An inquest has discovered that Robert Gracey, a 39-year-old resident of Morton Terrace, Gainsborough, had high levels of cocaine in his bloodstream when he passed away, subsequent to being restrained by police. The incident took place on 29 September 2021, with Mr Gracey’s death occurring shortly after the occurrence at Lincoln County Hospital. The inquest, held at Lincoln’s Myles Cross Centre, disclosed that Mr Gracey became unresponsive in a police van post restraint outside Gainsborough Police Station. The toxicology reports shown at Lincoln Coroner’s Court suggest that the levels of cocaine in Mr Gracey’s system could have been potentially harmful. Retired police office Garry Firth confessed at the inquest that he did resort to punching Mr Gracey twice as a distraction technique during the restraint. Medical specialists who testified at the inquest stated that Mr Gracey had an enlarged heart and scarring reminiscent of regular cocaine usage. They also suggested that his death was an outcome of a combination of drug use, heart disease, and events preceding his restraint. The inquest is ongoing, especially scrutinising the police handling of acute behavioural disturbances.
The original version of this story was reported by www.bbc.com and was later adapted by The Lincoln Post.
