RESULTS of an independent investigation into the death of a man from Cardiff have now declared that there is "no evidence" that the actions of the police officers involved in the case caused or contributed to his death.

After a three-week inquest in Pontypridd, the jury today returned the outcome. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation has come to the conclusion that there is "no evidence that officers caused or contributed to" the death of Mohamud Mohamed Hassan in January 2021.

The IOPC looked into:

  • Whether any force used during his arrest and detention was reasonable, necessary and proportionate in the circumstances, and;

  • The level of care provided to Mr Hassan during his time in custody. 

South Wales Argus:

What happened in January 2021?

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said this of the events on the night:

  • Police were called at around 9.30pm on 8 January 2021, to a report of a disturbance at a flat on Newport Road in Cardiff.

  • The caller stated that five Black men had broken into the property and started fighting.

  • At 9.40pm, eleven South Wales Police officers attended. Mr Hassan, who was the only man present, was restrained and arrested for breach of the peace.

  • He was driven in a police van to Cardiff Bay police station and arrived just after 10pm.

  • Mr Hassan was restrained by officers in the custody suite, before being carried to a cell and searched.

  • He remained in a cell overnight and was then released without charge at around 8.20am on 9 January. Mr Hassan returned to the flat on Newport Road.

  • At 10.22pm the same day, a family member made an emergency call stating that he had been found unresponsive.

  • At 10.29pm, paramedics arrived at the property and, soon after, confirmed that Mr Hassan had died.

Tests were done to determine the cause of death. The post-mortem showed no signs of physical injury, use of a Taser, or of weapons like batons. The cause of death was given as 'unascertained', or not known.

Mr Hassan was 24-years-old when he was detained by South Wales Police in Cardiff in January 2021.

IOPC director, David Ford, said: "My thoughts and sympathies remain with Mr Hassan’s family, and everyone affected by his death.

"Our role was to examine the conduct of police officers involved, with the inquest to determine exactly how Mr Hassan died.

"In the aftermath of the tragedy, there was understandable public concern, and we painstakingly examined what happened during South Wales Police’s interactions with Mr Hassan."

Mr Ford of the IOPC added that the investigation was "complex", and said they examined police contact "over an extended period".

Mr Ford said the IOPC looked at "a large amount of evidence including detailed accounts from a significant number of officers involved, either directly or indirectly, with Mr Hassan, accounts from family members, police body worn video, CCTV footage, photographs, police radio transmissions and call logs."

According to Mr Ford, independent investigators "examined the police cell in which Mr Hassan was detained and visited the property on Newport Road, to view the scene of his arrest and secure relevant evidence."

From the investigation, they were able to identify areas of "learning for South Wales Police and for individuals arising from the events".

Findings of the report were then given to Mr Hassan's family and the coroner to help with the inquest. 

The IOPC said it took into account a complaint from Mr Hassan's family into whether his ethnicity impacted on how he was treated by officers, but found that "the evidence did not support the assertion that Mr Hassan was treated less favourably by officers because of his race, or that he had been assaulted by officers."

The investigators did find evidence of a "lack of respect and care in the way some officers treated Mr Hassan during his arrest, transport and detention."

In November 2023, a South Wales police officer was cleared of gross misconduct in the case.

Assistant chief constable for South Wales Police, Joanna Maal, said: “We can only imagine how difficult this period of time has been for Mohamud Hassan’s family and the pain and grief that they have endured since his death.

“This case has been the subject of much independent and public scrutiny.

"Now that the facts have been published and heard during the inquest proceedings we hope that answers have been provided to the many questions which have been raised.”