Jury urged to consider unlawful killing in inquest of woman who died in police custody
06.04.2022 - 20:17
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A jury hearing evidence at an inquest into the death of a woman who grew up in Bolton has been urged to consider the possibility of returning an unlawful killing conclusion.
County Hall in Preston has heard a four-week long inquest into the death of Kelly Hartigan-Burns, who died after being taken into police custody in 2016. The 35-year-old, who attended Canon Slade School in Bolton, died in the early hours of December 4, 2016, just hours after being arrested in Blackburn.
Lancs Live reports that a jury retired on Tuesday, April 5, to consider their conclusion after hearing all the evidence given during the four-week hearing, with Senior Coroner Dr James Adeley giving a summary of the evidence before warning them their task would be very complex. The hearing had heard evidence that Kelly had been seen stepping in front of traffic saying "I want to die" just hours before her death.
READ MORE: "We are so proud of her, and she was so proud of us”: Tragedy of mum-of-five, 37, who died in Bolton flat
A 999 call was made by a member of the public and she was found by two officers who responded to the most serious 'Grade One' call but felt she was okay to be taken home. Once there, Kelly’s wife, Collette Hartigan-Burns, told officers that she had been hit by Kelly earlier that day and did not feel safe.
Kelly was arrested on suspicion of assault and taken to Greenbank Police Station, a purpose built custody suite in Blackburn. Tragically, less than an hour after she was placed into Cell C2 at the station, under half hourly observations, Kelly was found unresponsive. She was taken to the Royal Blackburn Hospital where she died the following day.
Much of the discussions during the inquest have been focused on whether the