Dad-of-three dies after Manchester Airport incident

Callum Kerr, 35, died after police were called at around 2.25 am on Monday, June 22, to reports of a man behaving aggressively onboard a plane travelling inbound from Larnaca, Cyprus.

There were reports that another passenger and a member of the cabin crew had been assaulted by the man.

On arriving at the scene, officers found a man, since identified as Mr Kerr, being restrained by passengers and aircrew at the back of the plane.

Police handcuffed Mr Kerr but found he was unresponsive and performed CPR before he was taken by paramedics to hospital.

Mr Kerr died in hospital on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 23, with a tribute from his loved ones describing him as “a family man, father to three beautiful young children, a lover of sport and with a heart of gold!”

Greater Manchester Police say that a mandatory referral has been made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

The incident was reported at Manchester Airport (Image: Newsquest)

Chief Superintendent Mike Allen said: “Firstly, my thoughts are with Callum’s family and all those impacted by this incident.

“An investigation is now underway to establish what happened during the flight and our specialist officers have been keeping them updated with all the information we know so far.

“I know there were many people on the flight who witnessed the violence and disruption prior to officers’ arrival.

“We know passengers and aircrew worked to detain the man to bring the incident to an end.

“Our detectives are investigating this to understand the full circumstances.

“It is mandatory for a referral to be made to the IOPC.

Police have identified the man as 35-year-old Callum Kerr (Image: GMP)

“We will fully assist with their investigation into the actions of the police, where our officers have been independently declared as witnesses rather than being investigated for their conduct.

“Policing is a challenging profession, and we are supporting them through this process.

“Support continues to be provided to the man’s family and loved ones during this time.”

The referral to the IOPC is mandatory because the officers came into contact with Mr Kerr before his death and does not indicate any misconduct by the officers.

The force says that while the IOPC is investigating the actions of its officers, detectives from its Major Incident Team are investigating the circumstances on the flight prior to police arrival.