Mum ‘broken’ by death in custody of ‘beautiful boy’

The family of a 26-year-old man who died in police custody after collapsing in his cell have said “nothing can fix the pain we feel”.

Ellis Rocks was arrested by Greater Manchester Police on Thursday at a hotel in Wigan on suspicion of a drug offence, before he was searched and placed in a cell.

He was later found unresponsive and suffered a cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital where he died on Sunday, triggering an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation.

His mother Paula Wilkie said in a tribute that his family had been left “broken” by his death and thanked the paramedics who attended to him.

She said she had spent the weekend by his side along with his sister “and held his hands as he took his last breath” on Sunday morning.

The mother said she wanted “justice” for her son and to “make sure this never happens to anyone’s child again”.

“May my little boy rest in peace and we will fight for justice till the day we die,” she said.

An IOPC spokesman said a “thorough and independent investigation” into what had happened was needed.

It would include probing the interactions officers had with Mr Rocks before he was taken into custody, and what happened after he was detained, the watchdog added.

Mr Rocks was arrested on Thursday at the Britannia Hotel in Almond Brook Road, Standish after reports of a man trying to deal drugs on the premises.

Detention officers found him unresponsive in his cell at about 02:30 BST on Friday, and he was taken to hospital by paramedics.

He suffered a cardiac arrest en route and later died in the hospital.

The IOPC declared an official investigation would take place after his death and it has reviewed CCTV from the custody suite and body-worn video footage from officers.

Assistant Chief Constable Chris Sykes of GMP said the force would cooperate fully with the IOPC probe.

He also urged people to “not rush to judgement before the full facts are established”.