Inquest jury concludes Met Police inadequacies and failings probably contributed to death of Liam Allan

An inquest into the death of Liam Allan, who very sadly died on the evening of 26 August 2022 aged 23 years old following contact with officers of the Metropolitan Police Service, has concluded that inadequacies in the arrest and unsuccessful rescue attempt probably contributed more than minimally to his death in the River Thames. Multiple failings, mistakes and missed opportunities were highlighted in the narrative conclusion delivered.

As the jury heard during the two-week inquest hearing, Liam approached the police for help on the night he died, reporting that he was the victim of theft and attempted assault. The officers in question had - just minutes previously - been alerted by a member of the public to an apparent altercation matching Liam’s disclosure involving a group of males during which they saw one of the group appear to reach into a bag held by another.

The response thereafter was, as the evidence reveals, shaped by a series of inadequate communications, mistakes and missed opportunities on the part of the officers which ultimately resulted in Liam himself being arrested on the riverside and entering the water. From the earliest stages of this case, we and the family had serious concerns about the treatment of further disclosures made to the officers by those present and the officers’ overall analysis of the information available to them, their inter-communications and dynamic risk assessment that influenced their decision-making on the night. Evidence heard during the inquest regrettably only sought to compound these concerns and reaffirm the many painful “what ifs”, had the officers reacted to the situation in front of them differently.

Once Liam had entered the water the fact that it was not until an Inspector arrived on scene that deploying a throwline was even considered, and that all the attending officers apparently failed to notice or look for the lifebuoy in plain sight right next to where Liam entered the water is deeply concerning. Met Control also failed to apply a code to the incident log which would have prompted officers on scene to look for lifesaving equipment. Ultimately no lifesaving equipment was deployed to try and rescue Liam until after his repeated screams for help had stopped, he had become submerged and it was too late.

As is sadly so often the case, the evidence also indicated alarming inadequacies in officer training and decision-making. Despite recognising, and having been trained on, the dangers that the River Thames posed to their own life, the arresting officer did not immediately turn their mind to rescuing Liam or warning him of the danger he was in as a priority. Instead, the jury heard that he became frustrated with himself for letting Liam get away. Multiple witnesses including the MPS trainer and RNLI representative also emphasised the importance of communicating with someone in the water, yet instead of encouraging Liam to stay afloat, warning him of the danger and trying to get a response, the arresting officer repeatedly shouted that he was just making things worse for himself.

We welcome the jury’s conclusions which reflect the stark reality the family argued from the start of the inquest; that Liam’s tragic death was not only avoidable but a result of failings and missed opportunities on the part of the police.

Liam’s family have demonstrated incredible strength, resilience and determination, making sure that no stone is left unturned in their quest for answers and accountability. While the inquest conclusions cannot bring Liam back we hope they, along with the outcome of the Coroner’s prevention of future death report, will result in timely and effective change to ensure that nobody else loses their life in similar circumstances in the future.

See full INQUEST press release here.

We support INQUEST’s campaign for a National Oversight Mechanism to ensure that life-saving recommendations made following tragic incidents like this, are actively followed up on to ensure implementation and prevent further suffering and loss of life.