Man Kills Himself After Police Wrongly Named Him A Pedophile Instead Of Sausage Thief In His Release Papers

A man who was arrested for allegedly stealing a package of Greggs sausage rolls reportedly killed himself after discovering that his release papers wrongly stated that he was a pedophile.

In 2017, Brian Temple of Redcar, England, was arrested by the Cleveland Police force in Northern England for allegedly stealing a package of Greggs sausage rolls. However, when Temple was released, his release papers wrongly stated that he had been in custody for inciting sexual relations with a 13-year-old girl, The Guardian reported.

Temple, who was unaware of the mistake written in the release papers, handed over the documents to his then-girlfriend. Temple's then-partner then proceeded to spread false information about the man and the reason why he was arrested. As a result of the rumors being spread about him by his friends and family, he reportedly experienced several instances of verbal and physical abuse, including a blow to the head with a golf club and an attack in his own home.

Following the abuse, Temple reportedly descended into heavy drinking and drug use and eventually took his own life by hanging a noose in his flat. According to the coroner, the toxicology report found 134 milligrams of alcohol in addition to a cocktail of cocaine, Diazepam, Zopiclone, and Pregabalin in his system when he died. However, Temple's cause of death was ruled to be suicide by hanging.

Witnesses reportedly spoke at Teesside Coroner's Court at an inquest into the incident on Monday, June 20.

Meanwhile, at the inquest, Temple's mother, who has since died, characterized him in a statement as a "happy-go-lucky" person before the police error occurred. Temple's brother also said that his brother never showed suicidal tendencies and that he resorted to alcohol and drugs in order to cope with the assault and attacks leading up to his death.

Meanwhile, according to Temple's sister-in-law, the incorrect charge sheet was found in his pocket when he was found dead. Detective Sergeant Agar of the Cleveland Police told the inquest that the release sheet was "a genuine human error."

According to the Royal United Services Institute's "Public Confidence in the Police: A New Low for the Service" report, the public's faith in police dropped from 62 percent in 2017, when this tragic turn of events happened, to 55 percent in 2020.