WIREDGOV

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is investigating an incident in Brighton involving police, following which a woman died in hospital.

The incident took place in the late afternoon of Monday 17 February 2014 in the Kemp Town area of Brighton.

The IPCC is appealing for anyone who was in the area of Lavender Street and Malthouse Court who witnessed interaction between police and a woman with a small dog and a man on a fold-up bicycle to contact them.

The woman was white, aged 36, around 5ft 6 inches tall, with dark hair and wearing a large navy jumper. The man is white, aged 34, around 6ft tall, of skinny build with shoulder-length blond hair, wearing a light grey hooded top and carrying a backpack.

According to information from Sussex Police, the incident began at around 4.50 pm in Lavender Street. Police state that during the incident the woman collapsed at the scene and officers carried out resuscitation on her before paramedics arrived and she was taken to hospital in a serious condition at around 5.45 pm.

The woman died in the Royal Sussex County Hospital on Thursday evening (20 February). A post mortem is due to be carried out. Following a referral from Sussex Police we have decided to carry out an independent investigation.

It is understood that two plain-clothed Police Community Support Officers on foot and one police officer in a marked police vehicle were initially involved, and four further officers subsequently attended the incident. 

IPCC investigators will be in the Kemp Town area of Brighton from 4pm today (Monday 24 February) conducting house-to-house enquiries and appealing for any witnesses who may have seen the incident to come forward.

Anyone with information can contact the IPCC investigation team on freephone 0800 096  9078 or email: malthousecourt@ipcc.gsi.gov.uk

IPCC Commissioner Jennifer Izekor said: “We have spoken to the woman’s family to advise them of our investigation and I would like to offer my sincerest condolences to them at this very difficult time. We are investigating what contact police had with the woman and man prior to the woman collapsing and being taken to hospital. We are gaining initial accounts from the police personnel involved. Investigators are carrying out house-to-house enquiries at the scene and we would really like to hear from any independent witnesses who were in the area on that Monday afternoon and saw what happened.”

Note to Editors

A 34 year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of a drugs offence.