Nurse accused of gross negligent manslaughter over custody death at Berkshire police station

William Cameron, 38, died in police custody in January 2020 after a nurse allegedly assumed he was faking unconsciousness. A manslaughter trial is under way at the Old Bailey.

Nurse 'did nothing' as detainee lay dying in cell, Old Bailey told

A healthcare professional working at a Berkshire police station assumed a man was faking unconsciousness and failed to act, leaving him to die of a heart attack in his cell, a jury at the Old Bailey has heard.

William Cameron, 38, died on 8 January 2020 after being arrested following a dispute at the flat he shared with his partner, Theresa Yearwood. His death was caused by a combination of alcohol, methadone and other drugs, bbc.co.uk reports.

Sean Cregg, 36, the designated Health Care Professional on duty at Loddon police station that night, denies a charge of gross negligent manslaughter. The jury has also been told it may consider an alternative guilty verdict under the Health and Safety at Work Act.

Arrested in the early hours

Cameron was detained at around 01:50 GMT after police were called to the flat. Officers handcuffed him, and his speech quickly became slurred. Body-worn camera footage shown to the jury showed him being helped into the back of a police van. On arrival at Loddon police station, he was slumped in the vehicle's cage. He was carried inside and placed on a mat in a cell.

Opening for the prosecution, Zoe Johnson KC told the court that Cameron was in a "life-threatening situation" when Cregg was called to carry out a medical check. Cameron was lying motionless on his front.

Cregg, Johnson said, "thought Mr Cameron was drunk and faking unconsciousness and did nothing."

Tests conducted, hospital call not made

The prosecution acknowledged that Cregg did perform some checks — including squeezing Cameron's trapezoid shoulder muscle, which drew a groan, and shining a light into his eyes. But Johnson told the jury these steps fell far short of what was required.

She quoted Cregg as remarking "he has had something nice" — a comment she described as "flippant" and one that "speaks volumes about Cregg's attitude to the situation" and to a man in his care.

Guidance from Cregg's employer, Mountain Healthcare, stated that detainees unable to walk or talk should be transferred to hospital immediately. Johnson alleged Cregg did not follow this instruction. Cameron was left lying on his front. Hours later, Cregg looked through the cell door's spyhole and saw he was still motionless — and still did nothing, the prosecution claimed.

"He should have been placed in the recovery position — basic first aid which most members of the public know," Johnson told the jury.

'Grossly negligent failure'

"This was not an unfortunate 'bad day at the office'. This was a grossly negligent failure by Sean Cregg which led to the death of William Cameron," the court was told.

In a statement to investigators, Cregg said he believed Cameron "had chosen not to engage with the police or myself" and thought he had only consumed alcohol. The prosecution called this account "a lie designed to cover up his catastrophic inaction."

Defence: shared duty, genuine belief

Defending, Selva Ramasamy KC urged the jury to consider that the duty of care did not rest with Cregg alone — it was shared with the police custody team. Cregg, he said, acted on what he genuinely believed to be the case at the time.

Ramasamy told the court that Cregg was aware Cameron was intoxicated but had no reason to believe he had taken drugs. He also argued there was a real possibility Cameron would have died even had he been taken to hospital.

The trial, which is expected to last seven weeks, continues.

Source: Google News UK — Crime (en)