THE Independent Police Complaints Commission has found no case to answer for any officer following an investigation into the death of a woman detained under the Mental Health Act.

Toni Speck was taken into custody at Fulford police station in York in 2011 after a family member reported her behaving erratically in the Bootham area. The 31-year-old was found unconscious in a custody cell that evening and died a short time later.

A three-week inquest into her death came to an end last Friday when the jury delivered a narrative verdict after finding she died from a rare brain condition which led to her having a cardiac arrest.

The IPCC’s own investigation came to an end in May 2012 but publication of its findings was delayed to await the outcome of the inquest.

The IPCC found that witnesses corroborated officers’ accounts that Ms Speck was in an agitated state and resisting officers. CCTV footage showed her being placed on the floor and handcuffed before being led to a police van; witnesses described this having been done in a professional manner.

However the investigation found that although the level of cell checks was appropriate, more frequent checks could have been conducted, given Ms Speck’s distressed state.

It also found that, as a vulnerable person, an appropriate adult should have been present during Ms Speck’s detention, and that there had been a significant delay in informing Ms Speck’s family of her death. As a result of the latter the force has since amended procedures.