Charlotte Davies represents Devon & Cornwall Police at jury inquest into Plymouth firearms incident

Charlotte Davies (2007) represented the Chief Constable of Devon & Cornwall Police at a 5-day jury inquest into the death of a man who took his own life following an exchange of fire with armed police at a property in Whitleigh, Plymouth, in 2021. The inquest took place before the Senior Coroner for Devon, Plymouth & Torbay, Philip Spinney, and was heard at Exeter Coroners’ Court.

Police had initially been called to a report of a man (the deceased) having shot what had been reported as a high-powered firearm at his neighbour’s shed with the neighbour inside. The neighbour had only avoided being hit due to fortuitously kneeling down to look through a box at the very moment the bullet came through the shed wall. Armed police attended and after a protracted period of unsuccessful attempts to communicate with the deceased over many hours by trained police negotiators through closed windows and doors, a decision was made to affect a limited entry by breaching the front door. This followed delivery of a mobile telephone through the letterbox that went unanswered. After armed officers entered the property, and some communication with the deceased established – which included threats by him to harm officers and then himself, a single gunshot was heard from upstairs, upon which officers proceeded to conduct an emergency search to preserve life, as per the previously agreed and understood ‘tipping points’. A ‘flash-bang’ device was deployed onto the landing as a precaution, and upon reaching the top of the stairs the lead firearms officer encountered the deceased who opened fire, with two bullets later being recovered from the officer’s shield. The officer fired back with his bullet later being recovered from a wooden door covering the deceased’s torso. At this point, the deceased moved into the bedroom, reloaded his gun, and took his own life.

Evidence was heard from seven officers including armed officers at the scene, the Force Incident Manager, two Operational Firearms Commanders, the Tactical Firearms Commander, and the Strategic Firearms Commander Nikki Leaper, who is now the Assistant Chief Constable. Evidence was also heard from an independent firearms specialist who had prepared an expert report for the coroner, and a Home Office Pathologist. Ballistics evidence was also put before the jury.

The independent expert gave evidence that the decisions taken to deploy and authorise armed officers, to deliver a mobile phone, to affect limited entry, to move further into the house, and ultimately to commence an emergency search upon the sound of the gunshot, were reasonable, appropriate, and in accordance with training and guidance. The threat assessment and working strategy were all in line with national guidance. He commented that the conduct by the operational team on the day had been ‘excellent’.

The Senior Coroner determined that the evidence demonstrated that nothing the police did or did not do during the incident was causatively linked to the ultimate death.

The jury returned a conclusion of suicide.

Charlotte was instructed by the Joint Legal Services Department of Devon & Cornwall Police.

Charlotte has a specialist inquest practice and appeared in numerous multi-day inquests representing all types of interested parties, including Article 2 and jury inquests. She has appeared in a number of inquests reported in the national press, including those involving Leading Counsel. She has written a series of articles on Inquest Basics which can be found on our website and on LinkedIn.

If you wish to discuss anything in this article or you want to instruct Charlotte you can contact her clerk on civilclerks@kbgchambers.co.uk