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Mohamud Mohammed Hassan was arrested at his home in Cardiff on Friday the 8th of January for “breach of the peace”, and was released without charge the following morning. Later that day, he was found dead in his house. The 24-year-old’s friends and family believe he was “severely beaten and abused” by police.
According to Hassan’s aunt, he was due to become a father. Zainab Hassan recalls seeing him within less than an hour of his release, and describes how he had “lots of wounds on his body and lots of bruises”. She remains adamant that no such injuries had existed prior to his arrest, and Hassan has been described as an otherwise-healthy young man. Zainab Hassan explained: “Nothing we do is going to bring him back but we will not rest for a second until we have justice.”
Lee Jasper, Vice-Chair of BAME Lawyers 4 Justice, describes how Hassan bumped into a friend on his way home after his release. Hassan reportedly commented: “Look fam the police have beat the s**t out of me”, before describing how he had been tasered and kicked in the head. Hassan’s light grey tracksuit was reportedly left bloodstained, having sustained severe injuries to the mouth along with numerous bruises. According to the family’s GoFundMe page, Hassan also “stated that he was brutally kicked in the head and suffered injuries to his face and knee - it was dislocated, and he struggled to walk.”
An elderly woman, and friend of Hassan, was allegedly distraught by what she saw. She called his aunt to alert her of the situation; when Zainab Hassan arrived, she “broke down in tears”, and asked her nephew to seek medical care. However, Hassan insisted that he was too tired to do so, and instead chose to sleep.
A few hours later, Hassan was found unresponsive. His family was allegedly prevented from seeing his body, which was left on the kitchen floor until 6:45 on Sunday morning. According to Jasper, “No Family Officer Liason nor anyone from South Wales Police has been in touch with family to explain what happened.”
Alun Michael, South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, has since issued a statement in response to Hassan’s death. He explained, “South Wales Police referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) which is normal after someone dies after spending time in police custody and fits with our approach of following the evidence wherever it takes us, without fear or favour.” Michael offered his “sympathies” to Hassan’s loved ones, before adding that there was no indication that physical trauma had contributed to Hassan’s death. Footage from body-worn cameras, and from within the custodial unit, has also been made available to the IOPC. Michael concluded, “In the meantime, we need to be patient and allow the investigation to take its course so we can get a full picture of what took place.”
Hassan’s death triggered days of protests; on Tuesday the 12th of January, more than 300 people marched to Cardiff Bay police station. Protesters called for the force to release CCTV footage of Hassan’s detainment.
On Wednesday the 13th of January, more than 200 people congregated outside Cardiff Bay police station. Cries of “no justice, no peace” could be heard, while some protesters held placards that read “Black Lives Matter” and “stop police brutality”. Among those demonstrating was 29-year-old Bianca Ali, who believes that “the police have murdered a Black man.” She elaborated, She added: “It was a young boy, he had a baby on the way, he was married, he was settled down, and he was arrested for a breach of the peace which resulted in his death.”
Another 100 demonstrators gathered on Thursday the 14th of January. South Wales Police Chief Constable Jeremy Vaughan responded to the protests: "I know people want to make their voices heard - the prevalence of racial discrimination and disadvantage across all parts of our society is such an important issue that voices should be heard”, however explained that “these are no ordinary times”, adding that protesters should avoid meeting in the streets.
Ali could now be faced with a fine for breaching COVID-19 restrictions after organising the event. She has the option to pay a £500 fixed penalty fine, or request a court hearing. South Wales police are expecting to issue further punishments for those who gather in large groups, or commit other criminal offences. Ali is one of the founders of Black Lives Matter for Cardiff and Vale, and said organisers had been trying to enforce social distancing between protesters. She added, “We've been handing out sanitiser and everyone has come wearing a mask unless they are exempt.”
Catrin Evans, the IOPC's director for Wales, explained that the watchdog’s investigation will focus on Hassan’s arrest, the journey made in a police van to custody, and his time at the police station - this includes whether “relevant” medical assessments were made before his release. She added, "We are aware of concerns being expressed and questions being asked about use of force”, and promised to look “carefully” at the amount of force during Hassan’s arrest.
In Wales, Black people are 6.5 times more likely to be stopped and searched by police than their white counterparts. They are also 4.5 times more likely to be arrested.
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