Dad detained under Mental Health Act before death

A man died in hospital after being detained by police while under "acute mental distress", an inquest has heard.

Kaine Fletcher died at the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham on 3 July 2022 after police were called by a family member over concerns for his wellbeing.

On Monday, a jury inquest into the circumstances of the 26-year-old's death began at Nottingham Coroner's Court.

The father of two had struggled with addiction and had also been diagnosed with a paranoid personality disorder in the years prior to his death, the court heard.

The inquest was told Mr Fletcher had been restrained by police and detained under the Mental Health Act in the early hours on the day he died.

Forensic pathologist Dr Michael Biggs said he was told by police Mr Fletcher had been restrained for his own protection.

His medical cause of death was recorded as "the physiological effects of physical exertion combined with the toxic effects of cocaine and other substances".

Mr Biggs said he was told by Nottinghamshire Police that officers had been contacted by a family member "concerned for [Mr Fletcher's] mental health" the day before he died.

He was seen by a nurse that day, and it was concluded that he would get an appointment at a later date.

The family contacted police in the early hours of the following morning saying he "may have taken drugs" and was displaying symptoms of a mental health "disturbance", Mr Biggs told the inquest.

The pathologist said he was told Mr Fletcher became "more agitated" once outside the house leading to officers trying to restrain him.

He was told by police that Mr Fletcher was "headbutting the inside of the police vehicle and attempting to bite his own fingers".

He was taken to hospital where he "continued to be distressed" and that required police to remain at the hospital with him, the inquest heard.

Over the course of the morning, Mr Fletcher "deteriorated" and was said to have gone into cardiac arrest.

He was pronounced dead at 11:49 BST.

The pathologist said Mr Fletcher had more than 20 separate injuries including bruising to his arms and wrists, a split lip and head injuries that he said were "consistent with the scenario" he was given.

A toxicology report showed Mr Fletcher had cocaine and a number of medications in his system at the time of his death, including medication prescribed for mental health issues.

Mr Biggs said on the balance of probabilities, he could not say either physical restraint or the effects of the substances found would be enough alone to cause Kaine's death but agreed that restraining somebody under the influence of drugs and mentally unwell "could be dangerous".

Mr Fletcher had been diagnosed with paranoid personality disorder in 2020 and had spent time at a rehabilitation clinic on two occasions, according to family statements read out in court.

He was the eldest of eight children to his mum Leah Fletcher and grew up in a "big and close-knit family" with his aunt and grandparents living on the same street in Strelley.

In a statement read on Ms Fletcher's behalf, she said he was "the funny one in the family and very boisterous".

Ms Fletcher said her son had an interest in mechanics, a passion for rap music – which was "how he expressed his feelings" – and "loved dogs".

She added that in Year 10 of secondary school, her son "got into the wrong crowd" and believed it was then he began to "experiment to cannabis".

Mr Fletcher and his partner Shannon Wright moved in together and had a son in 2016, followed by the birth of their daughter in 2020.

In her statement, Ms Fletcher said "upsets within the family were very hard" for her son – including the death of his grandmother when he was 19, his daughter contracting meningitis as a newborn, and Ms Fletcher herself suffering a "traumatic brain injury" in 2021.

Mr Fletcher began to "self-medicate with cocaine and alcohol" with his mum describing "episodes" when he would become "hard to recognise".

His dad, Nathaniel Ameyaw, arranged for him to go to a residential rehabilitation service which had helped Mr Fletcher, but he went on to relapse.

Mr Fletcher eventually went to stay with his mum, then moved to the young people's charity YMCA before he died.

In a statement read out my Mr Ameyaw, on behalf of Mr Fletcher's partner Ms Wright, she said: "Despite his struggles with addiction and his mental health, Kaine did try his best and he was a really good dad.

"It's heartbreaking to know that [he] won't be there for the big milestones: he didn't get to see [our daughter] start nursery, he will never see them start secondary school, go to prom, graduate from university, get married.

"He will never be able to be a granddad. I'm sure that will stay with the children for the rest of their lives."

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