Age: 38
Sex: male
Date: 7 Sep 2003
Place: Birmingham
Michael Powell died from asphyxiation shortly after being arrested by the police in Birmingham.
The West Midlands Police later paid £300,000 in compensation to hisfamily.
His mother said that he had been the victim of a racist attack.
The police had gone to his house in Lozells following reports of a disturbance there and arrested him.
During his arrest, he was hit by a police vehicle, sprayed with CS gas, restrained on the ground and then thrown into the back of a police van. When he was put on a mattress in apolice cell at Thornhill Road station in Handsworth six minutes later he was found to be not breathing.
He was then taken to City Hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after.
However, although his family was compensdated, the Independent Police Complaints Commission decided not to pursue any disciplinary charges against the police involved.
