CPS investigates GMP officers after man found unresponsive in police van

Five police officers are under investigation by the Crown Prosecution Service after a man was found unresponsive in a police van in Oldham and later pronounced dead in hospital.

Andre Moura was found unresponsive in custody after being arrested in July 2018.

The Greater Manchester police officers are under investigation on suspicion of misconduct in public office after being referred to the CPS by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

One of the GMP officers has also been referred on suspicion of committing assault occasioning actual bodily harm. They could all face criminal charges.

Moura was restrained with CS gas during the incident, which a neighbour filmed on his mobile phone.

He had been arrested after reports of a domestic incident at the home he shared with his partner and children in Oldham during the night of 8 July last year.

In the neighbour’s footage, Moura, who was Portuguese, can be heard screaming “help” while officers tell him to stop resisting.

Police drove Moura to Ashton-under-Lyne station in the van but found him “unresponsive” upon arrival. An ambulance was called but he was confirmed dead at 1.30am on 9 July at Tameside hospital.

The IOPC said a postmortem examination of his body was inconclusive and an inquest would need to be held to determine the precise cause of death. It has examined CCTV, video from officers’ body-worn cameras and mobile phone footage of the incident.

A further five officers were questioned as part of the investigation but no action was taken regarding them.

Amanda Rowe, the IOPC’s regional director, said: “This is a very serious and sensitive case involving a large number of officers and a huge amount of evidence, which has required rigorous investigation.”

She said the complexity of the investigation meant the watchdog had to commission two reports from experts.

GMP has been contacted for comment.