Met ‘failed to flag risks to man who died on bail as records kept on paper’
A senior officer says paper records on national security cases were part of the reason information was not passed on
The vulnerabilities of a former Royal Marine found dead on court bail were not shared between police forces partly because notes on national security cases are kept on paper rather than digitally, an inquest has heard.
The senior investigating officer in the Metropolitan Police case, who has been granted anonymity, gave evidence on Wednesday at Berkshire Coroner's Court.
Speaking from behind a screen, he told jurors that Thames Valley Police should have been made aware of the concerns about Matthew Trickett.
Mr Trickett, a 37-year-old private investigator and Home Office immigration officer, lived and died in Maidenhead.
"I regret to say in these circumstances we didn't take those steps"
Senior Coroner Heidi Connor asked the officer whether Thames Valley Police should have been told about Mr Trickett's issues in custody.
He replied: "I think they should have been told, I think Thames Valley Police should have been made aware of the wider circumstances of Matt's detention and vulnerability there."
He added: "That should have taken place through a set process that should have occurred."
The officer said an officer or member of police staff is supposed to log an encounter with "an individual who is displaying vulnerabilities or risk".
He told the inquest that UK police forces try to make sure their systems "talk to each other", and that all forces can access a central database called the Police National Computer (PNC).
If a mental health vulnerability had been recorded on the PNC, every force would have seen the marker, he said. Alternatively, the Met could have told Thames Valley Police directly.
Asked why neither happened, he said: "I regret to say in these circumstances we didn't take those steps."
The officer said three factors were behind the failure.
The first was that he and his team did not expect Mr Trickett to be bailed. They believed he would be remanded in custody.
He said: "Because of that I think there was less attention in terms of the investigation team, in terms of making sure those records were updated."
The second was the scale of the operation. Officers had spent three weeks on "intense operation work" after 11 people were arrested in connection with the case.
Some of them were in custody for 12 or 13 days. The officer said he thought officers had overlooked updating the PNC record with warning signals.
The suspects were held in a Terrorism Act custody suite because they faced allegations under the National Security Act 2023. Under the Act they can be held for up to 14 days with a warrant, as under the Terrorism Act 2000.
The officer said it was the "second or third" time the unit had used the new law, which came into force in December 2023.
The third factor was the use of paper records during extended custody periods in counter terrorism and national security policing.
He said: "Those specifics around what happened in custody weren't uploaded automatically as they would with a digital record and because of that there was failure for that information to be passed on to Thames Valley Police."
What happened to Mr Trickett
The inquest previously heard that Mr Trickett tried to hurt himself days into his time in Metropolitan Police custody.
He told station staff he would not do so again while detained, but said he would at some point if he was freed.
He was charged with offences under the National Security Act on 12th May 2024.
On 13th May, Westminster Magistrates' Court bailed him ahead of a second court appearance. This was despite an application for him to be remanded for his own protection.
Mr Trickett had been held at a central London police station. When he was bailed, his case transferred to Thames Valley Police, the force covering Maidenhead.
He was found dead on 19th May, five days before his Crown Court date.
The inquest heard on Wednesday that the Met did not tell Thames Valley Police about his attempt to hurt himself, or about comments he made suggesting suicidal thoughts or a wish to self-harm.
Doctor's assessment
The final forensic medical examiner to speak with Mr Trickett found his "mood was fair". Mr Trickett reported an improvement because he had received testosterone.
He had repeatedly asked for the hormone, claiming its absence was affecting his mental health and that he had used it while free.
Dr Giles Leefield, whose job is to assess the physical and mental wellbeing of detainees, told the inquest on Tuesday that he would place Mr Trickett in a high-risk category.
He said: "Statistically, even without thoughts of self-harm, if you're a young man, relatively young man, on a serious offence – and a first offence – you're high risk."
He added: "Without any thoughts of self-harm, he would fall into the category of high risk, given his military history – having served this country proudly, that would also play a big factor."
Dr Leefield met Mr Trickett on the morning of his magistrates' court appearance. He did not believe Mr Trickett needed a mental health professional.
The senior investigating officer was asked on Wednesday whether he agreed that Mr Trickett was at increased risk as a veteran.
He said he would be "minded to agree".
He told the jury: "It's hard for me to say at a specific level for Matt but the circumstances as described there, it would potentially put someone in a different category – obviously we're talking about National Security Act offences, allegations of serious offending."
Changes since
The coroner asked whether there had been any investigations or training to stop it happening again.
The officer said there is now greater oversight of people leaving the type of custody Mr Trickett was in, as a result of "this case and other potentially similar incidents over the last few years".
National Security Act teams have introduced a checklist "for every person leaving custody", which "tries to prevent the issues that have occurred here".
There is also more emphasis on the fact that national security records are kept on paper and have to be uploaded manually by a member of police staff.
The unit has put "a bit more focus" on sharing information with partners, including other forces, by making sure an officer oversees it.
He said he hopes the unit gets into a position to ensure "when a vulnerability is identified it is appropriately dealt with by the appropriate agency or unit".
The checklist applies to National Security Act offences and has been shared with counter terrorism policing in London. He said there is a view to sharing it more widely across the UK for all counter terrorism policing.
The inquest continues.
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