Callum Kerr, a 35-year-old father of three from Warrington, died in hospital on Tuesday after being restrained by passengers and crew on a Jet2 flight from Cyprus to Manchester. The flight, LS966 from Larnaca, landed in the early hours of Monday, and police were called at 2.25am to reports of a man behaving aggressively towards passengers and cabin crew.
Witnesses told the Manchester Evening News that Kerr became disruptive after reportedly drinking alcohol beforehand. When officers boarded the aircraft, they found him being restrained at the rear of the plane by passengers and aircrew. Police used handcuffs to detain him, but quickly found he was unresponsive. CPR was administered, and he was taken to hospital, where he died on Tuesday afternoon.
“Callum Kerr, 35, died after being restrained by passengers and crew on a Jet2 flight from Cyprus to Manchester.”
In a statement shared through police, Kerr's family said: "Callum was a family man, father to three beautiful young children, a lover of sport and with a heart of gold." Jet2 responded on Thursday, saying: "We are aware that a customer has sadly passed away, having been taken to hospital earlier this week. We would like to offer our sincere condolences to the customer’s friends and family." The airline added that as investigations are ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further.
Greater Manchester Police made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) because of police contact before Kerr's death. The IOPC said its investigation will "look at the actions and decision-making of the officers involved to understand the events surrounding the man's death." IOPC director of engagement Amanda Rowe said evidence, including body-worn footage, has been reviewed, and police officers are being treated as witnesses rather than being investigated for their conduct. "I want to reassure people our investigation will be thorough, and independent of the police, to ensure we understand exactly what has happened," she said.
Detectives from GMP’s Major Incident Team are also investigating the circumstances on the flight before officers arrived. Chief Superintendent Mike Allen said: "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." Kerr was not under arrest, no arrests were made, and two reports of assault — one on a passenger and another on a crew member — have been made.