Warrington man dies after being restrained by passengers on a Jet2 flight
35-year-old Callum Kerr died in hospital the day after the incident
A man who died after falling ill following an incident onboard a flight to Manchester Airport has been formally identified as 35-year-old Callum Kerr.
Greater Manchester Police said officers were called to reports of a passenger behaving aggressively towards passengers and crew on an inbound flight travelling from Larnaca, Cyprus, to Manchester at around 2.25am on Monday 22 June.
According to GMP, another passenger and a member of cabin crew were assaulted during the incident before the aircraft landed.
When the plane arrived in Manchester, officers boarded and located Mr Kerr at the rear of the aircraft, where he was being restrained by passengers and members of the aircrew.
Police said officers used handcuffs to detain him before quickly realising he was unresponsive. First aid was administered and CPR was carried out at the scene before paramedics took him to hospital.
Mr Kerr died in hospital on the afternoon of 23 June.
Paying tribute, his family said: “Callum was a family man, father to three beautiful young children, a lover of sport and with a heart of gold!”
GMP confirmed it made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) because officers had come into contact with Mr Kerr before his death. The force stressed the referral was made as a matter of procedure and not because of any indication of misconduct by the officers involved.
While the IOPC investigates police actions following the aircraft's arrival, detectives from GMP’s Major Incident Team are examining the events that took place onboard before officers arrived.
Chief Superintendent Mike Allen said his thoughts were with Mr Kerr’s family and everyone affected by the incident.
He said specialist officers were continuing to support the family and keep them informed as investigations progress.
Mr Allen added that detectives are working to establish the full circumstances of what happened on the flight and acknowledged the impact the incident may have had on passengers and crew who witnessed the disruption.
GMP has confirmed that Mr Kerr was not arrested by police and that no arrests have been made in connection with the incident.
Investigations by both the IOPC and GMP remain ongoing.