A British father of four who died in custody after he swallowed a bag of drugs should still be alive, his wife says, after an inquiry found that officers had failed to perform adequate checks
A British dad who sadly died in custody after swallowing a bag of cocaine would still be here had officials carried out the appropriate checks, his wife says.
Steven Ruddick, 38, consumed the bag of illegal drugs while being treated at University Hospital in North Durham back in December 2022, having been remanded in custody in what the Prison and Probation Ombudsman called “a very unusual situation”.
Father of four Ruddick had been taken to hospital after complaining about a foot injury following his arrest, according to a report by The Northern Echo. After returning from the toilet he then reportedly pulled out a small bag of cocaine and, despite the efforts of those around him, swallowed the substance.
Tragically, Ruddick suffered a serious seizure following the incident and was pronounced dead. A post-mortem examination concluded that the seizure was a result of the cocaine ingested.
Prior to his passing, Ruddick had reportedly told mental health staff that he was planning on committing suicide.
The tragic death prompted an inquiry into the prison officers’ actions, with the ombudsman saying that the relevant employees at security firm GEOAmey “did their best to meet his needs” in what was a “a very unusual situation” in which staff “made every effort” to stop Ruddick swallowing the drugs.
They said: “The Ombudsman said GEOAmey staff “provided good and effective care and did their best to meet his needs and manage his risk appropriately during the escort process”.
However, an inquest jury into the death saw things slightly differently, stating that officials had failed to carry out the appropriate Level B search on Ruddick and as such had failed to discover the bag of cocaine, a factor that had “more than minimally contributed to his death” as it “did not check Steven’s trouser pockets or any other part of his trousers”
The inquiry also found also found that information about Steven’s repeated threats to take his own life was not properly passed on from police to the prison escort officers.
It said HM Courts and Tribunals Service should also have shared details of his mental health risks with the court and prison escort staff sooner.
After the inquest, Ruddick’s wife, Andrea, said: “I am pleased it is over. It is bittersweet, just knowing that if they had done the last search properly, then he would still be here. I hope nobody is ever treated how he was. He was failed.”
Andrea said that her husband was “the funniest person you would ever meet.
She said “He was a good husband – we grew up together, we met when he was 16 and I was 19 – and an even better dad.”