Blackpool man battered girlfriend with hammer, then collapsed and died

Graham Kent, 37, was found unresponsive in the bedroom of his Mickleden Road flat at around 12.30am on August 2 2021, shortly after police were called to reports of a woman screaming for help.

At his inquest yesterday, the court heard how a neighbour had called for help at around midnight after hearing banging and screaming inside the flat, which Kent shared with his girlfriend.

The woman was found in the communal corridor of the building ‘clearly terrified.... with blood pouring from her head’.

She said Kent had hit her with a hammer.

She was taken to Royal Preston Hospital with serious injuries, a fractured skull, a fractured cheek and eye socket, and a bleed on the brain.

Police, meanwhile, had arrived at the scene shortly after midnight, but did not enter Kent’s flat until 12.30am as they awaited the arrival of taser-trained officers and shields.

Officers reported hearing noises inside the property when they arrived, and suspected Kent was attempting to barricade himself inside. One officer was able to open the front door using a plastic sheet to pick the lock, but did not venture further into the flat.

PC Adam Jackson said: “The information we had was that we were going to arrest a male who was alive. It was a total shock when we went in and he was on the floor.

"At that time, several firearms officers commenced first aid and CPR."

An ambulance and paramedics were called, however, Kent could not be revived and he was pronounced dead at 1.27am.

A post-mortem found he had died as a result of inhaling his own vomit after collapsing as a result of cocaine use.

His family argued that police should have forced entry to the flat when it became clear Kent was not responding to their shouts. However, PC Jackson said: "The information we had at the time was that we were going to arrest a male, not to save life and limb. If we had known he was collapsed behind the door, we would have gone in sooner."

He said that, based on the information they had, it was not deemed safe for police to enter the flat without protection, as Kent was potentially armed and had a known history of violence.

Following Kent's death, police at first believed he had suffered a head injury, and arrested his victim on suspicion of murdering him as she laid in her hospital bed after undergoing life-saving surgery to remove part of her fractured skull.

She was released, however, when the post-mortem concluded his death was not suspicious.

After hearing evidence from PC Jackson and det insp Joanna Dent, coroner Alan Wilson decided to adjourn the inquest awaiting further evidence from the force incident manager who dealt with the police response as it happened.

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