A woman was found to have committed suicide in her holding cell at the Linden Police Station on 14 January.
The 31-year-old woman was brought into the station for allegedly causing a disturbance at a residence she was renting in Stevens Road in Blairgowrie. The owner and neighbours had sent numerous complaints which stated that the victim had abandoned her minor child at the residence she was renting.
The owner of the house explained that the victim was the girlfriend of his tenant and that he suspected that she was under the influence of drugs. That is when the Linden Police removed her from the residence, believing she was a danger to herself and to her children. It was reported that the woman was screaming hysterically and that she was out of control – that is when the police removed her from the scene and took her to the Linden Police Station, for her own safety and the safety of her two-year-old son who was left behind at the residence.
When they arrived at the police station, she continued to be hysterical and screamed at the top of her lungs. She was then moved to a holding cell area away from the public area in the police station, in order to calm her down. That is when she hung herself from a chain that was used in the cell garage door and declared dead by the paramedics at 8.55pm.
“The woman left behind two children aged 16 and two, and she was also suspected to be pregnant,” said Linden Police corporate communications officer Constable Carol Mulamu.
The Linden Police Station is currently under investigation for negligence by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) for the suicide of the woman.
