Police failings found after a man died in Peterlee holding cells

A mother whose son died in police custody in Peterlee Police Station believes the force let her son down.

Jake Anderson, 24, was battling mental health problems and was taken into custody in June 2019 while awaiting transport to a mental health unit. After 12 hours in the cells he sadly passed away.

An inquest found his death was due to alcohol withdrawal and a review by the independent police watchdog said three County Durham police officers failed to properly monitor Jake.

Alison Anderson (Jake's mum) says his death has left a massive whole in their family and she believes the force let her son down:

"We strongly believe Jake was left to die in those last hours of his life with no one caring for him at all. If staff had treated Jake with even basic medical care, then he would still be here. Custody staff missed obvious signs that Jake was in distress and agitated signs that a medical response was urgently required. Jake deserved a basic duty of care and yet even when he was unconscious, the officers assumed that he was feigning it.

Jake was in the hands of the state for less than 12 hours, he was tragically and fatally let down. The inquest has heard of the failure to provide basic rights, food and drink and consistent monitoring. Jake should have been in hospital or anywhere his most basic human rights were considered. They were not in the custody suite at Peterlee Police station. This was clearly an avoidable death involving multiple missed opportunities by multiple agencies of the state. We will continue to push for justice for Jake."

The Independent Office for Police Conduct also stated there was "no evidence" different police actions would have saved his life.

A spokesperson from Durham Constabulary said:

"The death of Jake Anderson was a tragedy and we continue to offer our deepest sympathies to Mr Anderson’s family and friends. The Independent Office for Police Conduct carried out a detailed and thorough investigation into events surrounding this tragic case and concluded that Durham Constabulary did not cause or contribute to Mr Anderson’s death, but did make a number of recommendations which we have since acted upon.

After a five-day inquest, the jury determined there was no evidence to suggest that if the management of Mr Anderson had been any different that this would have had an effect on the overall outcome. We will now take time to reflect on areas of improvement in regard to our detention procedures and custody facilities arising from the conclusion of the inquest."

Jake's family wish things were done differently and told us they will continue to seek "justice for Jake."