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MEMBER OF THE SENEDD BETHAN SAYED DEMANDS ‘FULL TRANSPARENCY’ FROM SOUTH WALES POLICE AND SAYS FOOTAGE RELATING TO THE ARREST AND DETAINMENT OF MOHAMUD MOHAMMED HASSAN MUST BE RELEASED. 

COMMUNITY GROUPS HAVE CALLED A PROTEST AT 3PM TODAY, WHERE PEOPLE WILL MARCH FROM CARDIFF CENTRAL LIBRARY TO CARDIFF BAY POLICE STATION. 

THERE IS GROWING OUTRAGE OVER THE DEATH, WITH ACTOR MICHAEL SHEEN DESCRIBING IT AS “DISTURBING”. PLAID LEADER ADAM PRICE IS ALSO EXPECTED TO RAISE THE CASE IN THE SENEDD TODAY.

MOHAMUD’S AUNT SPOKE OUT YESTEDAY AND DESCRIBED HOW HER NEPHEW WAS RELEASED FROM POLICE CUSTODY “WITH LOTS OF WOUNDS ON HIS BODY AND LOTS OF BRUISES.” 

The Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd for the South Wales West Region, Bethan Sayed, has called on South Wales Police to release the body cam footage of the arrest of  Mohamud Mohammed Hassan and said that South Wales Police cannot be relied upon to investigate the events leading up to his death. 

“Release the information on the video cameras that Police were wearing to show full transparency,” she wrote on Twitter on Monday, partly addressing the demand to South Wales POlice and Crime Commissioner Alun Michael. The body camera footage will be crucial in bringing forward a case over the death of the 24 year old black man, who is described as returning from the police station with serious injuries and tragically dying soon after. 

The call from the politician comes amid rising anger over the death of yet another black man following arrest and endemic racism within policing. The case is expected to be raised by Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price in the Senedd this afternoon at First Minister’s Questions. 

A protest organised by community groups was called late on Monday. People are set to gather from 3pm outside Cardiff central library and will march on the police station in the bay. Protestors are being urged to wear masks and maintain social distancing. 

Since Sunday evening, when details of Mr Hassan’s death began to emerge via a blog by the civil rights legal advocate Lee Jasper, knowledge of the case has risen rapidly, as more people and organisations have become aware of the disturbing details. Mohamed’s sister yesterday told voice.wales to visit the Go Fund Me page – set up to pay for family legal fees – for more information on what happened to her brother. There, it describes him being tasered and kicked in the head.

On Monday, Mohamud’s aunt spoke to the BBC:  “He was released on Saturday morning with lots of wounds on his body and lots of bruise,” she said: “He didn’t have these wounds when he was arrested and when he came out of Cardiff Bay police station, he had them.”

Demands for truth and justice are quickly growing. Former Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood said that “Questions need to be answered,” about the death and sharing Lee Jasper’s blog, described it as an “absolutely shocking account” The leader of the Welsh TUC Shavanah Taj said the family & community needed “urgent answers” while the film star Michal Sheen also commented, calling it “Incredibly disturbing.”

By Tuesday morning, the crowd funder had already reached over £27,000 in little over a day.

What Happened? 

Mohamud Mohammed Hassan, 24, died hours after sustaining physical injuries whilst being in the custody of South Wales Police (SWP),  say lawyers advocating for the family.

In a blog post by Lee Jasper of Black and Asian Lawyers for Justice, Mohamud Mohammed Hassan, 24, is detailed as being arrested on Newport Road, Roath by South Wales Police around 11pm on Friday 8th of January and taken to Cardiff police station by officers where he suffered serious injuries. 

He was then released around 8.30am on Saturday 10th January, before telling a friend that “the police have beat the shit out of me.” An elderly lady who lives above Mohamud is reported as seeing bloodstains on his tracksuit severe injuries to his mouth. 

According to the report, the 24 year old’s Aunt insisted he go to hospital but he said he needed a rest before doing anything else. Hassan could not be roused by friends who quickly called paramedics, after which a first-responder attempted CPR but could not revive Hassan and pronounced him dead at the scene.

In a statement on Monday, South Wales Police confirmed Mohamud Mohammed Hassan had been in custody at Cardiff Bay Police Station the night before his death, and said he was later released without charge. 

They confirmed that the incident had been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct but said that ‘early findings’ by the force itself indicated no “excessive” use of force.

But campaigners and activists have said that the IOPC is not fit for purpose and South Wales Police cannot be relied upon to investigate themselves. South Wales Police has recently come under fire for failure to secure the crime scene or interview key witnesses following the death of 13-year-old Christopher Kapessa, a black 13 year old who drowned in a river surrounded by his white peers in summer 2019. Racism in policing came to prominence last year through the historic Black Lives Matter movement.

Lee Jasper, Vice-Chair for BAME Lawyers 4 Justice, said: “Clearly Mohamud was perfectly fine before his arrest. The critical question the family want answering is what happened to him during his arrest, in transit to and inside Cardiff Police station.”

Jasper continued: “He is very severely injured on his release, so was he offered medical assistance in the police station? His death marks a grim and tragically familiar start for 2021. Black Lives will continue to matter.”

Campaigners have said that the family were not contacted by a SWP Family Liaison Officer to explain what happened to Hassan to cause him his injuries immediately following his death.

Hillary Brown from Virgo Consultancy, the lawyers acting for the family, also said: “We want somebody to try to explain to us why a young, healthy man was arrested by South Wales Police with no apparent injuries to his body and as a result of being released from Cardiff Bay police station… he was badly marked with bruising and cuts, and within hours was dead,” she said.

“We need somebody to explain to us whether there was a connection between the injuries he sustained either before being taken to Cardiff Bay police station or while at Cardiff Bay police station – did they play any part in his death.

“We want to know whether the allegations he made against officers of South Wales Police of being assaulted has contributed in any way to his demise.”

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