Father died in custody after being arrested by police, inquest told

Leonard “Lenny” McCourt – described as a loving family man by relatives - died at at Peterlee Police Station, in east Durham, after being arrested in nearby Seaham, on September 11, 2010.

Police were alerted by a neighbour who reported the 44-year-old shouting drunkenly in the street outside his home and kicking on the door of an empty neighbouring house.

County Durham Coroner Andrew Tweddle granted an order affording anonymity to four of the officers involved in the arrest and subsequent dealings with Mr McCourt.

He said, they would be referred to as officers A, B, C and D respectively and they would give evidence from behind screens to protect their identities from members of the public.

Detective Superintendent Peter Ellis, of the police professional standards and legal services department, said officers had been alerted to a disturbance in Ash Crescent, Seaham, by a 999 call.

According to police transcript of the call, a woman said: “It’s a disturbance in the street.

“There is a man who is quite drunk and he is screaming and shouting. I have my little son here and he is getting upset.”

The call was given top priority and two patrol vehicles - with three officers - were on the scene within five minutes.

Describing his brother to the jury, Launzie McCourt said: “He was a nice bloke – always there if you needed him. He was generous to a fault and was very-well liked. . . There were 300 people at his funeral.

“I never had an argument with my brother in my whole life.”

Community psychiatric nurse Robert Redfern said Mr McCourt suffered from chronic depression and drank to excess when he had a personal crisis. He also had a cognitive impairment.

The hearing in Crook was told experts felt McCourt’s mental health problems dated to a head injury _ suffered when he was struck from behind with a machete while defending his brother in 1995.

The hearing continues.