Police brutality not the cause of Leischendam man's death in custody: Prosecutor

A 22-year-old man from Leidschendam who died after being arrested in September last year, did not die due to anything the police did, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said on Tuesday. Autopsy on the man's body showed that "there were no abnormalities caused by external mechanical force that could explain the need for hospitalization and eventual death", the Prosecutor said.

The young man was arrested at his parents's home in Leidschendam on September 2 last year. He was in mental distress and his parents had called the police. At the police station, officers decided that he had to go to hospital. He died five days later.

According to the Prosecutor, the pathologist found a definite cause of death, but this will not be shared with the public for privacy reasons. "The OM can, however, explain what was not the cause of death," the Prosecutor said. "The actions of the police did not contribute to the man's death."

After the man's death the police said that he had resisted arrest. But his family denied this, according to Omroep West. His parents told the broadcaster that their son had not resisted and left their home without any injuries. 

In November, Minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus of Justice and Security responded to questions raised by DENK parliamentarian Farid Azarkan about this man's death. He said that he cannot comment while the investigation was ongoing, but did state that a pathologist found that force or violence from another person was not responsible for the death. He also confirmed that in the months following the death, no police officers were restricted, suspended or fired in connection with this case. 

Pressed on the issue of excessive force used by police in the deaths of Mitch Henriquez, Rishi Chandrikasing, Ihsan Gurz, and Bertus de Man, Grapperhaus said he did not feel that there is a pattern of police brutality. "I expect the police organization and police officers to pay constant attention to learning how to use violence. This is part of dealing responsibly with the power of violence conferred by law," he said.