Man, 42, dies in hospital after being found unresponsive in Charing Cross custody cell
A 42-year-old man has died in hospital more than a week after being found unresponsive in a cell at Charing Cross police station. The Metropolitan Police announced the death on Tuesday and said the case had been referred to the police watchdog, which has opened an independent investigation.
The man was discovered during routine cell checks at the custody suite in Westminster at 4.27am on Friday 2 October, after becoming unwell. Officers started first aid immediately and called the London Ambulance Service. He was taken to hospital, where he died on Sunday 11 October.
He had been arrested the day before, on 1 October, for recall to prison. The Met said a standard risk assessment to identify any medical or other issues was carried out when he arrived in custody, as is normal protocol for everyone brought into a custody suite.
A recall to prison means someone released on licence is returned to jail, usually for breaching the conditions of their release. The Met has not said why this man was recalled, and no further details about him have been released.
Custody suites hold people who have been arrested while officers carry out their inquiries. Detainees are checked at regular intervals, and a custody sergeant is responsible for their welfare throughout their detention.
Watchdog takes on the case
The Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards was informed after the man was found unresponsive, and a mandatory referral was made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). The watchdog is now independently investigating the full circumstances surrounding his death.
Every death in or following police custody must be referred to the IOPC. Its investigators examine custody records, CCTV footage and the accounts of officers and staff involved. At the end of an inquiry, the watchdog decides whether any officer or staff member should face disciplinary proceedings, and whether a file of evidence should be sent to the Crown Prosecution Service for a charging decision.
Commander Lou Sargent said the force’s thoughts and condolences were with the man’s family and friends. He said the full circumstances would now be independently examined and that the Met would give its fullest support to the IOPC investigation.
Station under the spotlight
The death brings fresh scrutiny on Charing Cross, one of the Met’s busiest stations, which has been rocked by a string of misconduct scandals in recent years.
An undercover BBC Panorama investigation broadcast in 2025 filmed officers at the station expressing racist and misogynistic views and boasting about the use of excessive force. The Met suspended eight officers and a member of staff, removed two officers from frontline duties and referred the matter to the IOPC. Seven officers were later dismissed for gross misconduct and the station’s custody team was disbanded. Separately, a sergeant was charged as part of the Charing Cross investigation.
The station had already been the focus of Operation Hotton, a series of investigations begun in 2018 into officers based mostly at Charing Cross. They were merged into a single IOPC inquiry, which uncovered multiple cases of bullying, harassment and sexual harassment. The Met accepted the watchdog’s recommendations.
The IOPC’s new investigation will examine the actions of custody staff and the care the man received while he was detained. No cause of death has been made public, and the inquiry is at an early stage.
An inquest will be held in due course, as is standard after a death in custody. The coroner will examine who died, and when, where and how the death occurred, and will hear evidence from the IOPC investigation.
