Law student, 25, arrested for knife threat on campus died of a drug overdose after he collapsed in a police van, inquest jury rules
- Nuno Cardoso died in 2017 after being arrested by Thames Valley Police officers
- Officers responded after reports Mr Cardoso, 25, was in possession of a knife
- He collapsed in the back of a police van after his arrest and later died in hospital
A law student arrested for a knife threat on campus died of a drug overdose after he collapsed in a police van, an inquest has concluded.
Nuno Cardoso, 25, from Kentish Town in north London, died after being detained by Thames Valley Police officers on November 24, 2017 in Oxford.
Oxford Coroner’s Court was told officers went to Ruskin College in the early hours after reports Mr Cardoso had assaulted fellow students and was in possession of a knife.
He collapsed in the back of a police van after his arrest and later died in hospital.
Nuno Cardoso, 24, died after being arrested by Thames Valley Police officers in Oxford in 2017
An inquest jury gave the narrative conclusion that Mr Cardoso died from drug intoxication which caused cardio respiratory arrest.
Mr Cardoso was ‘conscious, coherent, walking and talking’ when police arrived at 4.50am, the record of inquest said.
‘The jury believes that at arrest the police officers applied reasonable, necessary and proportionate force, despite Nuno resisting arrest,’ the jury concluded.
‘Nuno remained conscious and coherent after arrest and when he was sat up and handcuffed, his speech was audible.’
But when he stood up, he ‘appeared less co-operative, especially when asked whether he had anything in his mouth’.
The conclusion added: ‘The jury accepts the police officers’ evidence that they did not believe Nuno had swallowed drugs, nor he had anything in his mouth at that time.’
Mr Cardoso collapsed in the van at about 5.20am and ‘the situation rapidly changed’ from an arrest to a medical emergency, it said.
Pc Charles Smith earlier told the inquest he saw ‘herbal matter in his mouth’ and Mr Cardoso’s airways were cleared by a colleague and paramedics.
The court heard Pc Smith and another officer had earlier stopped and searched Mr Cardoso in the street after the reported assaults, not realising he was the man they were looking for.
He described Mr Cardoso as smelling strongly of alcohol and marijuana, and found him carrying a ‘small bag of herbal matter’.
The jury accepted medical care was provided ‘in a professional and timely manner’ by both police and paramedics after his collapse.
He was taken to hospital but died at 6.23pm from cardio respiratory arrest caused by the combined drug intoxication caused by alcohol, cocaine and heroin, the jury concluded.
A post mortem examination showed the cause of death was cardiorespiratory arrest due to intoxication from alcohol, cocaine and morphine.
Mr Cardoso died in the back of a van on the way to the police station (pictured)
Earlier in the two-week inquest, police bodycam footage showed Mr Cardoso being detained by four officers, one of whom whipped his leg with a baton.
Darren Armstrong, then-head of student services at Ruskin College, said he witnessed an officer ‘strike Nuno in the back of the knee with a baton.’
Mr Armstrong told the inquest officers found one knife in Mr Cardoso’s jacket and another ‘appeared’ at the scene.
Police constable Katie Young, who was part of the police van crew, said Mr Cardoso had appeared fine as he was led to the van but hit his head on the cage.
She said: ‘He hit his head on the right side on the inside cage door twice. I would consider this action required a certain level of awareness. In my experience, prisoners often do this out of frustration as their hands are in handcuffs and are not able to be used.’
She added she had initially thought Mr Cardoso was ‘playing silly buggers’ when she was first made aware that he was unresponsive.
She said: ‘Some people do pretend to be unresponsive.’
Una Morris, representing the family of Mr Cardoso, asked: ‘If somebody appears to be unresponsive, shouldn’t you take that seriously?’
Jurors heard statements from witnesses who claimed Mr Cardoso had punched Mataya Jules and Aiden Leach following a row.
In a statement read out to the court, Bowen House resident and Mr Cardoso’s friend Charmaine Mahamba said she witnessed part of the incident.
She said Ms Hulbert was Mr Cardoso’s ‘on and off girlfriend’ and their relationship was ‘complicated’, adding the law student had recently ‘became more withdrawn and spent more time in London’.
‘He told us about his mental health and how he felt his relationship with Ciara was affecting it,’ Ms Mahamba added.
After the alleged assaults were reported to the police, Taser and dog units were dispatched to the college for disadvantaged students.
But Mr Cardoso was not initially found, having left the premises for shops in Headington accompanied by Ms Mahamba and another student, Manisha Dass.
Ms Dass said in her statement: ‘I was concerned about his psychological state.’
She said Mr Cardoso could get ‘very on edge’ and ‘worked up quickly’ when he had been drinking, adding: ‘I didn’t think it was safe for Nuno to be out because I thought the police would be after him.’
But Ms Mahamba revealed police officers missed an opportunity to detain Mr Cardoso after he had left the college.
She said a police car approached them on the street near a bus stop and officers questioned Mr Cardoso and requested to search him.
A small bag of ‘weed’ was confiscated by officers but Mr Cardoso denied he was a Ruskin College student, Ms Mahamba said.
Witnessing part of his arrest, she said Mr Cardoso had reacted when touched by an arriving police officer.
‘As soon as the physical contact was made there was panic and he made a scuffle but still not making a run for it,’ she said.
She described later hearing a ‘rumour’ Mr Cardoso had swallowed drugs but in court she said he had ‘no time’ to do this in the kitchen when police arrived.
Ms Ellis said the law student ‘didn’t seem intoxicated’.
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