Man, 42, dies in custody at troubled Met police station as IOPC launches investigation into the base

A man aged 42 was discovered unresponsive inside a cell at Charing Cross police station's custody suite at 4.27am on 2 October, nine days before his death in hospital on 11 October. He had been arrested the previous afternoon for recall to prison, and officers say a standard risk assessment was carried out on his arrival. The Independent Office for Police Conduct has opened an independent investigation into how custody staff handled the case, and the man's family will be kept informed throughout.

Charing Cross custody staff were restructured and 13 officers dismissed following a 2025 BBC Panorama investigation that exposed racist language and boasts of using excessive force.

Commander Lou Sargent said the full circumstances of the man's death 'will now be independently examined' and pledged full Met cooperation with the IOPC.

The IOPC was already probing Charing Cross over footage gathered during the Panorama investigation but never broadcast, meaning the station now faces two simultaneous watchdog inquiries.