Dad Dies After Choking During Police Stop in Dagenham
Terry Cassidy, 45, from Barking, tragically passed away from a brain injury at Queen’s Hospital in Romford on April 9. The father-of-two choked during a confrontation with police on March 30, sparking fresh outrage over officers’ apparent inaction.
Last Moments Captured on Video
Minutes before collapsing, Terry called his partner saying he was being followed by unmarked police cars. Officers saw him drinking from a bottle as he left a vehicle in a car park off Ivyhouse Lane, Dagenham. Police had previously spotted a wrap of drugs near his car, but it was missing when they approached.
Terry appeared unsteady and silent, only nodding or shaking his head in response. He soon sat on the ground clutching his chest and quickly deteriorated. Paramedics found a drugs wrap stuck in his airway during CPR but couldn’t save him.
Coroner Slams Police for ‘Inaction’
Senior Coroner Graeme Irvine criticised police for failing to check if Terry could breathe or if something was blocking his throat. He said, “A great deal of things are going on around him, but no one seemed to assess his condition properly.”
Despite an expert report concluding Terry was already choking when he left the car and that neither police nor paramedics could have prevented his death, the coroner remains concerned. “Could swifter action save lives?” he asked.
Tragic Life Cut Short
Terry was once a TV advert and music video professional. After a serious foot injury left him disabled, he worked as a self-employed computer repairman in Barking. His partner called him “an angel” with a clean record except for a minor driving offence.
On the day he died, Terry admitted holding drugs for a friend. After police stopped his car over drug concerns, it’s believed he swallowed something and started choking. Witnesses reported red bruises and scratch marks on his neck. His partner found him unresponsive in the car park with signs of distress on his neck and head.
Police Watchdog Steps In
The Met referred the case to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which declined a full investigation, advising the Met to handle it internally. The coroner has made the IOPC an interested party in the upcoming inquest.
Terry Cassidy’s official cause of death: hypoxic ischemic brain injury caused by suspected choking on a foreign body. A full inquest is scheduled for next spring.
