The family of a dead prisoner have demanded a probe into callous cops who “mocked” him as he lay in agony.
The lawyer acting for relatives of Alan Hay has lodged a formal complaint with Chief Constable Iain Livingstone after damning criticism of police by a sheriff.
Alan, 49, was so neglected and sick in a Dumfries police cell he was left to lick spilled medicine off a plastic mattress.
Sheriff Linda Ruxton said officers were “derogatory, mocking, offensive and insulting” about Alan and there was “little genuine sympathy shown to a man who was seriously ill”.
In the complaint to Livingstone, lawyer Aamer Anwar said “officers showed a complete and utter contempt for a dying man” after they ignored his pleas for help.
He added: “The treatment of Alan can only be described as barbaric and lacking in simple human decency.”
Alan collapsed and died within six hours of leaving the police station and an hour of arriving at Glasgow’s Barlinnie Prison.
In a ruling after a fatal accident inquiry, the sheriff said police could have spared Alan “a great deal of suffering” had he been sent to hospital when his condition deteriorated overnight.
Assistant Chief Constable Kenny Macdonald said: “The high standards of policing we strive for on a daily basis were not fully met on this occasion, and for that we apologise.”
He said a review was carried out and recommendations made on the frequency of cell checks and monitoring of prisoners.
Anwar admitted police had apologised but said Alan’s relatives had not been contacted directly.
He added: “Reviews may well have been conducted and recommendations introduced, but this is pointless when one considers officers failed to heed the cries of a dying man.”
He said there was little hope for change given the neglect and callous behaviour shown to Alan by officers in the 24 hours he was in custody.
During that time, officers called him an “a**e”, “f***y” and “f***ing d**k” , which the sheriff deemed “disgraceful”.
Alan, a petty criminal, was arrested at 12.45pm on August 1, 2016, after a disturbance in Dalbeattie, where cops used pepper spray to subdue him.
Almost as soon as he arrived in custody, he told cops he had “agonising” pain in his liver and kidneys.
Alan’s family said: “Nothing will bring Alan back, but all we want now is for lessons to be learned so no one is allowed to suffer as he did again.”
