Claire Harper, 41, was handcuffed and detained shortly after midnight on January 7, 2018, after her then-partner called police to report he had assaulted her at their one-bedroom apartment on Moorgate Avenue. Ta.
At Trafalgar House, West Yorkshire Police's Bradford headquarters on Nelson Street, she was kept in a cell and officers were instructed to check on her every 30 minutes and wake her up.
After about 90 minutes, she was taken back to the police station and placed back in her cell, where officers were instructed to carry out surveillance checks every 30 minutes, but there was “no request” to wake her up.
Harper was served breakfast and had her fingerprints and photo taken at 10:30 a.m.
The last time he was tested was at 11:36 a.m. At 12:26 p.m., she was found unresponsive in her cell.
She was given CPR and taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary where she was pronounced dead just over an hour later at 1.41pm.
The cause of death was later determined to be cardiomyopathy.
PC Mark Winstanley, who described the night of Mr Harper's arrest as a “domestic dispute”, said Mr Harper was known to be an alcoholic and had previously arrested him.
She said her speech was “slurred” and her partner smelled of alcohol.
Her colleague, prosecutor Joan Belson, who arrested Harper in the second-floor kitchen of her apartment, described him as “looking sick'' and “skinny, pale, (and) with a sunken face.'' It was described as “sloppy.”
Harper said she was “very calm” and when asked what happened, “she said it got into an argument that got out of hand.”
Her partner said he had been kicked in the stomach, but believed the relationship was over and did not want to make a formal statement to police.
PC Belson said Ms Harper was “very docile” but when she was cautioned and handcuffed she began “screaming and screaming” and verbal abuse at her partner and told her she was pregnant.
She continued to scream as she was taken away to a police van and had to be told to be quiet.
In the van she discussed her pregnancy and child with PC Belson, who described it as “chatty” and said: (To Trafalgar House)”
At the police station, Harper began to feel nauseous while going to the bathroom, and Lt. Belson determined that she might be pregnant and requested that she be seen by a nurse.
PC Belson said, “I attribute it to morning/noon/night sickness.''
She said she last saw Ms Harper in custody before she was taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary: “She said 'thank you' and that was that.”
PC Belson told the inquest: “There was no odor of alcohol (on Claire's breath).” I don't remember her having slurred speech or being unsteady on her feet. ”
The inquest also heard that Mr Harper's alcoholism led to him having his children removed by social services and becoming homeless after he and his partner drunkenly started a fire in their flat.
One witness said: “They were making a fire and they said it was the ghost Simon who started the fire.”
The inquest, chaired by Assistant Coroner Peter Merchant along with the jury, is expected to run for four weeks and will hear from more than 40 witnesses, including police officers and medical professionals.
