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Wednesday June 12 | 2019
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Man died in police custody after bag of cocaine ‘burst in his stomach’ By Andy Tong andy@timesoftonbridge.co.uk A MAN who died in custody at Tonbridge police station had swallowed a bag of cocaine, according to an inquest into his death. Carl Maynard died of acute toxicity while having his fingerprints taken on October 13 2017. The fatal incident was investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission [IPCC]. He was arrested for allegedly punching his partner Chrissie Colgate at their home in Maidstone. Police had already visited the house on October 1. On their return they forced entry when no one answered. Counsel Stephen Simblet, representing Mr Maynard’s family, asked why the arresting officer, who suspected he had ingested a substance, did not take him to hospital. A post-mortem revealed that the 29-year-old father of one had a large plastic bag in his stomach. It also detected levels of cocaine in his blood consistent with drug smugglers who swallow packages that burst. He was exposed to 23mg of the Class A drug per litre of blood – while a recreational dose would show a reading of a fraction of a milligram. Pathologist Dr Olaf Biedrzycki saw CCTV footage of Mr Maynard’s collapse and said: “He does seem to be relatively calm, then the clinical evidence suggests that there was a sudden release of drugs in his system.” He was arrested at 3pm and col-
lapsed at 4.23pm. Paramedics tried to resuscitate him but he was pronounced dead at 4.45pm. Miss Colgate told the inquest at Archbishop’s Palace in Maidstone that she had not been assaulted. She described the arrest, saying: “He was choking. I was hysterically screaming [at the officers] to get off of him. “The officers sounded concerned. They asked ‘have you swallowed any gear, Carl? It sounds like your airway is obstructed’. “If they have that much suspicion, why did they not take him to hospital?”
‘I need an honest answer. Have you swallowed anything? If you have I will take you to hospital’ She said Mr Maynard ‘looked like he was gagging’ as police held him against a wall with his arm behind his back. The arresting officer, PC Richard McIver-Hall, confirmed that he had asked the victim about what he had swallowed several times. He claimed the painter-decorator denied he had ingested anything but was trying to relieve pain from some swelling in his throat caused by a cold. PC McIver-Hall said he told Mr Maynard: “I need an honest answer. Have you swallowed anything? If you have, I won’t take you to custody, I will take you to hospital.”
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BEST PRACTICE: (L-R) Dr Gee Grewal, Dr Marisa Degenaar, Dr Pauline Joshi, Dr Laura Mawson, practice manager Tonja Delafons and Dr Tim Palmer stick the first spade in the ground at the new Tonbridge Medical Centre on River Lawn Road
Healthy future for new GP surgery DOCTORS visited the site of the new medical centre on River Lawn Road to break ground ahead of the building’s construction, which is expected to be completed by next spring. The GPs from Tonbridge Medical Group joined forces with developers Assura, contractor Jenner and architect Kevin Waters of Building Ideas to mark the start of the second phase of the project. Built on the site of the former Teen and Twenty club, the new surgery will be large enough to accommodate all the doctors and patients at the Pembury Road and Higham Lane
clinics, which have been deemed no longer fit for purpose. The centre will also incorporate minor surgery and a pharmacy, and have enough space to deliver clinical services like a wellbeing clinic. It will also be more accessible for people with disabilities.
Flexibility Dr Tim Palmer, a senior partner at the Tonbridge Medical Group, said: “It’s so exciting to be at this point in the project. “For years we have been making do
without the space or layout we need in order to provide the very best care for our patients. “By having the flexibility and space to bring new services into a new building, our team will be able to give our patients a much wider range of services all under one roof.” Assura’s senior development manager, Jonathan Webb, added: “New buildings like this are about building for the future of NHS services near home – creating more pleasant places for patients to receive their care and modern workplaces for primary care teams.”