§ Mr. Meacherasked the Solicitor-General for Scotland if he will state the name of every person who has died from non-natural causes while detained in police custody in Scotland since 1970, with in each case the date of death, the name of the police station where the death occurred, and the cause of death as stated on the death certificate.
§ The Solicitor-General for Scotland[pursuant to his reply, 14 January 1980, c. 591]: As intimated in my written answer of 14 January. I do not have the information for such deaths prior to 15 May 1975 but the information in relation to deaths after that date is set out in the table below. I am not publishing the names of the individual deceased because of the distress which might be caused to the relatives, friends and colleagues of these persons and out of respect for their feelings.
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Date of death Place of death Cause of death (As certified to the Registrar of Births, Marriages arid Deaths) 13 November 1975 Police Headquarters, Edinburgh Intoxication by a combination of diazepan and alcohol 3 April 1976 Turnbull Street Police Office, Glasgow Chronic alcoholism 3 June 1976 Central Police Station, Edinburgh Aspiration of stomach contents; intoxication by alcohol and amitriptyline 12 June 1976 Glasgow Royal Infirmary Fractured skull (fall) 1 July 1976 Saltcoats Police Office, Ayrshire Fracture of the skull* 31 July 1976 West End Police Station, Edinburgh Intoxication by a combination of alcohol and distalgesic (paracetemol and propoxyphene) 9 December 1976 Arbroath Police Office Acute alcoholic poisoning 21 December 1976 Craigie Street Police Office, Glasgow Acute alcoholic intoxication 2 January 1977 Seagrove Street, Glasgow or in police vehicle en route to Glasgow Royal Infirmary Asphyxiation due to compression of the neck† 3 February 1977 Victoria Infirmary, Glasgow Fractured skull (fall); subdural haemorrhage‡ 28 May 1977 Tobago Street Police Office, Glasgow Aspiration of vomit; fractured skull; subdural haemorrhage; cerebral contusions 5 June 1977 Bathgate Police Station Of a head injury caused by falling on the pavement unobserved sometime before being taken into custody as being drunk and incapable at about 12.45 a.m. in East Main Street, Whitburn 30 June 1977 Police Headquarters, Aberdeen Alcohol and tuinal intoxication 8 December 1977 Central Police Station, Edinburgh Combined effects of acute alcoholic and salicylate (aspirin) poisoning 5 January 1978 Easterhouse Police Office, Glasgow Acute alcoholic and barbiturate (tuinal) intoxication 22 January 1978 In police vehicle en route to Glasgow Royal Infirmary Overdose of drugs (amitriptyline) 26 February 1978 Western Infirmary, Glasgow Fractured skull (fall at football ground) 19 March 1978 Greenock Police Office Acute pulmonary oedema; chronic alcoholism 15 July 1978 Airdrie Police Office Asphyxiation caused by aspiration of stomach contents 362W
Date of death Place of death Cause of death (As certified to the Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths) 17 July 1978 Southern General Hospital, Glasgow Bronchopneumonia; right subdural haematoma 9 September 1978 Saracen Police Office, Glasgow Chronic subdural haematoma 24 October 1978 Haddington Police Station Vagal inhibition of the heart; aspiration of vomit; acute alcoholic intoxication 3 November 1978 Kirkcaldy Police Station Aspiration of gastric contents; chronic alcoholism 10 November 1978 Stewart Street Police Station, Glasgow 1. Haemoperitoneum 2. Ruptured liver 21 December 1978 Edinburgh Royal Infirmary Bronchitis and bronchopneumonia; head injuries; fall§ 5 April 1979 Greenock Police Office Respiratory obstruction; angioneurotic oedema 7 July 1979 In ambulance en route to Raigmore Hospital, Inverness Alcohol poisoning 25 July 1979 Saracen Police Office, Glasgow Acute alcoholic intoxication 9 August 1979 163 Morrison Street, Edinburgh 1. Multiple injuries 2. Fall from a height║ * The deceased was taken into police custody as being drunk and incapable on 1 July 1976 subsequent to a fall in Townhead Street, Stevenston. The fracture on the skull which caused the death of the deceased was as a result of this fall. † This death which occurred on 2 January 1977 was the subject of a fatal accident inquiry on 22 June 1977 subsequent to which Sheriff J. Irvine Smith issued an 11 page determination. This determination is a public document and it may be of interest to note that the concluding finding is that "no fault can be attached to the police for the death of the deceased". ‡ The deceased was admitted to Victoria infirmary on the afternoon of 3 February 1977 having fallen in a shop. After examination, including X-ray, he was released into police custody as being drunk and incapable. Subsequently, he became unconscious and, after examination by the casualty surgeon, was returned to the Infirmary where he died. The post mortem discloses that the skull fracture was typical of the result of a backward fall. § Similarly this deceased was seen to have been under the influence of drink or drugs which had been prescribed to him by his doctor on 18 December 1978 and to have fallen prior to having been taken into custody by the police as drunk and incapable. The cause of death in this case was again as a result of head injuries sustained in a number of falls. ║ The deceased in this instance was under the influence of drugs at the time of his death, and his fall was apparently contributed to by the fact that he believed that he could fly.