Great Britain
Police wrongly noted bread thief as a sex offender – he commits suicide
Police officers in Great Britain (icon image)
© Gordon Scammell / Picture Alliance
In the UK, police officers have mistakenly listed a bread thief as a sex offender. After being attacked and threatened by several people, he committed suicide, an investigation now shows.
A man arrested in the UK for stealing a pack of bread rolls has committed suicide after police falsely reported him as a sex offender. An investigation has now revealed this.
34-year-old Brian T. from Redcar in north-east England committed suicide on New Year’s Eve 2017, almost seven months after being arrested for the alleged theft. When he was released from prison, his release papers incorrectly stated that he had been suspected of inciting sexual activity with a 13-year-old girl. At first he didn’t even notice the false accusation.
UK: Bread thief wrongly listed as a sex offender
Only his girlfriend became aware of the scope of the note. She began telling acquaintances and friends about the miscarriage of justice. From this point on, however, the story about the suspicion took on a life of its own. Some residents of the city didn’t believe T’s story and believed he was an actual sex offender.
What followed was vigilante justice. According to local media, people started insulting T. on the street, and a little later they also attacked him physically. Among other things, unknown persons are said to have attacked him in his house and hit his head with a golf club in a golf club.
According to the court responsible for processing the case, T. reportedly contacted the police to seek protection from the attacks and to have the false note removed from his file. Police officers are said to have approached T. several times to take reports. But the officials’ visits only fueled the false suspicion.
Help from the police only fueled the false suspicion
T. is said to have taken refuge in alcohol and drugs. Coroner Claire Bailey cited a toxicology report conducted after T’s death. High levels of alcohol, traces of cocaine, anti-anxiety medication and sleeping pills were found in his body.
According to statements by his relatives, T. was said to have been a “happy” person until his arrest. His brother Paul stressed that he had never shown any suicidal thoughts before. The mistake in the dismissal papers “would drive everyone crazy,” Paul T. continued.
In her statement, T’s sister-in-law, Crystal, said the false papers were found in his pocket at the time of his death. She says the police failed in their “duty of care towards T,” who she says had mental health problems at the time of his arrest.
The Cleveland County Police Department said the reason the discharge papers were issued with false suspicions was “true human error” and “extremely unusual.”
This was also the conclusion reached by an independent commission for police misconduct.
Sources: “The Guardians“, “Teesside Live“, “Mirror“