THE POLICE Complaints Authority yesterday launched an independent investigation into the death of a 24-year-old man while in police custody on Sunday.
The Moldovan was arrested in the early hours of Sunday morning after driving a suspected stolen truck while under the influence of alcohol into the perimeter of the Education Ministry. Less than two hours after his arrest, the 24-year-old was found dead in his cell at Lykavitos police station in Nicosia, hanging from his cell door.
According to police, under circumstances as yet unknown, the man got into a truck that was not his and started driving it around the Education Ministry parking lot at 2am on Sunday. It is not yet clear whether his intention was to steal the truck or borrow it, but in the process he smashed the vehicle into the Ministry’s iron gates, rendering it immoveable. The man was arrested at 3.30am for a series of traffic offences, including drink-driving, after recording 80mg alcohol test, way over the 22mg limit.
At Lykavitos station, police established that the 24-year-old was not legally resident on the island. At 5am, police found him hanging in his cell. He was taken to Nicosia hospital where a doctor on duty confirmed his death.
According to state pathologist, Nicholas Charalambous, who turned up at the station following the death, the man had used a thin string from his tracksuit to hang himself from the iron bars of his cell door. Charalambous ruled out foul play. He is expected to perform an autopsy in the coming days.
Asked how the detainee had managed to hang himself from a door, Charalambous told the Cyprus Mail that doing so was “the easiest thing”.
Acting police chief Michael Papageorgiou appointed an administrative investigator to look into the circumstances of the detainee’s death and to establish whether police followed correct procedures while he was in police custody.
Meanwhile, the police complaints authority has launched an independent inquiry into the death of the 24-year-old, appointing two criminal investigators to look into the matter.
A police officer at the Lycavitos station yesterday refused to answer any questions on the incident, while a police press officer at HQ told the Cyprus Mail that it was standard procedure for police to remove any items that could be used by a detainee to harm himself. This usually includes long shoe laces and belts.
The same officer clarified that no specific officer was responsible for detainees held in police holding cells but that the officers on duty had a responsibility to check on them every so often.
In general, police stations usually have one large room which is divided into smaller holding cells using iron bars for the doors, but not the ceiling. It is not common practice for cameras to be used in holding cells, he added.
Nicosia police director Kypros Michaelides was quoted by Phileleftheros saying that police were also investigating a possible connection between the victim and an arson attack on a flat in Acropolis that occurred a few hours before the 24-year-old’s arrest.
Nicosia CID is investigating the case.
