Norfolk sergeant said man's collapse was 'Neighbours' acting

Andrew Davis died at the age of 54 in a Norfolk police station, having been arrested in the throes of a mental health crisis.

The second day of an inquest into his death heard he was being escorted out of the station in a wheelchair after the decision was made to take no further action against him.

But while he was being wheeled out he suffered a cardiac arrest - linked to an overdose of medication he had taken a day earlier - and could not be resuscitated. 

The court heard that while this was happening, Craig Middleton-Keen, a custody sergeant who was on shift, made a comment in the initial belief Mr Davis was "play-acting".

He was heard saying: "You are about to see some Neighbours quality acting, perhaps even Home and Away."

The court heard that moments earlier Mr Davis had been reluctant to cooperate with officers looking to help him out of the station, with him only being sent home because there was not a mental health bed available to him.

Yvonne Blake, area coroner for Norfolk, said she had concerns about Mr Middleton-Keen's attitude towards Mr Davis - and that a similar attitude could put others at risk.

She said: "You had never met the man before, he was not one of your regulars, and he had not caused any problems."

Mr Middleton-Keen said: "It was a stupid remark that I very much regret and have reflected on. 

"It is very difficult to convey what I was thinking at the time, other than that it is a very fluid situation."

Mr Davis died on June 27, 2022 at Wymondham police investigation centre.

He had been arrested at his home in Earlham Grove in Norwich the day before after threatening to harm himself and his wife with two kitchen knives during a psychotic episode.

The inquest continues.