A police officer may have witnessed a young man collapse before he was released from police custody and hours later died, a coroner has heard.
Mohamud Hassan was arrested at his Cardiff home on the evening of January 8 last year on suspicion of a breach of the peace. He was released from Cardiff Bay police station at around 8.30am the next day without charge.
The 24-year-old was found dead in his bed shortly after 10.30pm that day at his flat in Newport Road, Roath. The death of Mr Hassan, who was of Somali heritage, sparked protests calling for answers from police.
During a pre-inquest hearing in Pontypridd on Friday, his family's lawyer Nick Armstrong said the focus of the inquest has moved towards police "care" of Mr Hassan. And Alex West, counsel to the inquest, said there were suggestions that an officer involved in the restraint of Mr Hassan may have witnessed him "collapse" in the back of a police van.
Jason Beer KC, representing South Wales Police, said there had been a "very thorough" investigation into the death with the help of the IOPC (Independent Office for Police Conduct) watchdog. He added: "As it stands there is no possible connection between anything done or not done by police officers or members of police staff, and Mr Hassan's death."
Mr Armstrong argued a jury should sit in the inquest. He said: "There was a heavy police response, overnight custody, and a death in a way which remains unexplained. Determining the facts around that is a matter of some sensitivity and it should be a jury of peers who look at that rather than a coroner alone."
Mr West asked for the jury decision to be deferred until February. He said there are "ongoing enquiries which relate directly to causation" that will have a bearing on the need for a jury.
Coroner Graeme Hughes said: "The post-mortem by Dr James can exclude a physical causal link between the actions of officers during the period of detention and the cause of Mr Hassan's death. So that direct link has gone.
"That leaves us with potentially the issue already highlighted, in relation to whether there might have been omissions surrounding Mr Hassan's presentation at the time of the arrest and thereafter... Where I am at this time is I am not satisfied I have sufficient reason to suspect Mr Hassan's death was as a result of acts or omissions by a police officer."
The coroner said he is not ruling out sitting with a jury but he is "not minded at this time" to do so. He will make a decision in February.
Mr West said there may be evidence at the inquest from a police officer who may have witnessed Mr Hassan "collapse" in the back of a police van. Witnesses may also speak about Mr Hassan's condition while detained overnight and as he was released the following morning, including police officers who saw him get into a taxi.
Mr Hughes said "the question of diabetes" would be explored. Mr Beer told the coroner: "There is no evidence that Mr Hassan was a type one diabetic or any type of diabetic. There is no evidence diabetes played a role in his death and no evidence Mr Hassan was displaying any symptoms of a hypoglycaemic episode."
Later in the hearing, the coroner said: "It does appear that very much the central issue in this case is going to surround Mr Hassan's presentation from the moment officers attend on January 8 through all the time until he's found unconscious in his flat on Newport Road."
He vowed the inquest would be a "full, frank and fearless investigation". It is due to start on May 8 next year and is estimated to last 10 days with evidence from 29 witnesses. You can find more stories from courts in Wales here.
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