Roger Sylvester
Encyclopedia
Roger Sylvester was a mentally ill black man who died in north London after being detained outside his home in Tottenham
by eight Metropolitan police
officers. It was reported that his neighbours had complained to police of a disturbance after Sylvester had started banging on his own front door, naked.
Police detained Sylvester under the Mental Health Act
, then took him to St Anne's Hospital, Haringey
, where he fell into a coma
while being restrained on the floor of a padded room by six officers, as they waited for medical help. He died a week later.
In 2003, an inquest
heard that Sylvester, who suffered from bipolar disorder
, had died of brain damage and cardiac arrest, caused by difficulty breathing because of the position he was held in, and because of cannabis
-induced delirium
. A jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing
in October 2003.
The eight officers who had taken Sylvester into custody appealed to the High Court
against what they called an "irrational" ruling, and the verdict was overturned in November 2004.
In 1999, forensic pathologist Dr Freddy Patel was reprimanded by the General Medical Council
(GMC) for releasing medical details about Roger Sylvester to reporters outside an inquest hearing, Patel told reporters that Sylvester was a crack cocaine user, something his family denied. Patel later came under scrutiny for findings he had made in relation to the death of Ian Tomlinson
.
Tottenham
Tottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, England, situated north north east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book; hence Tota's hamlet became Tottenham...
by eight Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
officers. It was reported that his neighbours had complained to police of a disturbance after Sylvester had started banging on his own front door, naked.
Police detained Sylvester under the Mental Health Act
Mental Health Act 1983
The Mental Health Act 1983 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which applies to people in England and Wales. It covers the reception, care and treatment of mentally disordered persons, the management of their property and other related matters...
, then took him to St Anne's Hospital, Haringey
London Borough of Haringey
The London Borough of Haringey is a London borough, in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation of three former boroughs. It shares borders with six other London boroughs...
, where he fell into a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
while being restrained on the floor of a padded room by six officers, as they waited for medical help. He died a week later.
In 2003, an inquest
Inquest
Inquests in England and Wales are held into sudden and unexplained deaths and also into the circumstances of discovery of a certain class of valuable artefacts known as "treasure trove"...
heard that Sylvester, who suffered from bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
, had died of brain damage and cardiac arrest, caused by difficulty breathing because of the position he was held in, and because of cannabis
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
-induced delirium
Delirium
Delirium or acute confusional state is a common and severe neuropsychiatric syndrome with core features of acute onset and fluctuating course, attentional deficits and generalized severe disorganization of behavior...
. A jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing
Unlawful killing
In English law unlawful killing is a verdict that can be returned by an inquest in England and Wales when someone has been killed by one or several unknown persons. The verdict means that the killing was done without lawful excuse and in breach of criminal law. This includes murder, manslaughter,...
in October 2003.
The eight officers who had taken Sylvester into custody appealed to the High Court
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
against what they called an "irrational" ruling, and the verdict was overturned in November 2004.
In 1999, forensic pathologist Dr Freddy Patel was reprimanded by the General Medical Council
General Medical Council
The General Medical Council registers and regulates doctors practising in the United Kingdom. It has the power to revoke or restrict a doctor's registration if it deems them unfit to practise...
(GMC) for releasing medical details about Roger Sylvester to reporters outside an inquest hearing, Patel told reporters that Sylvester was a crack cocaine user, something his family denied. Patel later came under scrutiny for findings he had made in relation to the death of Ian Tomlinson
Death of Ian Tomlinson
Ian Tomlinson was an English newspaper vendor who collapsed and died in the City of London after coming into contact with the police while on his way home from work during the 2009 G-20 summit protests. A first postmortem examination indicated he had suffered a heart attack and had died of natural...
.
External links
- Waldran, Justin. Roger Sylvester, National Civil Rights Movement
- Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody. http://www.independent.gov.uk/iapdeathsincustody