What happened to Liam Brackley? Video reportedly shows Merseyside Police surrounding man in handcuffs having seizure

On September 30, 2023, Liam Brackley, a 26-year-old man from Merseyside, died when he was allegedly handcuffed by police officers and suffered a seizure amidst detainment. Now, a video recording of the incident has reportedly been shared with the Liverpool Echo, in which Brackley was seemingly seen struggling with the seizure while handcuffed, as the officers put him in a recovery position.

Brackley, the father to two twin girls, was arrested in Parr, St Helens, in a back garden on charges of trespassing. When he started having the seizures, the 26-year-old was rushed to a hospital by police officers, where he passed away, Birmingham Live reported.

According to the media outlet, following Liam Brackley’s death on September 30, 2023, the Merseyside Police referred itself to the Independent Office of the Police Conduct (IOPC) - a non-departmental public body responsible for overseeing the system for handling complaints made against police forces in England and Wales.

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Liam Brackley suffered from a seizure and cardiac arrest before his death

Liam Brackley, a father of two, died from a seizure after police handcuffed him in a back garden. According to Mirror UK, Liam was thought to have been detained by the Merseyside Police after reports of alleged trespassing.

In a video taken on the scene, Liam Brackley was reportedly captured having a seizure and was put in a recovery position by the police officers surrounding him, the media outlet reported. It also stated how Liam, 26, was still in handcuffs at the moment and remained that way for the next 2 minutes and 50 seconds until the cuffs were removed.

Three minutes into the video, two more police officers appeared at the scene and attempted to give Liam Brackley a mouth-to-mouth resuscitation towards the end of the video. The Mirror UK reported that Brackley was thereafter taken to Whiston Hospital, which is where the 26-year-old father passed away after a seizure and cardiac arrest.

The media outlet also shared that after reviewing the complaint of the Brackley case reported by Merseyside Police, the IOPC referred it back to the Merseyside Police’s Professional Standards Department (PSD).

Liam Brackley’s family is allegedly unhappy with the decision and has asked the IOPC to review the decision, a spokesperson at Merseyside Police shared with Echo.

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Liam Brackley’s family claimed they were not informed of his detainment at the time of his death

According to Echo’s report, when the news of Liam Brackley’s death was initially shared with his family, they had not been informed of his detainment. The family also believed more could have been done by the police at the scene of Brackly’s seizure, and are calling on the force to train their officers better in dealing with situations like this one.

“Liam was the most caring, protective brother. His family meant everything to him. He was the life and soul of the room and would cheer up everyone wherever he was. You could not be sad around Liam,” the family's statement read.

The family further said that losing Brackley had "absolutely broken" them, and that they were "heartbroken" and "traumatised" by his death.

Talking about Brackley’s family’s appeal for review, an IOPC spokesperson shared with Echo that in October, they had received the referral from the Merseyside police following Brackley's death. The spokesperson further noted:

“Following recent correspondents from the complaint, our original decision that the matter should be investigated by the force is currently under review. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragic incident.”

Whether or not the IOPC decides to run an investigation independent of Merseyside Police’s Professional Standards Department (PSD) remains to be seen.