Ryan Vincent unlawfully killed at caravan park after security guard sat on him
Ryan Vincent, 22, from Skelton, was pinned face down by security guard Tony Walpole at Primrose Valley in Filey, in May 2017 after he had been driving drunk.
Witnesses told an inquest in Northallerton they heard the young father say “I can’t breathe” several times before police officers arrived on the scene at 11.44pm and began CPR.
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Hide AdCoroner Jonathan Leach said manslaughter had been committed, as Mr Walpole was attempting to make an unlawful arrest on someone he had a duty of care towards and he was aware the restraint could have caused physical harm.
He said the evidence suggests Mr Walpole sat on Mr Vincent’s back for “at least 11 minutes, probably 16 minutes”.
North Yorkshire Police arrested the security guard and his colleague Peter Conway after the incident, but they were not charged with an offence.
Mr Walpole, who was 55-years-old at the time and held a Security Industry Authority licence but had not been trained in physical restraints, said he was trying to prevent Mr Vincent from running away before police arrived to arrest him for drink driving at the holiday park.
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Hide AdHe told the inquest he should have checked to see if Mr Vincent was able to breathe, but thought he had stopped moving because he had “given up trying to get free”.
He also said his “heart goes out to Ryan’s family” and if he was faced with a similar situation in the future he would “walk away and not get involved at all”.
Paul Robinson, facilities support operations manager for Haven, said security staff were not told or expected to physically restrain guests.
Mr Vincent was taken to Scarborough General Hospital after the incident, but he was pronounced dead four days later.
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Hide AdA post mortem examination revealed his brain was starved of blood and oxygen while he was being restrained and he suffered a cardiac arrest. Bronchopneumonia, which developed when he was immobile in hospital, ultimately caused his death.
He had travelled to the holiday park with his partner Chloe Edwards and their two children. On the first day of their trip, he decided to take her car for a drive after they had been out drinking.
Mr Walpole and Mr Conway followed the car when it was being driven at high speed. After they stopped outside the caravan he was staying in, they confiscated the keys because they could smell alcohol.
Mr Vincent attempted to run away but Mr Walpole caught him and sat on him, waiting for the police to arrive.
A toxicology test revealed alcohol was in his system and he would have been over the legal drink driving limit at the time of the incident.