A Romanian man is still in a coma in a south London hospital, three months after collapsing and falling ill during a police chase.
According to reports in a local South London newspaper (News Shopper 29.10.08), a 24-year-old Romanian man was in a critical condition in Queen Elizabeth hospital, Woolwich. The man had allegedly been seen acting ‘suspiciously’ near Eltham train station and was chased by a police response team. The unnamed man climbed on to a ledge next to the busy A2 road (a dual carriageway). According to police the man held on to a ledge by his fingertips but was supported by police officers. However, after about twenty minutes the man stopped breathing and was taken to hospital with the aid of fire crews and lifting equipment.
Last week, IRR News, trying to follow on the man’s progress, was told that the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) was no longer involved in the investigation and was referred to the Met Directorate of Professional Standards which was supposedly investigating the incident. On contacting the Met police press office, IRR News was told that the information on file had not been updated since 26 October. With IRR News kept ‘on hold’ the Met Press Office contacted the hospital and we were then informed that the man was still in a critical condition – some three months after the initial injury.