An investigation has been launched after a talented young footballer was found dead in a police custody cell.
An investigation has been launched after a talented young footballer was found dead in a police custody cell.
Reece Staples, 19, was arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage after police were called to a disturbance in the Basford area of Nottingham.
The former Nottingham Forest midfielder was then taken to Oxclose Lane Police Station where he was to be held overnight.
Officers checked his cell at around 5am on Sunday and found him to be 'unwell'.
It is thought an ambulance was then called, but Staples was pronounced dead on his arrival at hospital.
The teenager signed for Carlton Town FC in October last year, after being released by Forest.
He had made his way up through the club's academy system making regular appearances for the under-18 and reserve teams.
A post-mortem examination did not identify any evidence of injuries that may have contributed to his death.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission has now launched an investigation.
It will consider what information Staples gave to police about his health and what actions were taken.
IPCC Commissioner Amerdeep Somal said on Sunday: "The investigation will look at all the circumstances in the lead up to this man's death when he died in the early hours of this morning.
"This will include how police dealt with information they received relating to the deceased's health and wellbeing."
A spokesman for Carlton Town FC confirmed Staples had died, but said the club would not be issuing a statement
Reece Staples, 19, was arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage after police were called to a disturbance in the Basford area of Nottingham.
The former Nottingham Forest midfielder was then taken to Oxclose Lane Police Station where he was to be held overnight.
Officers checked his cell at around 5am on Sunday and found him to be 'unwell'.
It is thought an ambulance was then called, but Staples was pronounced dead on his arrival at hospital.
The teenager signed for Carlton Town FC in October last year, after being released by Forest.
He had made his way up through the club's academy system making regular appearances for the under-18 and reserve teams.
A post-mortem examination did not identify any evidence of injuries that may have contributed to his death.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission has now launched an investigation.
It will consider what information Staples gave to police about his health and what actions were taken.
IPCC Commissioner Amerdeep Somal said on Sunday: "The investigation will look at all the circumstances in the lead up to this man's death when he died in the early hours of this morning.
"This will include how police dealt with information they received relating to the deceased's health and wellbeing."
A spokesman for Carlton Town FC confirmed Staples had died, but said the club would not be issuing a statement
Comments
Hide the following 4 comments
Can I ask
14.06.2009 16:39
Or are you implying that because a person is, for the sake of argument black, there must automatically be something more suspect about the circumstances surrounding the incident than if the person was white ?
How (or would) you have posted if the person was white and the staff in the custody suite were black ?
All deaths in custody must be taken equally seriously.
John
History is involved
15.06.2009 10:10
Antiracist
rubbish
15.06.2009 13:21
Nothing has been said to suggest he was assaulted by the police and the assertation that he was murdered is ludicrous.
Maybe the finger of blame should be pointed at the paramedics as well? I mean they were the last ones to actually be in contact with him.
over-dramatisation
More details please
15.06.2009 14:51
Well he could have been on the way to hospital due to what was done (or not done) to him during his arrest or detention, could he not?
"Nothing has been said to suggest he was assaulted by the police and the assertation [sic] that he was murdered is ludicrous."
Is it ludicrous? When people have died in police custody before, murder or neglect have often been the cause. And as a previous poster has mentioned, the police have a very poor record when it comes to ethnic minorities.
The story claims that officers found him to be "unwell" at 5am. We do not know what caused him to be unwell or how long he had to wait before his claim was taken seriously. We also do not know whether he would have been treated differently if he'd been white. If you ask me, there's plenty of questions for the police to answer.
Dave