Police: man dies of disease in E China's custody

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-05-05 22:36

NANCHANG - Investigation into the death of a 50-year-old man in police detention showed the man died of disease in east China's Jiangxi Province, police said here Tuesday.

Li Wenyan, 50, male, who was held in a detention center in Jiujiang City on January 24 for allegedly destroying power facilities, died on March 27 because of a duodenal ulcer and massive bleeding which caused asphyxia, said the autopsy report of Jiangxi Provincial Public Security Department.

Li was found to have diseases of duodenal ulcer, subphrenic abscess, coronary atherosclerotic heart disease and chronic atrophic gastritis, which had not been found during custody, said the report.

Police had ruled out poisoning or any weapon being used as no poison or fatal trauma had been found on or in his body.

A skin injury was caused by electric shock during rescuing and the change of shin colour was caused by body freezing, according to the report.

Police found Li's health was bad when he was arrested, however, the medical care for the arrested was not included in the custodial budget, so the police called Li's brother to ask for help, police said.

His brother's wife answered the phone and said "leave him (Li Wenyan) alone", police said.

Li had been sent to the custody's clinic five times. Doctors said Li was weak because of malnutrition as he was a scavenger and stealer and had a poor living condition, police said.

But the doctors at the clinic could not diagnose his diseases because of lack of equipment and experience, police said.

Then the police began to offer Li a special nutritious diet. Li ate meat the day before his death, police said.