MISSISSAUGA, Ont. - No charges will be laid against police in the death of a man who hanged himself in the London, Ont., police cells.
Mario Hamel, 56, was arrested by two London officers for a provincial offence and put in a police cell early on Nov. 25.
Hamel was found hanging by his shirt about three hours later and was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
The Special Investigations Unit says police cadets were supposed to monitor the cells every 20 minutes.
However, SIU director Ian Scott says a cadet failed to check Hamel's cell for more than an hour, during which time he hanged himself.
Scott says there's no suggestion that the officers were aware of Hamel's plight and chose to ignore it.
"The acts and omissions of the two subject officers do not rise to the level of a marked departure from a reasonable level of care required," Scott concluded.
The SIU is an arm's-length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.
