Mouayed Bashir, 29, died in February 2021 following restraint by Gwent Police officers.
The Family were present with their legal team today at the inquest opening in Newport Coroners Court.
The full inquest to investigate Mouayed’s cause of death will take place with a jury in July 2022 due to “backlog”.
Image, Mouayed Bashir’s brother Mohannad and family outside Newport Coroner’s Court with their lawyer Hillary Brown
The family of Mouayed Bashir heard today that the inquest into his death will take place in the week commencing 11 July 2022, according to Newport Coroner Caroline Saunders.
Pathologist Derek James carried out a forensic post-mortem on 18th February but the official cause of death remains unknown.
Coroners officer Paul Richardson said “no precise cause of death has been given at this time,” triggering an inquest to find out why Mouayed had died after contact with Gwent Police.
Officials say that police and an ambulance were called to the address Mouayed shared with his parents on the morning of 17th February 2021.
Robertson said: “police restrained Bashir and transported him to the hospital.”
The family were told today, through an Arabic translator, that Mouayed was pronounced “life extinct” at 11.41am at Grange Hospital.
Mouayed’s body was formally identified by his father, Mamoun Bashir.
Commenting on the near-yearlong delay to rule how Mouayed died, Coroner Saunders said: “this court has been severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic and a significant backlog of inquests are yet to be heard.”
It was also announced that Mouayed’s inquest must be heard by a jury.
Mouayed’s older brother Mohannad, told voice.wales outside the court today: “We’re finally hearing from the coroner that Mouayed’s death is unexplainable, so we need to dig deep and see what happens.”
“The fact that [Coroner Saunders] has given us the opportunity to open the inquest and have a full jury is a positive step forward.”
Mouayed Bashir died in February after Gwent Police responded to a mental health related emergency call crisis at his family home in Pillgwenlly, Newport.
Mouayed’s family have called for answers over the conduct of the responding officers and are campaigning for justice.
The father has described how he heard a series of loud clicks when several officers were in Moyaued’s bedroom, before hearing his son fall silent and seeing police use leg restraints on him. He was pronounced dead in hospital shortly after.
Just days ago, Mohannad spoke to voice.wales and said the police had ‘terrorised’ his brother Mouayed:
“The police came in and restrained a young black man who suffered from mental health, who was having a mental health episode that morning actually. Restrained and handcuffed him, bound his legs and thighs. He had already sustained an injury on his side and was trying to recover from that…They tasered him and just dealt with him like he was the most wanted man on that morning.”
Mouayed’s younger brother Mohamed Bashir told reporters outside the court today: “Don’t trust the police,” with father Mamoun Bashir adding: “Justice For Mouayed.”
Mohamed continued: “I’m sure everyone else will want to know what happened.”
The long wait for answers for a family of a young Black man to die following police contact mirrors similar delays in the case of Mohamud Hassan, who died in Cardiff after telling family he had been assaulted by South Wales Police officers.
Both Mouyaed’s and Mohamud’s family are being represented by civil rights lawyer Hillary Brown of Virgo Consultancy.
2 Comments
Comments are closed.