After a Sudanese asylum-seeker fell to his death 60 feet while running after being caught working illegally at a carwash, a coroner called on immigration officers to train to pursue suspects.
Mustafa Dawood, 23, was found on the floor of an industrial unit following a raid on Shaftesbury hand car wash in Newport, South Wales, on June 30, 2018.
According to the coroner’s report, immigration officers chased him into a warehouse. They were not properly trained for pursuit procedures.
After falling through the plastic roof material, Mr Dawood suffered severe head injuries and died in hospital.
Senior Coroner Caroline Saunders has penned a report to the Home Office criticising immigration officers after finding a lack of communication and training contributed to Mr Dawood’s death.
23-year-old Mustafa Dawood was left with severe head injuries following a raid at the Shaftesbury handcar wash in Newport (South Wales) on June 30, 2018.
Gwent Coroner’s Court has concluded the inquest into his untimely death earlier in this month.
After being denied asylum in Sudan, Mr Dawood worked illegally at the carwash.
The inquest revealed that he fled Sudan to escape persecution by authorities.
Mr Dawood fled after immigration officers carried out an enforcement visit at the car wash at around 10.08am.
Officers pursued him to a nearby warehouse where he ran up a ladder and through a doorway before climbing on its roof.
Inquest revealed that officers failed to pursue Dawood as he started climbing, but that they remained near him and did not retreat.
He was later found on the floor of the warehouse in Newport, Gwent, having fallen.
Dawood died at 2.45pm, June 30, 2018 from injuries sustained while being rushed to University Hospital of Wales Cardiff.
The cause of his death, according to a post mortem, was traumatic subarachnoid hemorhage.
Shaftesbury, South Wales handcar wash was raided by immigration officials on June 30, 2018. Photo: The car wash
CCTV footage was taken of Mr Dawood running through Albany Trading Estate buildings (pictured) during the inquest.
Inquest revealed that raids occurred in June 2018, when immigrants officers acted on intelligence to discover two car wash operators were illegally working for immigration.
Gregory Williams, immigration officer, said that Mustafa was not arrested during the hearing.
The Wednesday report by Ms. Saunders stated that after his death, immigration officers need to have “practical training for pursuit situations”.
Four areas were highlighted by her concern about the immigration officer’s actions.
Coroner stated that Mr Dawood died because of the officer’s decision to “remain relatively near and not withdraw distance from” him.
She also stated that the decision to abandon pursuit wasn’t effectively communicated among officers – another factor which may have contributed to him dying.
A decision by an officer to keep his baton in a “racked” position during pursuit was also criticized.
Ms Saunders said that the officers had not been properly trained in pursuit techniques, which could have led to Mustafa’s death.
The Home Office received the report and she demanded that they inform her if any actions have been taken for ‘practical training of immigration officers in pursuit circumstances’.
Hameda Hamed Shagar Ahmed, the mother of Mr Dawood, travelled from Al Fashir in Sudan for the son’s inquest. She told the court that her son wanted money so he could support his family.
According to her statement, “Mustafa was very dear to me and my dad. He loved his siblings so much. He also loved football. He was loyal and good friend.
“It affected [his friends]He was loved by them so deeply when they learned he had passed away. It is an indication of the strength of their friendships.
‘[My son]I felt an intense passion about human rights.
“He informed me that he’d made many friends in Britain – it was not surprising to me that he was well known everywhere.
“I don’t want it to happen to another family. I do not wish for their child to be taken from them.” We pray that Mustafa will be with us in paradise.