[Fwd: Witness dies in police station (shortened)]

By Gill Gifford and Nontobeko Mtshali

A woman taken in for questioning by the police, after allegedly
witnessing a mugging, died on the bathroom floor of the Eldorado Park
police station.

Liviron Sampson, 42, was held by the police despite her claims that she
had no helpful information and was experiencing extreme physical
distress due to thyroid complications.

Sampson's sister, Audrey Marillier, said three police officers had
fetched Sampson from her home on Monday afternoon to question her about
a crime.

The victim of the attack pointed her out as a potential witness.

"They saw that she wasn't well and they asked the police to come with
them while they took her to a doctor, but the police refused," said
Marillier.

Sampson's other sister, Mo van Zyl, was with her at the police station.

"Liviron told them that she didn't know the guys who did the robbery and
that she didn't have any information. She had been sort of in her own
world when it happened, so she couldn't answer all the questions."

"I told the police I had some money on me and I asked if I could take
her to the doctor, and they could even come with. But they said no, she
was in custody," Van Zyl said.

She said Sampson asked to go to the toilet around 6pm. She said police
officials agreed, but manhandled her.

When Sampson came out of the toilet cubicle, she apparently collapsed.
The police are alleged to have left her lying on the floor, and Van Zyl
stayed with her. Paramedics were then called.

"The ambulance arrived about three hours later, sometime around 9pm I
think, but by then she was dead. They told us she was dead at the police
station," Van Zyl said.

Marillier said she went back to the police station on Tuesday morning
and was told that a post-mortem had been conducted, and that Sampson had
died of a heart attack.

Independent Complaints Directorate spokesperson Moses Dlamini said the
ICD would also probe the case.

* The ICD is also looking into the death in custody of Mduduzi
Gumede, who was arrested at the Fourways Mall last month. He died
in custody, with post-mortem results showing that he died of
internal bleeding and spinal injuries "consistent with torture".

o *This article was originally published on page 1 of **The
Star* <http://www.thestar.co.za/>* on January 06, 2010 *