A young mum who died from a heart attack after a police car chase in Aberdeenshire had inhaled butane gas earlier in the day, an inquiry has been told.
Shania Collins, from Peterhead, had been arrested and placed in handcuffs just moments before she lost consciousness in the driveway of a property near Mintlaw.
The 19-year-old was seen to “give up” and offer her hands to be cuffed before passing out on the ground at Pitscow Croft, near Kininmonth, at around 11.55am on December 22, last year.
A fatal accident inquiry has heard how she was intoxicated having inhaled butane gas – which can be used for lighter fluid – earlier that morning.
Led police on a pursuit
Pc Steven Morrison told the inquiry he and his colleague had followed a blue Jaguar X-Type, being driven by Ms Collins’ partner, because they suspected its driver was flouting a roads ban.
The pair led officers on a 15-to-20 minute pursuit on and around the A952 Mintlaw-to-Fraserburgh road, failing to stop despite the blue lights and sirens.
The car “swerved across the road” when officers tried to draw level with it and later turned into a farm road in an attempt to hide, the inquiry was told.
When the officers caught up with them in the driveway of a house both tried to flee the scene on foot before being apprehended by officers.
A 10-second clip of dashcam footage from the incident showed Ms Collins running from the passenger side of the car with Pc Morrison following closely behind.
She appeared to ‘give up’
He told the inquiry she flung a canister of butane gas at him before he tried to grab hold of her hand.
He said she stumbled and fell to the ground before trying to kick him.
Pc Morrison said he then straddled her, took hold of her left arm and turned her onto her front to place cuffs on her wrists.
“Initially she didn’t appear to be under the influence of anything,” he added. “She was very quick out of the car. She did stumble but I put that down to the rough ground we were on.”
He said after the struggle she appeared to “give up” and offered up her other hand for the cuffs. But he then became concerned by a sudden change in her condition.
“Initially I thought she was feigning being unconscious … it soon became obvious she wasn’t,” Pc Morrison said.
“I put her on her side, at which point I noticed her eyes were wide open and her pupils were very dilated.”
Doctor said she had been intoxicated
The hearing was told Ms Collins had inhaled butane gas and “perhaps” drank whisky on the morning of her death.
Fiscal depute Lixia Sun said a pathologist had found there was “no recognised fatal concentration of butane toxicity” and that “death can occur at any time with any dose or amount inhaled”.
“It’s her opinion that Ms Collins could have succumbed solely to butane intoxication even without the police pursuit,” she added.
Ms Collins – who had a seven-month-old son – was given emergency first aid by officers then paramedics before being taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, where she died.
Police Scotland’s legal representative Victoria Leslie argued that it was the young mum’s response to the situation which may have caused her death.
“We have heard that she inhaled butane gas and perhaps drank whisky that day,” Ms Leslie said.
“She ran away from the vehicle and took the decision to throw the butane canister at Pc Morrison.
“I would say it was her response and actions in response to the vehicle pursuit, rather than the pursuit itself, which caused this accident.”
‘Fight or flight impulse’
Sheriff Andrew Miller said it seemed a “straightforward” conclusion and that nobody believed there was any suggestion of blame towards police officers’ interaction with Ms Collins.
He added: “It rather seems to me that the general circumstances point to the cumulative effect of the butane inhalation and the excitement of the fight or flight impulse that arose when she chose to run away from the police and then chose to kick out at Pc Morrison.
“It does seem to be a fairly straightforward explanation of Ms Collins’ unconscious state being the sudden physical exertion and heightened state along with the effects of the butane which she had inhaled.”
Fatal accident inquiries are mandatory in all cases when someone dies in custody.
Sheriff Miller will return his findings and make any recommendations in the coming weeks.
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