Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) has refused to disclose investigation report about the death of a Hartlepool man who became 'unwell' following an arrest under Operation Artemis in 2023, sparking claims of a 'cover up'....
3rd January 2025
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is being accused of being complicit in a cover up, following the death of a 50-year-old Hartlepool man in 2023..
The deeply unsettling event sparked an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), after Cleveland Police were forced to refer itself to authorities shortly after the incident occurred back in June 2023, however nearly 18 months on, its claimed the public is still in the dark about just what really happened that day.
The Hartlepool man was reportedly 'arrested' as part of Operation Artemis, a Cleveland Police backed investigation to reduce organised crime in Hartlepool. In June 2023, its claimed Officers stopped a white transit type van at the bottom of the Junction of Burn Rd & Whitby Street, on what was said to have been 'a routine traffic stop'....
Video footage taken at the time & then published to social media showed the Hartlepool Man being 'bundled into the back of a police van', after its claimed he refused to come out from the vehicle when asked to do so by an officer. The video documenting the entire incident was said to have been published by a Local Newspaper before being swiftly taken down when the mans death was made publicly known, with the footage never to see the public domain ever again !
Shortly after the mans arrival at Middlesbrough Custody suite following his arrest, its claimed he supposedly became "unwell". Despite efforts by staff and paramedics the man passed away before he could be taken to hospital. The circumstances surrounding his death, including the police's actions before and during his custody, remain even to this day shrouded in considerable mystery.
Officers involved in the mans death 'shielded' by Cleveland Police its claimed.....
Witnesses Cleveland Police Exposed have spoken to during our year long investigation into the circumstances surrounding the mans death say the Hartlepool man was 'assaulted' repeatedly by two police officers who "pulled him out from the vehicle", laying in repeated blows to his chest & stomach before bundling him into a police van and swiftly transporting the him to Middlesbrough Custody Suite.
We previously approached Cleveland Police to disclose the video footage of the incident to substantiate these claims but have been denied any access to the footage....
The IOPC's Response Raises More Questions Than Answers
Following numerous attempts to get at least some glimpse of the investigation report (even consulting a source we work with at Cleveland Police), Cleveland Police Exposed was left with little other option but to seek a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, forcing the release of the IOPC investigation report into the public domain.
The request emphasised the public interest element in understanding the full details of the investigation the IOPC had conducted & its outcome.
However, the response we received has done little to inspire any confidence that the report will ever meet the eyes of any member of the public or any journalist either now, or in the future...
The IOPC responded to the request claiming it was 'withheld' under two exemptions, first claiming Section 30: Protecting information related to investigations and proceedings & secondly Section 40: The Protecting of personal data.
Just what 'proceedings' are underway ?
The IOPC in their response to us argued that releasing the report could potentially prejudice ongoing proceedings, including an upcoming inquest. They also cited concerns about maintaining a "safe thinking space" for investigators, implying that transparency could undermine the integrity of future investigations.
There's reportedly been no inquest into the mans death, nearly 18 months after he died ...
Cleveland Police Exposed also understands that it takes on average around 31.5 weeks for an inquest to be conducted, however this varies depending on the level if investigation required, however nearly 18 months after the event into the mans death occurring would lead to considerable question as to how, 18 months down the line has no inquest been conducted, despite claims the IPOC report into Cleveland Police has been 'concluded'.
There's A Growing Sense of a Cover-Up by Cleveland Police into the events which led to the mans death
Whilst the legal justifications by the IOPC might sound reasonable (on paper that is) for their refusal to disclose the investigation report into Cleveland Police's activities on that day, they do very little to address the glaring issues surrounding this case. In an age where transparency and accountability should be paramount, the withholding of crucial information is only said to be deepening suspicion over the actions & conduct of Cleveland Police, a force which itself is facing insurmountable scrutiny over its recent handling of the summer 2024 riots & has had multiple investigations made against it for allegations of corruption & gross misconduct, with the refusal to release the report raising questions about whether Cleveland Police and public officials in general are really being held to account for their actions, or perhaps being 'shielded', in the hopes that the passage of time will lead to the public simply forgetting the matter, allowing organisations such as Cleveland Police to go about their actions unhindered.... & worst of all, where blame is found.... unpunished !
A source told us that Public Confidence in Cleveland Police & oversight bodies such as the IOPC is being continually eroded by claims of bias & cover up's, especially when families and local communities are said to be being left waiting sometimes indefinitely for answers. The public, has a right to understand how and why this man died in police custody in what appears to be, (for the moment at very least), the workings of a well orchestrated 'cover up' between the IOPC & Cleveland Police themselves. The IOPC’s stance, whilst perhaps legally defensible to some, risks being perceived as an attempt to shield Cleveland Police officers from justice, especially if there actions were deemed to have played a critical part in the mans death.
What Happens Next?
The IOPC has stated that a decision on the report’s publication will only come after the inquest and any associated proceedings conclude. This seemingly 'indeterminate' timeline leaves the public waiting for answers, with no guarantees of when or if they'll come, with Cleveland Police Exposed now exploring other appeal avenues to force the IOPC to disclose the report (unrestricted & in full) in a bid to get to the bottom of what really happened on that day where a Hartlepool man left his home on a seemingly normal day & never returned.
And as we approach two years since the tragic death, the question remains:
Are we potentially witnessing one of the largest cover up's on teesside by Cleveland Police ?