MPS officer watched film while homeless man froze to death outside police station

An inquest heard that Pericles Malagardis, a 63-year-old Greek national who often slept rough, died from pre-existing medical conditions accelerated by hypothermia.

Mr Malagardis had attended Uxbridge police station on March 4, 2016, to collect his dog, which had been placed in kennels while he was in hospital the previous day.

He was told the dog would be brought to the station the next day, and he remained in the reception area until 12.40am on March 5, when he was asked to leave, and then removed by Police Constable Bhupinder Kalsi and a colleague.

He remained outside the station throughout the night. When a check on his wellbeing was made at about 5.30am, he was unresponsive and the London Ambulance Service (LAS) was called. The temperature was around minus one degree at that time. Mr Malagardis was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead at about 6.45am.

At a gross incompetence hearing organised by the MPS in November 2018 it was found that, despite being aware he was outside the station in sub-zero temperatures, PC Kalsi failed to monitor Mr Malagardis’ condition for nearly five hours.

She was also found to have been watching a film on DVD with a colleague throughout the night.

The panel decided PC Kalsi should be dismissed from the force with immediate effect because she had a case proven against her for gross incompetence for:

• Omitting information requested by the LAS regarding actions taken to support Mr Malagardis and failed to follow instruction and training, when dealing with unresponsive casualties, as set out in the emergency life support treatment training manual; and
• Failing to exercise reasonable care in her treatment and monitoring of Mr Malagardis, following his ejection from the front office.

The case was also proven against her for unsatisfactory performance for viewing a DVD while on duty, following Mr Malagardis’ ejection from the front office/reception area.

A police staff member, also involved in ejecting Mr Malagardis, had a separate finding of poor performance following a management investigation hearing in December 2018. The staff member was instructed to update their emergency life support treatment training.

The jury inquest into Mr Malagardis’ death at West London Coroner’s Court ended yesterday (October 1).

Independent Office for Police Conduct regional director Sal Naseem said: “This was a particularly tragic case as, so it turned out, Mr Malagardis was close to returning to home as money had been raised by local well-wishers to buy his flight back to Greece.

“The lack of care towards Mr Malagardis by the officer and the staff member was particularly cruel and the failings of the officer to give adequate first aid was the major reason for her dismissal.
“Police officers have a duty of care for people they come into contact with, and Mr Malagardis was clearly failed by this officer. More than four years on, the impact of Pericles Malagardis’ tragic death lives on. Our thoughts remain with those who knew him.”