Coroner calls for immigration officers to be trained to chase suspects after Sudanese asylum seeker, 23, fell 60ft to his death while fleeing after he was caught illegally working at car wash
- Mustafa Dawood fell to his death while trying to flee immigration officers
- Asylum seeker was working illegally at car wash in Newport, South Wales
- Immigration officers were ‘not appropriately trained in pursuit procedures’
- Coroner has written to Home Office criticising officers who contributed to death
A coroner has called for immigration officers to be trained to chase suspects after a Sudanese asylum seeker fell 60-feet to his death while fleeing after he was caught illegally working at a car wash.
Mustafa Dawood, 23, was found on the floor of an industrial unit following a raid on Shaftesbury hand car wash in Newport, South Wales, on June 30, 2018.
He was chased into a warehouse by immigration officers who were ‘not appropriately trained in pursuit procedures’, a coroner’s report has ruled.
Mr Dawood subsequently fell through plastic roofing material and suffered serious head injuries before dying in hospital.
Senior Coroner Caroline Saunders has penned a report to the Home Office criticising immigration officers after finding a lack of communication and training contributed to Mr Dawood’s death.
Mustafa Dawood (pictured), 23, was found on the floor of an industrial unit with head injuries after a raid on Shaftesbury hand car wash in Newport, South Wales, on June 30, 2018
An inquest into his death concluded at Gwent Coroner’s Court earlier this month.
The court heard Mr Dawood was working illegally at the car wash when after being refused asylum when he arrived in Britain from Sudan.
He had fled Sudan because he belonged to a tribe being persecuted by the authorities, the inquest was told.
Mr Dawood fled after immigration officers carried out an enforcement visit at the car wash at around 10.08am.
He was pursued by officers to a neighbouring warehouse, where he then climbed on shelving and ran through a metal door before climbing onto its roof.
The inquest into his death was told officers did not pursue when Mr Dawood started to climb, but remained close and did not withdraw.
He was later found on the floor of the warehouse in Newport, Gwent, having fallen.
Mr Dawood was rushed to University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, but died from his injuries at 2.45pm on June 30, 2018.
A post mortem found his cause of death to be a traumatic subarachnoid haemorrhage.
Immigration officers were carrying out a raid on Shaftesbury hand car wash in Newport, South Wales, on June 30, 2018. Pictured: The car wash
Mr Dawood’s inquest was shown CCTV footage of him being pursued through buildings on Albany Trading Estate (pictured)
Immigration officers contributed to death of Mustafa Dawood, coroner rules
Ms Saunders’ report, published on Wednesday, said immigration officers should have ‘practical training in pursuit situations’ following his death.
She highlighted four areas of concerns criticising the actions of immigration officers.
1. During the pursuit Mustafa started to climb and it was determined that the pursuit should be abandoned. Nonetheless officers remained relatively close and did not withdraw to a distance away from him. We consider that maintaining this proximity contributed to Mustafa’s death.
2. We consider that the decision to abandon the pursuit was not effectively communicated to all officers and that could have been a contributing factor to Mustafa’s death.
3. The decision for the officer to keep his baton in a racked position could have contributed to Mustafa’s death
4. The officers were not appropriately trained in pursuit procedures, and this could have contributed to Mustafa’s death.
The inquest heard the raids took place in June 2018 when immigration officers were ‘acting on intelligence’ that two car washes were using illegal workers.
Immigration officer Gregory Williams told the hearing Mustafa would not have been arrested.
Ms Saunders’ report, published on Wednesday, said immigration officers should have ‘practical training in pursuit situations’ following his death.
She highlighted four areas of concerns criticising the actions of immigration officers.
The coroner said the decision by officer to ‘remain relatively close and not withdraw distance away’ from Mr Dawood contributed to his death.
She added ‘the decision to abandon the pursuit was not effectively communicated to all officers’ – a factor that also ‘could have been a contributing factor’ to his death.
The report criticised found fault, too, with a decision of an officer to ‘keep his baton in a racked position’ during the pursuit.
Ms Saunders continued: ‘The officers were not appropriately trained in pursuit procedures, and this could have contributed to Mustafa’s death.’
She sent the report to the Home Office and demanded to know whether any steps have been taken to provide ‘practical training to immigration officers in pursuit situations’.
Mr Dawood’s mother Hameda Hamed Shogar Ahmed, who travelled to the UK for her son’s inquest from the Sudanese city of Al Fashir, told the court her son had wanted to earn money to send back to Sudan to support his family.
She said in a statement: ‘Mustafa was very close to me and his dad and he loved his siblings very much, he loved football and he was a good and loyal friend.
‘It affected [his friends] very much when they heard he had died – this is a testimony as to the strength of his friendships.’
‘[My son] felt a strong passion for human rights and felt that everyone should be protected and free to live their lives free from persecution and fear.
‘He told me he had made lots of friends in the UK – he was popular wherever he went so this did not surprise me.’
‘I never want this to happen to any other family, to have their child taken away. I and my family pray that Mustafa is in paradise.’
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