Police have been criticised by a sheriff after a young man celebrating his 21 st birthday was able to swallow cocaine while in custody, dying 10 days later.
James MacGregor, from Hamilton in South Lanarkshire, had been bingeing on drink and drugs during an all-night party with friends. He told one friend he had bought a seven gramme bag of cocaine for £450. But an altercation with his mum as the celebrations went on led to him being arrested and taken to Motherwell Police Station on August 16, 2019.
There, while being supervised by officers in the holding area, Sheriff Linda Nicolson said James probably retrieved a package of cocaine from his sock and placed it in his mouth. One of the police officers supervising him was seen scrolling through his mobile phone and another was staring at the floor.
