TRIBUTES have been paid to a dad-of-three who died after being restrained on a flight to Manchester.
On Monday, Greater Manchester Police officers were called to reports of a man behaving aggressively towards passengers and crew on a plane travelling from Larnaca, Cyprus.
During this flight, another passenger and a member of cabin crew were assaulted by the man.
As previously reported by Runcorn and Widnes World, the man had allegedly been drinking heavily before boarding the plane and had to be restrained after headbutting a passenger and threatening others.
Officers boarded the aircraft on its arrival and located the man, who was being restrained by passengers and aircrew at the rear of the plane.
The man was unresponsive and CPR was commenced before he was later taken to hospital by paramedics.
Sadly, he died on Tuesday afternoon and has since been formally identified as 35-year-old Callum Kerr, who was from Warrington and previously lived in Runcorn.
Tributes have now been paid to the dad-of-three by his loved ones.
“Callum was a family man, father to three beautiful young children, a lover of sport and with a heart of gold,” they said.
Tributes and condolences have been shared on social media following his death.
“Rest in peace, Callum,” one person wrote.
“My thoughts are with his family and children.”
“Rest now, mate,” another shared.
“Will keep the kids in my heart and prayers. Will look back on the joyful memories smiling when I remember you jumping round the shop shouting ‘come back king’.”
“Can’t believe it lad, rest easy dude,” one tribute wrote.
“Rest in peace buddy,” another shared.
“Our thoughts are with the family.”
A mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has now been made by police due to the fact officers came into contact with Mr Kerr prior to his death.
“Absolutely gutted,” one friend shared.
“Rest in peace my mate. See you on the other side.”
“Rest in peace mate,” another wrote.
“Been a long while since I saw or spoke to you, but I hope you’re at peace. Thinking of your loved ones.”
“I hope you find peace big man,” a tribute said.
“Until we meet again.”
Greater Manchester Police Chief Superintendent Mike Allen expressed his condolences to Mr Kerr’s family and stated an investigation is now underway.
“Firstly, my thoughts are with Callum’s family and all those impacted by this incident,” he said.
“An investigation is now underway to establish what happened during the flight and our specialist officers have been keeping them updated with all the information we know so far.
“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. Our detectives are investigating this to understand the full circumstances.
“It is mandatory for a referral to be made to the IOPC. We will fully assist with their investigation into the actions of the police, where our officers have been independently declared as witnesses rather than being investigated for their conduct.
“Policing is a challenging profession, and we are supporting them through this process.
“Support continues to be provided to the man's family and loved ones during this time."
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