London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 24, 2025

Jack Barnes: 'I can't breathe' death ruled unlawful killing

Jack Barnes: 'I can't breathe' death ruled unlawful killing

A man who died after being restrained in the street by public transport workers was unlawfully killed, a coroner has ruled.

Manchester Coroner's Court was told Jack Barnes shouted "I can't breathe" repeatedly as he was held by Metrolink staff in Manchester in October 2016.

The 29-year-old from Hull had a cardiac arrest and died seven weeks later.

Concluding his death was unlawful, Coroner Nigel Meadows said the workers' actions amounted to manslaughter.

Transport for Greater Manchester's Chief Executive Eamonn Boylan said: "First and foremost I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to the family of Jack Barnes.

"This was a tragic and deeply upsetting incident. There were clear policies and training in place at the time of the incident, which those involved that evening completely disregarded."

The group were challenged by a customer service representative in St Peter's Square in Manchester city centre
The court heard that the father-of-one's life effectively ended while being held face down on a pavement outside the Australasia restaurant in central Manchester.

He had recently moved from Hull and had been out with some friends on 11 October, 2016, travelling around Manchester on the city's trams.

The group were spotted at St Peter's Square at about 20:15 GMT and challenged by a Metrolink customer service representative (CSR).

The worker suspected the group was smoking illegal drugs, a claim they denied, and it is thought Mr Barnes responded with abusive language.

Evidence in court indicated that he had taken the cannabinoid Spice at some point that day.

Mr Barnes's mother Tricia Gerrard, pictured with his sister Samantha Barnes, said her son would run away from violence

The inquest was told later that evening, shortly before 23:30, the group were spotted at Manchester Victoria station, and recognised by the CSR who had earlier challenged them.

A group of CSRs approached them after being told about the earlier abuse.

A row broke out and Mr Barnes became aggressive to being confronted.

He swung a drawstring bag he was carrying at the men, which hit two of the staff, before he and a friend ran off.

Metrolink's policy was that their representatives should walk away from such encounters, alerting the police if necessary, and the inquest was told that all staff had been reminded of this at the start of their shift that night.

The policy states that CSRs cannot "grab hold of a person" or "pursue a passenger either off the platform or trackside", but the four workers - Paul Fogarty, Brian Gartside, Matthews Sellers and Stephen Rowlands - decided to chase the fleeing pair, two on foot, two in a taxi.

Bodycam footage captured what happened outside Australasia restaurant

After a nine-minute chase across almost a mile of the city centre, Mr Barnes was caught by Mr Gartside and bundled to the ground outside the Deansgate restaurant.

Bodycam footage from a camera worn by Mr Sellers, and played in court, showed that within moments of being caught, while being held down with his left cheek on the pavement, Mr Barnes asked for help, shouting out: "I can't breathe."

After being ignored, he repeated: "I can't breathe."

Over the course of about 90 seconds, Mr Barnes said he was struggling to breathe on eight separate occasions.

Just before the camera moved away to focus on Mr Barnes' friend, Mr Rowlands was recorded telling him: "If you struggle, I will put you to sleep.

"It won't kill you but you will go to sleep for a while."

The inquest heard Mr Barnes had a cardiac arrest and, despite a police officer and a passing ambulance crew providing assistance, he never recovered and died on 2 December, having been transferred from Manchester Royal Infirmary to a hospital in Hull.

'Hunted like an animal'


Giving evidence to the inquest, the men refused to answer many questions about the incident, having been given legal advice that to do so could incriminate them.

However, Mr Rowlands told the coroner that he had been trained in restraint while serving as a GMP officer for 13 years and that he had left the force due to an injury in 1989.

He estimated that he had restrained "well over 1,000 people" during his police career.

He also told the inquest that "it didn't enter my head" to follow Metrolink's "walk away" policy.

Mr Rowlands declined to speak to the BBC when approached for comment.

Mr Barnes, pictured as a young boy, had recently moved from Hull

Recording a conclusion of unlawful killing, Mr Meadows said that the exertion of the chase and the pressure on Mr Barnes's neck more than minimally contributed to the heart attack.

He found the restraint amounted to assault as it was unnecessarily prolonged and the CSRs had had an opportunity to both call the police and to sit Mr Barnes up into a more comfortable position.

Speaking after the hearing, Mr Barnes's mother Tricia Gerrard told the BBC the men had "hunted him down like an animal".

She said the family refused to believe he had attacked the CSRs, as at "any sign of trouble, any sign of violence, he'd run".

The inquest was told the bag that hit the men contained clothes and a phone charger.

Mrs Gerrard said she wants the four CSRs, who had "never apologised [and] never showed any remorse", to be prosecuted.

Greater Manchester Police, whose officers investigated the case, told the BBC in a statement that "following a review by the Crown Prosecution Service, four men… who were arrested on suspicion of assault were released without charge".

Lauren Dale of Hudgell Solicitors, who represented the family, said: "This case is a reminder of the tragic consequences of security and other personnel seeking confrontation and using excessive force.

"In this case, the policy of the employer was to walk away, yet they chased Jack for more than half a mile before pinning him to the ground and bluntly refused to listen to his requests to allow him to breathe more easily."


Tricia Gerrard: "Jack died and nobody's being held accountable for it"


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
×