By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

THE coroner abruptly dismissed the jury investigating the death of a 60-year-old man in police custody after evidence suggested the police report was falsified and incomplete.

Coroner Kara Turnquest-Deveaux’s decision came after hearing testimony from Corporal 3721 Kristian Duncombe, the officer in charge of Central Police Station on the night Hartman Dawkins was brought into the station, only to be found dead in his cell the following morning.

The five-person jury, which had already heard six days of testimony, could have returned a verdict of gross negligence regarding police conduct. The inquest was examining the circumstances surrounding Dawkins’s death on 22 January 2023.

An officer previously testified that there was a six-hour gap in Dawkins’s detention record between his last wellness check and the discovery of his body, describing such a lapse as “highly unusual”.

The second-in-command of Central Police Station had admitted during Monday’s hearing that something went “wrong” the night Dawkins was in custody. He said Dawkins had complained of feeling unwell before being found dead the next morning. He also acknowledged it was “abnormal” that, at one point that night, only one officer was left alone in the station with prisoners.

Surveillance footage from the Central Police Station cell block was presented as evidence on Friday, showing Dawkins repeatedly complaining of feeling unwell and pleading with officers to get him medical assistance.

The jury questioned Corporal Duncombe on why he had reportedly told officers to avoid Dawkins. He responded that he had warned them to be careful because Dawkins made a gurgling noise, which he believed was a sign he was about to spit. He claimed his concern was to prevent officers from getting sick.

He admitted that he was unaware of the force’s official policy regarding station handovers. He said there was an informal practice for such transitions but noted that he had not been taught about it during training.

Coroner Deveaux suggested that Cpl Duncombe never saw Corporal Hepburn — the officer in charge before him — before taking over the shift. He responded that he saw Cpl Hepburn as he was heading out the door as he arrived.

Asked who gave him a count of prisoners that night, Cpl Duncombe said he could not recall but estimated there were about ten detainees. He confirmed that he checked the strongbox where police-held items were stored.

The coroner pointed out discrepancies between the entries made by Cpl Hepburn and Cpl Duncombe in the records of suspects and government property.

Cpl Duncombe disagreed with her suggestion that he should have heard prisoners crying out from the front of the station, given that it was a quiet night. He also claimed there was no monitor at the front desk for him to observe the cell block.

 When asked what he thought was happening in the cells that night, Cpl Duncombe said: “The idea was that everybody was asleep.”

 The coroner then questioned how officers could account for someone when their detention record could not be found. Cpl Duncombe said he had never encountered such a situation before.

 He also claimed that at some point that night, he updated his superiors on the station’s status via WhatsApp.

 He denied being the only officer in the station between 1am and 5am, despite three police officers testifying that they had left the station around that time to go on foot patrol and later took a break.

 Coroner Deveaux pointed out that when Cpl Duncombe went on break for an hour, he left two police corporals who had only been on the force for two and a half months, along with another corporal with just ten months of experience.

 Cpl Duncombe said that when he checked Dawkins’s body around 7am on 22 January, it felt cold. He added that he assumed it was stiff. The coroner noted that rigor mortis had already begun setting in by the time the body was discovered.

 Cpl Duncombe insisted that he was not required to personally check the cell block as the officer in charge of the station. He further claimed that if Dawkins had not wanted medical attention, he would have reacted in a hostile manner.

 He said Dawkins, in addition to being HIV-positive, had several other medical conditions.

 Coroner Deveaux told Cpl Duncombe that he denied Dawkins medical attention, having done “nothing” after being informed twice by officers that Dawkins was feeling unwell. She said he had failed in his duty and should have called the police control room or EMS.

 Cpl Duncombe responded that the officers did not properly explain the situation to him.

 He then claimed that there were two different detention records. The record he had indicated that Dawkins had no complaints and was in good condition.

 After noticing conflicting details in the official report — including the presence of an officer Cpl Duncombe could not account for — Coroner Deveaux halted the inquest, ruling that the file on the matter was incomplete.

 The case will be reconvened later, and a new jury will review the evidence.

 Angelo Whitfield marshalled the evidence.