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A bakery thief hanged himself after ‘human error’ from police wrongly named him as a paedophile, an inquest has been told.
Brian Temple, 34, died on December 31, 2017 – six months after being arrested on June 8 for allegedly stealing a pack of sausage rolls from Greggs.
After he was released from custody he was handed his release papers and made his way back to his home in Redcar.
Without properly reading the documents, he handed them to his then girlfriend when he got back.
But police had made a serious with the papers, Teeside Coroners Court heard.
Instead of listing his theft from Greggs, the documents wrongly stated he had been in custody for inciting sexual relations with a 13-year-old girl.
His disgusted then girlfriend began telling people of the incorrect information.
Members of the community turned on him and he was reportedly verbally abused in the street, attacked in his own home and hit around the head by a golf club.
Brian Temple, 34, died on December 31, 2017 – six months after being arrested on June 8 for allegedly stealing a pack of sausage rolls from Greggs
The court heard Mr Temple began to drink heavily after the false accusation and take a mixture of both prescribed medication and recreational drugs, such as cocaine.
Coroner Claire Bailey explained that a toxicology report carried out by Dr Cooper found Brian had 134mg of alcohol in his system, as well as a mixture of cocaine, Diazepam, Zopiclone and Pregablin, but that these did not contribute to his death.
Dr Cooper concluded that Mr Temple’s death was as a result of hanging. His body was found by his brother Anthony, after his mum’s partner, Paul Daley, became concerned that they had not heard from him all day.
Coroner officer Nick Owen read statements from Mr Temple’s brother Paul, sister in law Crystal and mum Mrs McLachlan, who has since passed away.
His mum described her son as ‘happy go lucky’ but that the ordeal with incorrect release papers caused him to become closed off and depressed.
The court heard that after news spread of the release papers, Mr Temple reported threats and assaults to the police, and the force’s welfare checks reportedly made this worse and fuelled the fire of the incorrect rumours.
Teesside Coroner’s Court heard that Mr Temple’s then girlfriend began telling people of the incorrect information, wrongly telling them that he was a paedophile
His brother Paul, who was in attendance at the inquest at Teesside Magistrates Court, spoke of his closeness to his brother.
The pair had grown up being ‘anti drug’ – explaining Mr Temple only began taking them to cope with the constant attacks and assaults he was experiencing in the months leasing to his passing.
Although he had depression, Paul explained in his statement that his brother never indicated suicidal tendencies and said the mistake on the release sheet ‘would drive anyone mad’.
In her statement, Mr Temple’s sister in law Crystal explained how the mistaken charge sheet was found in his pocket at the time of his death and she explained how she believed the police had a ‘duty of care’ for vulnerable people such as her brother in law, as he was suffering from mental health issues at the time of his arrest.
Officer Owen read out numerous statements from police officers who had dealt with Mr Temple in the run up to his death, and around the time of his arrest and the incorrect papers being issued. Detective Sergeant Agar of Cleveland Police said in his statement that he had dealt with Mr Temple’s complaint of the incorrect papers on November 28, 2017, and had said the bail sheet was ‘a genuine human error’.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) began an investigation after Mr Temple’s passing, so an error like this one would never happen again at Cleveland Police. They concluded that human error was the main judgement of the papers and this occurrence was ‘incredibly unusual’.
The inquest continues.
