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Police launch investigation into Black man's death at Belmarsh

By Institute of Race Relations

1 March 2005, 10:00am

IRR News has learnt that a young Black man has died in suspicious circumstances at Belmarsh maximum-security prison in south-east London. A police investigation is currently underway into the death of 25-year-old Godfrey Moyo, a Zimbabwean.

The Home Office told IRR News that Godfrey, who was on remand, was pronounced dead at 5:40am on 3 January 2005 and that a police investigation is ongoing into his death. The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that it is investigating the death as 'suspicious' and that a post mortem held at Greenwich mortuary found the cause of death was asphyxia.

According to a source inside the prison, prison officers removed Godfrey from his cell in the early hours of 3 January following a fracas between him and his cellmate. The source alleges that Godfrey was restrained by up to three prison officers, one of whom, it is claimed, used his knee on Godfrey's neck (an unauthorised restraint method). It is also alleged that as Godfrey repeatedly called to officers that he had 'calmed down', he was injected with medication. He was pronounced dead at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich, on the same day. Apparently, a number of inmates witnessed the incident, though, as yet, only a few have been invited to give statements to the police.

The Institute of Race Relations is precluded from expressing a corporate view: any opinions expressed are therefore those of the authors.

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