Family seek answers over death in police custody at Victoria Hospital

Joseph Sneddon 37, from Ballingry, passed away at the Kirkcaldy hospital on April 8, 2022 two days after being admitted amid concerns for his welfare.

Today, his family and their lawyer, Aamer Anwar, met with the Lord Advocate at the Crown Office in Edinburgh to discuss the case.

They say Mr Sneddon, had 34 separate injuries on his body when he died, and claim he was restrained for four hours.

They want answers from the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC), which investigated his death as well as NHS Fife.

Mr Sneddon’s family had called for an ambulance after becoming increasingly concerned at the deterioration in his mental health over the course of two days - he was behaving strangely and confused.

He was admitted into Victoria Hospital A&E, and the family said they were told he had round the clock care. In the early hours of April 8, his sister Laura was called to the hospital where they were told he had passed away.

The family later discovered he had been restrained in a heavily redacted post mortem report which revealed his cause of death was “sudden death in a man with a significant acidosis following a prolonged period of struggling and restraint”.

They now want answers on how he was restrained and what methods were used.

Mr Sneddon’s mother, Jane, said: “All I want is answers as to what happened to my son and why he isn't at home with me and his family. I want to know who was in contact with Joe during the four hours he was strapped to a hospital bed, obviously afraid and wanting to go home.

“I want them to look me in the eye and tell me how they thought this was okay to happen.

“This is eating away at our family. As a mother I can't eat or sleep thinking about what my son had to go through before his heart stopped.”

Dorothy Bain KC, Lord Advocate for Scotland ,said: “I would like to thank the Sneddon family for meeting with me and for sharing their experiences. I was able to update them on the initial and on-going investigation into Joseph’s death and I listened carefully to what they had to say.

“The Crown is committed to the thorough and effective investigation of all deaths which occur in legal custody. The Crown have engaged and updated the family in the course of the investigation, and are committed to continuing to do so as the investigation continues.”

A PIRC spokesperson said: “The Crown Office and the Procurator Fiscal (COPFS) Service instructed the PIRC to investigate the circumstances surrounding police contact leading up to the death of a 37 year old man in Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy.

"Our investigation report was issued to COPFS on October 4, 2022. Our findings and report and updates are strictly confidential and cannot be released or shared on our website. Our thoughts remain with the family who were supported and updated throughout our enquiry by specialist trained officers."