THE brothers of a man who died after being restrained by Gwent Police officers say their family has had to relocate and undertake mental health therapy in the 1,080 days since his death.

A jury inquest into the death of Mouayed Bashir at Newport Coroners Court concluded there was “insufficient knowledge and understanding” about the signs of acute behavioural disturbance from police.

Acute behavioural disturbance (ABD) describes a state of extreme agitation, and can present with symptoms such as hyperthermia, abnormally rapid breathing and a fear of impending doom. Drug use, especially cocaine, is a common cause.

None of the officers involved in restraining Mouayed, who had taken cocaine, mentioned the possibility he was suffering from ABD inside the house. In the days after his death, all but one officer listed ABD in use of restraint forms.

Senior coroner for Gwent Caroline Saunders said she would write to the chief constable of Gwent Police to seek clarification on the "ambiguity" over whether the officers had suspected he was suffering from ABD.

Speaking outside the court today, February 2, Mohannad Bashir, Mouayed’s older brother said: “First, the family thanks the jury for its diligence and for recording some key failings in its conclusions.

“We have received so much love and support from the community throughout our campaigning. It has been three years since Mouayed died. We, the family, seek three things: closure, justice and accountability.

“We knew justice wasn’t going to be served through an inquest. We were seeking accountability in these proceedings. What we take from this is the fact that failings around identification of ABD have been recognised.

“We want ABD to be recognised and taken seriously in South Wales and Wales as a whole. We think the evidence has shown, and those agencies have accepted, they need to do better.

“We want better communications between agencies, such as the police and the ambulance. There is no excuse for both agencies not to recognise ABD and use one language to speak to one another; communication between the two agencies needs to be worked on. They need to understand each other when they communicate emergencies concerning ABD.

“The family believe police training needs to be modernised, overhauled and updated. We entered this process thinking changes would be identified and put in place. We are disappointed by the evidence of police that suggests they do not urgently see the need to overhaul their approach to people with ABD in Wales.

“Finally, we want the Welsh Government to consider making a policy to go back and review multi-agency approaches so that they work together using much better processes to avoid further death.”

Mouayed's younger brother Mohamed said: "It has been 1,080 days since the death of my brother Mouayed Bashir who died after restraint by Gwent Police.

"In the last three years, whilst the family have had to relocate from their home due to the tragedy taking place in the same house where the family have lived at, all members of the family have had to undergo mental health therapy."

Deputy chief constable of Gwent Police, Rachel Williams, said: “We recognise that this has been a difficult and traumatic time for Mr Bashir’s family and friends, and I wish to again offer our condolences.

“The last three weeks of the inquest have given the family the opportunity to hear directly from witnesses and independent experts about the circumstances surrounding Mr Bashir’s tragic death.

“The jury have recognised that Mr Bashir’s death was caused by cocaine intoxication, which was contributed to by the effects of acute behavioural disturbance (ABD), following a period of restraint.

“They recognised that restraint was used for the safety of Mr Bashir and the safety of others. The jury heard from an expert witness on officer training who gave evidence to say the use of restraint was ‘proportionate’.

“While it was recognised during the inquest an increase knowledge of ABD would not have changed the course of events which resulted in Mr Bashir’s death. We will continue to develop our knowledge, understanding and training of ABD in line with national policing guidance.

“I know that all involved in providing care to Mr Bashir would of course wanted the outcome to have been different, unfortunately, as we have heard his condition was considered irreversible. This will weigh heavy with our officers but our thoughts must of course remain focussed on the family.”