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Abstract

A homeless woman who died after suffering a cardiac arrest at a police station where she had reported a sexual assault was failed by the Met, an inquest jury has ruled.

Mother-of-two Sian Jones, 47, was taken to Hornsey police station by officers on February 7 of last year after she claimed she had been sexually assaulted in Finsbury Park two months earlier.

Ms Jones, who was an alcoholic and on meth­adone, later suffered a cardiac arrest after falling asleep in the police interview room while waiting for a specialist sex offences team. She died at Whittington Hospital, in Archway, a week later.

In a damning conclusion, a jury at St Pancras Coroner’s Court yesterday (Thursday) highlighted “inadequate police policies, procedures and training” in relation to checks on the wellbeing of people who attend police stations voluntarily, as opposed to detainees.

The jury said officers had been told Ms Jones was an alcoholic, homeless and on methadone, a drug used in the treatment of heroin addiction, but failed to identify her as “vulnerable”.

Officers persuaded Ms Jones to come to the police station for an interview. She appeared “intoxicated but was deemed not to be incapable” and was allowed to go to sleep while being observed by officers, jurors said. However, information about her methadone use was not passed on. The jury added: “That was important because a combination of alcohol and methadone can have a toxic effect that can stop breathing.”

Officers had told the inquest they kept Ms Jones “under constant watch” while she slept and had heard her snoring so loudly that other officers remarked on it when they came into the room.

However, after hearing evidence from medical staff and pathologists, the jury concluded that “for a substantial amount of time while she was sleeping, Sian was suffering from a partial airway obstruction, which caused hypoxia, which led to her cardiac arrest”.

They added: “The monitoring of Sian as she slept was inadequate in the circumstances. The officers’ training had not given them the ability to recognise snoring as a potential indicator of partial airway obstruction.

“Nor did police policy require regular rousing of intoxicated victims who have been taken into police supervision or care, as is required for those in police custody.

“Had a rousing procedure been applied to Sian, her cardiac arrest on that day would have been preventable.”

A post-mortem found Ms Jones died as a result of a cardiac respiratory arrest caused by the combined toxic effects of meth­adone and alcohol, and heart disease.

The Met said: “We will consider the findings of the inquest and recommendations by the coroner and introduce any learning as soon as possible.

“We have already had a group of subject experts to consider any changes to our procedures relating to the care of people in public areas of police stations who are not under arrest.

“We have already introduced defibrillators in our staffed front counters and response vehicles.”

The circumstances of Ms Jones’ death were investigated by the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards.

The coroner is to set out action she believes the Met should take.