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IOPC investigation after West Midlands death in custody

Factual summary of a published IOPC investigation, covering the incident, key findings and outcome.

All IOPC reports
Published
2023-08-18
Investigation type
independent
Force involved
West Midlands Police

What was investigated

We are investigating the death of a 28-year-old woman in police custody at Oldbury in the West Midlands. She became unresponsive in her cell after being arrested and detained, leading to an ambulance being called and her subsequent death being pronounced shortly after.

Key findings

  • A 28-year-old woman died while in police custody.
  • She was arrested and taken to the Oldbury custody suite.
  • Concerns were raised about her health just before midnight on 28 July.
  • An ambulance was called when she became unresponsive.
  • First aid was provided by paramedics but she was pronounced dead shortly after.
  • A mandatory referral by the police was made to the IOPC on 29 July.
  • CCTV and body-worn video from officers are being reviewed.
  • A post-mortem examination was conducted on 11 August.

Outcome

An independent investigation is underway to fully establish the circumstances surrounding the woman's death in custody.

Read the full report on policeconduct.gov.uk

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Reviewed by the BlueLineHub Editorial Team
Last reviewed: 13 July 2026 · Next review due: 13 January 2027

This is a factual summary of a report published by the Independent Office for Police Conduct. Individuals are referred to exactly as the source report anonymises them. BlueLineHub is independent and not affiliated with the IOPC · Summarised 2026-07-13.