A prison officer holding an inmate who died in a “restraint-related” incident described him as a “bucking bronco” in his police interview, an inquest heard.
Azroy Dawes-Clarke, 28, from Romford, east London, was an inmate at HMP Elmley, on the Isle of Sheppey, when he died after suffering multiple cardiac arrests on November 10 2021.
The prisoner, who was a father-of-four, is alleged to have attempted to take his own life by self-strangulation before becoming violent and being “restrained” by prison staff.
On Wednesday, at Kent and Medway Coroner’s Court in Maidstone, the officer who initiated that restraint, Alexander Shaxted, denied using “animalistic” language to describe Mr Dawes-Clarke in order to justify his choices.
Jurors heard that Mr Shaxted had said Mr Dawes-Clarke was making “loud animal noises” in his police statement and again referenced it during the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) investigation.
“Four times you described him like an animal, animalistic, like a bucking bronco,” said Allison Munroe KC, on behalf of the family.
The officer said that he did not know why he had used those words at the time.
Ms Munroe suggested he used them to imply: “That he wasn’t a human being, it was like dealing with an animal and so you ignored his screams because he’s just an animal. Is that what you thought?”
“Absolutely not,” replied Mr Shaxted.
He went on to deny that his actions had made the situation worse and maintained that the restraint was necessary.
A member of medical staff should always be present even when there is an “unexpected” restraint, but none were in the cell at the time, the court heard.
The officer said he knew that medical staff “can be” in attendance but might not be if the action was unexpected.
“I’m beginning to question Mr Shaxted whether or not you actually do understand your own policies and whether your training was very successful,” said Ms Munroe.
The medical cause of death has been given as hypoxic ischaemic brain injury but it is unclear when and by whom that injury was caused.
The inquest revolves around whether that brain injury was caused by Mr Dawes-Clarke’s use of a ligature, or by the restraint that followed.
Mr Shaxted admitted that people can die during restraint-related events, but did not accept that officers have the “upper-hand” on inmates.
“You’re not a stupid person, you do understand that a prisoner can often be in a very vulnerable position compared to a prison officer?” said Ms Munroe
“Both parties can be very vulnerable,” said Mr Shaxted.
“Who has the upper hand, who has the position of authority?” Ms Munroe asked.
“I don’t think that there’s such thing as an upper hand,” he replied.
Ms Munroe pointed to Mr Dawes-Clarke’s mother, sat at the back of court, before turning back to Mr Shaxted and asked: “Her son is on the floor, screaming in pain and he is ignored isn’t he?”
“I wouldn’t say ignored,” the officer replied.
Mr Dawes-Clarke was recalled to HMP Elmley on April 23 2020 after breaching his licence.
“Where restraint-related deaths do occur, they’re invariably erroneously complex cases,” forensic pathologist Dr Olaf Biedrzycki warned jurors.
The inquest continues.
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