A YOUNG dad was found hanged in a police cell with the cord of a hooded sweatshirt after being arrested on suspicion of shoplifting, an inquest was told.

Paul Barry Buchanan, 21, of St Paul's Street, Low Moor, Clitheroe, had been suffering from depression after witnessing the death of a friend in a sawmill accident. He was found dead in a cell at Clitheroe Police Station last October.

On the day of his arrest he had been accused by staff at Tesco in Clitheroe of stealing a bottle of Bacardi.

His friend Anna Haworth told the inquest that he was arrested as she was talking to him in the street. She said he seemed all right as he got into the police car.

PC Gary Danson said he took Mr Buchanan to the custody suite at Clitheroe Police Station where he was searched.

He said Mr Buchanan was wearing a hooded sweatshirt, but he had no idea there was a cord in it.

He said: "If I had, I would have reported it to the custody officer and a decision would have been made whether or not to remove it."

Custody officer Sgt Jean Sanderson said there had been no indication that the dead man was "anything other than normal".

She said: "At 4.15 he was given a glass of water and at 4.30 his solicitor arrived and asked to speak to him. I dropped the flap on the door, but couldn't see him. I looked towards the toilet and could see the lower part of his body on the floor. "I realised something was wrong and went into the cell. There was a ligature around his neck and he was hanging from the push button of the toilet.

"The button was loose and the ligature was around the screw holding it to the wall. I cut him down and tried to resuscitate him."

Under questioning by John Houldsworth, representing the dead man's family, she said the removal of potentially dangerous clothing from prisoners was "discretionary".

She added: "Often when people come into custody we are not aware of their circumstances. We had a limited knowledge in this case, but he gave us no cause for concern."

The dead man's father, Barry Buchanan, said his son was a normal, happy child, who had excelled at school athletics.

He said: "He was happy young man, until he witnessed a friend die in a sawmill accident. He was extremely traumatised. He was aware that he had a growing alcohol problem and was experiencing relationship problems. He had been accused of assault and was afraid of going to prison."

A post-mortem examination by Home Office pathologist John Rutherford gave the cause of death as hanging.

Superintendent Eddie Walsh, of Lancashire Police, said push button toilet fixtures had been modified following Paul's death.

Clitheroe GP Martin Flatley told the hearing at that he had been treating Paul for depression "on a regular basis for some years".

(Proceeding)

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