Dubai says injuries to cell death Briton didn’t kill him
British tourist Lee Bradley Brown died while in Dubai police custody.
The injuries sustained by a Briton who died in the custody of Dubai police happened four to five days before his death, and couldn’t have killed him, the emirate’s public prosecutor said on Monday.
Essam Al Humaidan said the death of Lee Bradley Brown was still under investigation and reiterated that he died after suffocating on his vomit, according to a statement published by state news agency WAM.
Brown’s family was permitted to take the body and the belongings of the deceased on Monday, it said.
The public prosecutor said police officers who took the British tourist in for questioning told him that Brown banged his head against the wall and suffered a nose injury before he fell face-down in “violent resistance” to being arrested.
He added that forensic analysis on the body reported irregular bruising on the left side of the forehead, as well as bruising on the nose and on the inner arm.
Superficial and irregular cuts were also found on the lower chin, with friction burns evident on the right eyebrow, lower jaw and the back of his hands.
“All injuries are considered minor and are not known to cause death,” the report from Al Humaidan said, adding that suffocation due to vomit obstructing the respiratory tract was specified as the main cause of death.
Al Humaidan said he took seriously all charges alleging the abuse of public authority, including the physical abuse of detainees or prison inmates. He added that no one was above the law.
Brown had been arrested after allegedly assaulting a female hotel employee in the luxury Burj Al Arab hotel and threatened to throw her off the balcony. In his latest report, Al Humaidan said the woman suffered bruises to her back, arm and chin.
Forensic experts found traces of drugs in his blood and urine samples, Al Humaidan said in a previous statement.
His death on April 12 in Bur Dubai police station, six days after his arrest, sparked calls for a full inquiry from the UK’s Foreign Office.
Source: Arabianbusiness.com
