A man arrested for stealing Greggs sausage rolls has committed suicide after being mistakenly described by police as a pedophile, according to an investigation.
Brian Temple, 34, of Redcar committed suicide on New Year’s Eve in 2017 nearly seven months after the alleged theft of a packet of Greggs snacks, he told the Teesside Forensic Court, according to TeessideLive.
When he was released from custody, Temple’s release documents erroneously stated that he was suspected of inciting sex with a 13-year-old girl.
Temple was unaware of the mistake when he handed the papers to his then-girlfriend, the court learned. When he began spreading the wrong information, Temple was subjected to verbal and physical abuse and his home was attacked, according to the court.
He also reported threats and assaults to police, according to the court. But visits by police welfare officers to Temple’s home only fueled unfounded suspicions about him, the court said.
After the attacks, Temple turned into drinks and drugs. Forensic scientist Claire Bailey cited a toxicology report made after Temple’s death that found amounts of alcohol in her system and remnants of cocaine, anxiotic drugs and a sleeping pill.
His brother Paul found his body, after the family worried about not hearing anything from him for a day.
The court read statements from members of his family, including his mother, who has since died. He had described his son as “happy and happy” before saying the wrong release documents caused depression.
In his statement, his brother said Temple never showed any suicidal tendencies. Paul Temple said the mistake on the post “would drive anyone crazy.”
In her statement, Temple’s sister-in-law, Crystal, said the wrong papers were in her pocket at the time of her death. He suggested police breached his “duty of care” with Temple, who said he had mental health issues at the time of his arrest.
In his statement to the court, Cleveland DS Agar police blamed the mistake on “genuine human error.”
An investigation by the Independent Office of Police Conduct concluded that the human error caused the error and that this was “incredibly unusual,” the investigation said.