Update on investigation into the death of Mohamud Mohamed Hassan in Cardiff

The Independent Office for Police Conduct’s (IOPC) investigation into the circumstances of the tragic death of Mohamud Mohamed Hassan is continuing to gather and meticulously piece together evidence. We are examining police contact with Mr Hassan prior to his death including the level of force used by officers, and are continuing with a number of investigative steps.

A team of investigators is carefully analysing many hours of body-worn video and CCTV footage which have been secured from the local authority, police force and private outlets. Reviewing this footage will take some time but is vital in establishing what happened. At an appropriate time, we will ensure that Mr Hassan’s family and legal representatives have an opportunity to view relevant footage. We are unable to release footage publicly at this time because it may need to be used in any future possible criminal, misconduct, or inquest proceedings.

We are gathering accounts from a large number of police officers and staff who may potentially have had some direct or indirect contact with Mr Hassan. Those police personnel include officers who attended the address at Newport Road on Friday evening, those who were on duty at Cardiff Bay police station over two separate shifts, those who visited the Newport Road property on Saturday evening, as well as others in supervisory positions.

We are liaising with the family’s legal representative to take accounts from family members. We would also welcome information from anyone who may have seen anything relevant over the weekend of Mr Hassan’s death (Saturday 9 January) that might be helpful to our investigation.

We have examined the police cell in which Mr Hassan was detained. We have also visited the property in Newport Road to view the scene and secure any relevant evidence, and have carried out a leaflet drop to neighbouring houses asking for any relevant information.

We have received a preliminary post-mortem report and initial toxicology results from the Coroner. Further information from pathology work is awaited. This is being considered alongside all other evidence.

IOPC Director for Wales, Catrin Evans, said:

“My thoughts remain with Mr Hassan’s family and friends, and all of those affected by his death. We are continuing to analyse and gather evidence to help us piece together the circumstances surrounding his death, and we would also like any members of the public who saw anything relevant to come forward.

“We appreciate Mr Hassan’s family understandably want answers to a range of questions about his death. We will ensure our investigation is independent, thorough and impartial. We intend to keep his family and legal representatives, the Coroner, and South Wales Police regularly updated as our investigation progresses.”

Our investigation is examining the circumstances leading up to Mr Hassan’s death, including:

• What happened during his arrest on the evening of Friday 8 January and the journey in a police van to Cardiff Bay custody suite
• The extent of force used by police officers during their interaction with Mr Hassan
• The level of care provided and welfare checks conducted during his detention at the police station
• What assessments were undertaken before Mr Hassan was released without charge from custody on Saturday morning
• Whether there is any evidence of discrimination
• What happened in the hours after Mr Hassan left custody until his sudden death at the property in Newport Road on Saturday evening.