nine, first living in London, where his father Mamoun had a job at Heathrow. They moved to Newport in 2005.

Mouayed had been taking cocaine since at least 2017, when he was referred to the voluntary Gwent Drug and Alcohol Service. In 2020, he admitted taking cocaine and heroin to his GP.

On January 16, 2021, he was the victim of a stabbing in the Pill area of Newport. He received surgery at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, where Covid restrictions prevented his family from being able to visit.

Mouayed’s younger brother Mohamed picked him up from hospital and took him to his girlfriend’s house to recover. In a statement read to the court, Mohamed said his brother became “paranoid” and it was difficult for his girlfriend to care for her two children.

He helped Mouayed move into his parents’ house where his mental health continued to go downhill. He worried the upper thigh wound was infected and that he could be the victim of another attack.

The morning

On the morning of February 17, 2021, Mamoun called the Bellevue practice about the wound. During the call, Mouayed’s mother, Mahasin Khalil, raised the alarm about her son.

Ms Khalil called the emergency services at 8.50am, asking for a police and ambulance response. Mamoun took over the call and clarified the need for police.

The first Gwent Police officer, PC Laura Edwards, arrived at the family’s home on Maesglas Crescent at 9am and relayed Mamoun’s request for an ambulance. The call was designated an “amber two” acuity - serious but not immediately life-threatening.

At around 9.07am, PC Jac Williams, the second officer to arrive, managed to look inside Mouayed’s barricaded room. It was small, with clothes strewn across the floor – “ankle deep” in some places – and parts of a broken bed among the debris.

Officers told the court that Mouayed, who was lying with his head in an open wardrobe, was banging his head and kicking out as they approached.

Minutes later, another more experienced officer, PC Rhydian Jones, arrived and affirmed the need to use restraints. They cuffed Mouayed’s hands behind his back, tied his legs together with fast straps and turned him on his side before clearing his immediate surroundings.

At 9.27am, police medic PC Charlotte Davies arrived. At 9.31am, PS Gareth Marsh provided an update to the Welsh Ambulance Service, saying Mouayed was sweating excessively and his breathing was fast and heavy. WAS upgraded the call to an “amber one”, indicating his symptoms were life-threatening.

At 9.45am, PC Davies asked to remove his handcuffs. The officers considered moving Mouayed but decided against it due to the lack of medical supervision.

At 9.50am, Mouayed’s parents called WAS, reporting their son to be “unconscious”. Following this, WAS upgraded the call again, this time to a “red” acuity, indicating Mouayed’s condition was immediately life-threatening.

An ambulance arrived at 10.04am. Paramedics donned personal protective equipment and removed gear from the back of the vehicle, reaching Mouayed four minutes later at 10.08am.

Before this ambulance arrived, two available rapid response vehicles were identified and allocated to other calls. A two-person ambulance was also available and could have arrived seven minutes earlier.

Dr Ryan Hobbs, ED consultant for the Aneurin Bevan Health Board, said he did not believe this timing would have made a difference to the outcome.

The paramedics determined Mouayed had very low and varying levels of consciousness, having responded to an attempt to insert a canular into his hand.

Asked about the police’s use of restraint, paramedic Zoe Lambert told jurors it did not hinder her medical assessment and gave her an “opportunity to be safe” while kneeling next to him.

Officers helped to transport Mouayed to the ambulance on a special transfer chair, using “loosely applied” plastic cuffs to control his hands. They tried to keep an oxygen mask on his face while they moved.

Shortly after entering the ambulance, Mouayed suffered a cardiac arrest. Police performed CPR and the paramedics, satisfied with the quality of chest compressions, performed other vital tasks including sending a pre-alert to the Grange University Hospital where they were headed. Another officer drove the ambulance to the emergency department, where they arrived at 10.58am.

After unsuccessful attempts to resuscitate, Mouayed’s death was confirmed at 11.41am.

Post-mortem

A toxicological report found cocaine in Mouayed’s body at a level higher than that of normal recreational use. It also found benzoylecgonine, the main by-product of cocaine once it has been metabolised, suggesting the amount of cocaine in his system had been higher before it had broken down.

The jury heard that drug use, and especially cocaine, was a common cause of acute behavioural disturbance (ABD), a state of extreme agitation associated with symptoms such as hyperthermia, abnormally rapid breathing and a fear of impending doom.

At the time, Gwent Police officers took annual training on ABD with videos and PowerPoint presentations of the associated symptoms.

They were also trained on the CAMERAS response: contain (rather than restrain), ambulance, monitor, explain (and listen), relay information, A&E, share information with healthcare professionals.

The coroner Ms Saunders found no evidence that containment, as opposed to the use of restraint, was an option.

None of the officers mentioned the possibility that Mouayed was suffering from ABD inside the house – only outside, while they were waiting for an ambulance.

In the days after Mouayed’s death, all but one officer involved, PC Jones, ticked ABD on a form concerning the use of restraints.

Dr Derek Simon James, who carried out the post-mortem examination, said Mouayed showed signs of acute behavioural disorder (ABD).

The causes of death were determined to be effects of cocaine and effects of cocaine following a period of restraint.

Timeline of events, as outlined by senior coroner Caroline Saunders

  • 8.50am – Mouayed’s mother, Mahasin Khalil, calls the emergency services, asking for: “Hospital, ambulance, police, anything”.
  • 9.00am – Gwent Police officer Laura Edwards arrives at the family’s home on Maesglas Crescent and relays the request from Mouayed’s father, Mamoun Bashir, for an ambulance.
  • 9.07am – the second officer to arrive, PC Jac Williams, enters Mouayed’s upstairs room. It is described as small, with parts of a broken bed on the floor and clothes which in some places are “ankle deep”. Mouayed is found lying on the floor with his head in an open wardrobe.
  • 9.12am – PC Rhydian Jones arrives. The officers determine Mouayed is an “obvious risk” to himself and others and decide on the use of restraint. They cuff his hands behind his back and apply fast straps around his ankles and above his knees, turning him from a prone position onto his side.
  • 9.27am – Police medic PC Charlotte Davies arrives. She determines Mouayed is “critically unwell”.
  • 9.31am – PS Gareth Marsh conveys Mouayed’s presentations to the Welsh Ambulance Service: pale, breathing fast and heavy, pulse around 40, and sweating excessively. The call is upgraded to an amber one call.
  • 9.45am – Noting a change in Mouayed’s presentations, PC Davies asks for his handcuffs to be removed.
  • 9.50am – Mouayed’s parents call the Welsh Ambulance Service, reporting their son as “unconscious”. The call is re-categorised as the most urgent “red”.
  • 10.04am – An ambulance arrives at the family’s address on Maesglas Crescent. It takes another four minutes to reach Mouayed in his upstairs room.
  • 10.37am – Shortly after being moved into the ambulance, Mouayed suffers a cardiac arrest. Police perform CPR and drive the vehicle to the hospital while paramedics, satisfied with the chest compressions being given, perform other crucial tasks.
  • 10.58am – Mouayed arrives at the Grange University Hospital emergency department in Llanfrechfa.
  • 11.41am – After unsuccessful attempts to resuscitate, Mouayed’s death is confirmed.