A coroner has criticised the police’s investigation into the death of a man in Bolton and said "religious sensitivities must sometimes be set in context." Kamran Khan died at his home on Arlington Street, Great Lever, in December last year after suffering a cardiac arrest after taking cocaine. But police failed to realise there were drugs at the scene and released his body for burial, in line with his family’s religious faith, before a cause of the 35-year-old’s death was known.
An inquest into his death took place at the Bolton Coroners Court. The court heard he had changed his name earlier in life. Wife Hadiya Riasib said she was aware he had smoked cannabis but was unaware of him ever taking cocaine.
She paid tribute to him, saying in her statement: “He was a family man, he loved taking his children to the soft play area, he often enjoyed it more than them.” The court heard his wife was unable to gain access to the property on the evening of December 1 and called a locksmith. Mr Khan was later found deceased inside.
The inquest heard police failed to discover that there were drugs paraphernalia inside his jacket and released his body for burial promptly in keeping with the Muslim faith. The Bolton Council of Mosques contacted the coroners office and spoke to corner Timothy Brennand, who oversaw the hearing, over concerns the body had been released. Detective Sergeant Rebecca Heyworth was questioned about this and the decision not to declare a special procedure in.
