Police 'reassured' by findings at inquest into Eaglescliffe dad Kirk Williams

Police say they are “reassured” by a coroner’s findings at the end of a 19-day inquest into the death of Eaglescliffe dad-of-two Kirk Williams.

A narrative verdict was recorded at the end of the inquest at Teesside Coroner’s Court. Mr Williams died in police custody on April 17, 2011, hours after he was seen naked in an Eaglescliffe field acting as if a “demon” was on him. And reacting to the end of the inquest, Cleveland Police’s head of professional standards, Superintendent John Green, said the force was “reassured that the coroner was satisfied that nothing our officers did when dealing with Mr Williams had contributed to his death.”

The inquest earlier heard how Mr Williams, 26, of Beechwood Road, Eaglescliffe, was spotted in a field behind the Moorhouse estate at about 11am acting strangely. Assistant coroner Sam Foulks said Mr Williams, who was an asbestos remover, had taken a variety of drugs the night before his death.

Kirk Williams

He was taken by police to Middlesbrough Police Station, but only after another officer had first indicated to the communications room he should be taken straight to hospital.

At the police station, a doctor subsequently advised a transfer to hospital. An ambulance with Mr Williams in it left for the hospital at 12.56pm but by 2.32pm he was pronounced dead at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.

Supt Green said: “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Mr Williams for the loss of their loved one in these tragic circumstances.

“Our police officers are faced with some extremely complex and difficult situations in which they must make instant decisions to protect individuals and the wider public.

“The inquest heard that Mr Williams had taken a number of illegal substances before the situation which led to officers being called and his subsequent arrest.

“Responding to a difficult set of circumstances, officers made decisions in good faith about the most appropriate place of safety for Mr Williams, taking into account that healthcare professionals are available in police custody, his unpredictable behaviourand the risk to himself and the wider public should he be taken to hospital.

“Immediately following his death, we referred ourselves to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), who have completed their own investigation into the policing element of this case and we look forward to the publication of their findings.

“We are reassured that the coroner was satisfied that nothing our officers did when dealing with Mr Williams had contributed to his death. We will assess any recommendations in more detail as part of our commitment to understanding and learning from this tragic case.”

An IPCC spokesman said its report into Cleveland’s handling of the case would be published soon, now the inquest has concluded.

Murder accused Craig Conway told police: 'I didn't mean for him to die'

A murder trial jury heard how accused man Craig Conway told police: “I didn’t mean for him to die.”

Conway, 30, known as Bruno, handed himself in to police following the fatal stabbing of Simon Bennett. He told officers: “I’ve done the right thing, haven’t I? He was my friend.”

He admitted responsibility for the death of 29-year-old Mr Bennett to detectives in interviews read to jurors at Teesside Crown Court yesterday.

Conway, of Epworth Green, Pallister Park, Middlesbrough, admits manslaughter but denies murder.

He told police: “I’ve hurt him. I didn’t mean to.

“I was good friends with him. I know I’ve done wrong but I didn’t mean for it to happen. I didn’t mean for him to die.

“I remember hurting him really bad, and I put my hands up to that.

“I see it, and it was my fault. But I didn’t go out to hurt or anything. I went out to talk to him.”

He told police how he fought with Mr Bennett in The Greenway, Thorntree, Middlesbrough on the night of May 8. He said he received a phone call from “Simo” verbally abusing him over something he was alleged to have said. He said Mr Bennett told him: “I’m going to come to your house. I’m going to kill you. I’m going to boot you all over.”

He went out to meet Mr Bennett, and told officers: “We squared up. I said to him, ‘Are we really doing this? Are we really fighting over an argument?’

“We started scrapping. He’s hitting me to the side of the head. I went all dizzy.

“He’s got me on the floor a bit and hit me on the back of the head.

“I just thought he was going to stamp all over my head. He doesn’t know when to stop.

“He thought he was getting the best of me. He was winning me.”

He said he grabbed something which was on the floor, swung around “with force” and hit the left side of Mr Bennett’s chest.

Mr Bennett lifted his top, and Conway said he saw “loads of blood” and shouted: “I’ve stabbed him.”

Conway added: “Everyone was screaming. Everyone was shouting. It was really frightening.”

He said he froze, panicked and rode off on another man’s motorbike. “I didn’t look back,” he said.

He left the bike in bushes in Pallister Park, ran across fields and went to his grandmother’s home.

He was later told: “He’s dead. You’d better get to the police station and hand yourself in.”

He said he did not see the implement he picked up from the ground, did not know what it was, what it felt like or where it came from.

He suggested someone else could have dropped or thrown it, adding: “It’s not come from me, whatever it was.

“I didn’t have it. Nothing. No weapon.

“I can remember hurting him and it’s me that’s caused his death.”

Home Office pathologist Dr Jennifer Bolton said Mr Bennett died from “catastrophic” blood loss from a single stab wound to his chest, into his heart.

She said the wound could have taken “a minimum of moderate force”, and suggested it was caused by a knife.

Mr Bennett’s other injuries were “minimal”, none suggesting he had tried to defend himself and no injuries to his hands to show he had delivered punches or blows.

She said two superficial wounds to Conway’s fingers were consistent with him having a sharp object in his right hand.

Proceeding

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