Custody death: man named

2:08pm Wednesday 24th January 2007

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POLICE have now named a man who died while in their custody.

Jason Oscar McPherson, 25, of Bentworth Road, East Acton, died in mysterious circumstances on Thursday in a cell at Notting Hill Police Station after being arrested by officers.

The reason for his death is unknown and the Independent Police Complaints Commission is now investigating what happened.

The Ealing Times has learned Mr McPherson was travelling in a car with two other men when the vehicle was stopped by Metropolitan Police officers in St Annes Road, Ladbroke Grove.

They were detained and taken to Notting Hill Police Station where a search was to be conducted.

While there, police said Mr McPherson needed medical attention, but the reasons for this are not yet known.

London Ambulance Service was called and he was taken to St Mary's Hospital, where he died at 11.32pm.

A post mortem was carried out on Saturday at Westminster Mortuary, but the IPCC are awaiting further results before a cause of death can be established.

And details of how and why Mr McPherson was detained forms part of the ongoing investigation.

Spokesman for the IPCC Poppy Turner said they would formally be quizzing officers over what happened.

"We will be interviewing officers and witnesses," she said. "Because it is so early in the investigation we can't predict how long it will take."

She said the family had formally identified the body.

IPCC Commissioner Nicola Williams said: "I extend my sincere condolences to this man's family for their sad loss.

"We do not yet know the cause of this man's death, and I have decided to conduct an independent investigation, using IPCC investigators, to seek to establish this.

"I am also aware there are concerns about this death, and I want to offer my assurances to the community that I will do my utmost, through this investigation, to respond to those concerns."

Mrs Williams said investigators had been at the scene since the early hours of Friday collecting evidence.

Senior investigator John Cummins is leading the inquiry.