An inquest has opened into the death of Callum Kerr, the 35-year-old father who died after being restrained by fellow passengers and crew on a Jet2 flight into Manchester Airport last month.
Mr Kerr, from Warrington, had boarded the flight from Larnaca, Cyprus with his girlfriend on 21 June. Witnesses said he became disruptive during the flight, reportedly after drinking beforehand, and Greater Manchester Police said officers were called to reports of an assault after he became aggressive towards passengers and crew. Two people, another passenger and a member of cabin crew, were assaulted during the incident.
When the plane landed in the early hours of 22 June, officers boarded to find Mr Kerr, a bareknuckle boxer and cage fighter, already being restrained by other passengers and crew at the rear of the aircraft. Police handcuffed him, but quickly identified he was unresponsive. CPR was started immediately and he was taken to hospital, where he died the following day.
Greater Manchester Police made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which is investigating the actions of the officers involved, while a separate GMP investigation is looking into the actions of the members of the public who restrained him. The IOPC has said officers are currently being treated as witnesses rather than under investigation, based on its initial review of body-worn video footage.
An inquest was formally opened at Manchester Coroners’ Court on Tuesday 14 July, and is expected to be adjourned while both investigations continue.
Mr Kerr’s family paid tribute to him as a family man and father to three young children, describing him as a lover of sport with, in their words, a heart of gold.
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