A philosophy professor who put a suspected car thief in a headlock as he tried to stop him driving away has been cleared of any wrongdoing after an inquest ruled the man’s death was accidental.
Daniel Smith, 35, died after suffering a cardiac arrest following a chaotic chain of events that began with a police pursuit through the Devon countryside.
An inquest heard Smith had already been fleeing from four police officers who were attempting to arrest him on suspicion of an unrelated burglary when he ran through gardens in Axminster, Devon, on a hot July morning in 2022.
In his desperate bid to escape, Smith leapt over walls and forced his way through barbed wire, thick brambles and hedges, leaving him heavily bloodied and wearing only shorts and trainers.
He first entered the garden of an elderly couple and attempted to steal their Volvo, but was unable to drive away because there were no keys inside.
Smith then ran to a nearby property belonging to Geoff Thame, where he took car keys from an unlocked annexe before climbing into a silver Vauxhall Astra at around 10.30am.
The vehicle belonged to Geoff’s son, Dr Charlie Thame, a philosophy professor who works in Thailand.
The academic rushed towards the Astra and got into the passenger seat with his legs still outside the vehicle as Smith reversed at speed. The car crashed into a gatepost moments later.
The thief was spotted in a car by philosophy professor Dr Charlie Thame (pictured), who rushed after him and got into the passenger seat
Dr Thame described Smith, who was taller and larger than him, as being like a ‘trapped wild animal’.
The court heard a struggle broke out inside the car, during which Dr Thame said Smith attempted to punch him and grab his testicles.
He also claimed Smith repeatedly reached towards his waistband, leading him to fear he was trying to retrieve a knife.
Dr Thame said he attempted to drag Smith from the Astra and punched him on the nose before his arm slipped beneath Smith’s armpit and into a headlock.
He told the inquest that Smith suddenly stopped struggling while a neighbour screamed nearby.
Dr Thame said: ‘The neighbour said the man was unconscious. I released him immediately.’
Senior Devon coroner Philip Spinney concluded that Smith’s death had been accidental.
He found that Smith died as a result of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest linked to acute behavioural disturbance and cocaine use, with significant physical exertion and restraint contributing more than minimally to his death.
Mr Spinney praised Dr Thame’s actions, describing them as courageous and carried out in self-defence while protecting family members and neighbours.
The coroner said Dr Thame may have restrained Smith for ‘no longer than one minute and 45 seconds and probably a shorter period’, adding: ‘He released him as soon as he realised he was unconscious.’
He also said post-mortem evidence showed excessive force had not been used by Dr Thame.
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The inquest heard Smith had taken a combination of drugs, including cocaine and ketamine, before the incident unfolded.
Home Office forensic pathologist Dr Amanda Jeffery told the hearing that the neck hold had ‘more than minimally contributed to the cardiac arrest occurring when it did’.
However, she also said Smith had undergone significant physical exertion before the restraint occurred.
Dr Jeffery said the drugs Smith had consumed caused both physiological and behavioural effects.
She said this led him to try to steal keys and vehicles while in a confused state, as others attempted to protect themselves.
Dr Thame disputed the suggestion that he had restrained Smith for an excessive period, insisting it was ‘not an excessive length of time’.
Mr Spinney ultimately ruled out unlawful killing.
He said Dr Thame had acted in self-defence and added: ‘There is no criticism of Charlie Thame.’
After Smith collapsed, those at the scene pulled him from the crashed Astra and began chest compressions.
Dr Thame said he suspected Smith had taken drugs because of his appearance.
He also strongly denied claims that he had placed his knee on Smith’s neck.
He told the coroner: ‘At no point did I have my knee on his neck, that is a complete misrepresentation and fabrication of what transpired.’
Dr Thame further disputed suggestions that he repeatedly punched Smith.
He said he feared Smith was about to drive towards his father, leaving him at risk of being killed or seriously injured.
He said: ‘If I had not done what I did, my father would not be sitting here today. My actions were entirely justifiable at the time and in hindsight.’
Dr Thame added that there had been ‘a gradual escalation’ in the force he used to stop Smith and that he was now ‘to deal with the consequences of that’.
Giving evidence, Geoff Thame described the extraordinary events as ‘a bit surreal’.
He told senior coroner Philip Spinney: ‘He looked wild, very agitated, wide-eyed and frothing at the mouth. He was bouncing like a kangaroo. He was not cool, calm and collected, put it like that.’
He said Smith appeared to be like ‘a wild animal’ and that nobody knew whether he was carrying a knife.
Geoff recalled hearing his son shout at Smith to ‘get out of my f***ing car’ as he attempted to retrieve the keys.
He told the inquest that he briefly returned to his house to collect a gun from a cabinet, intending to use it as a threat, but by the time he came back, Smith was unconscious.
Dr Thame and neighbour Deborah Day then attempted CPR after discovering Smith was not breathing.
Geoff said: ‘He was out cold. Charlie said, ‘I hope he is alright, I hope he is alright.’
Mrs Day had previously claimed in a statement that Dr Thame placed his knee on Smith’s neck, although Geoff disputed this account, saying his son’s feet were still outside the car.
Mrs Day told the hearing that Dr Thame put Smith in a headlock, ‘but did not intend to kill the man’, adding that his actions may have saved her own life by preventing Smith from driving towards her.
The inquest heard the incident began when officers from Avon and Somerset Police travelled to the Devon-Dorset border to arrest Smith in connection with a burglary in Yeovil, Somerset, where he lived.
Police located Smith at the Harvest Energy service station in Axminster and used two vehicles to block in his car.
But Smith escaped on foot, jumping over a wall and sparking the dramatic pursuit that ended in tragedy.
Detective Constable Sharon Moore, of Devon and Cornwall Police, told the coroner: ‘Dr Thame was interviewed while in custody and released. A decision was made later that no further action would be taken against Dr Thame whatsoever.’
