Two investigations are underway after the death of a man who was restrained by passengers and crew on a Jet2 holiday flight from Larnaca, Cyprus, to Manchester. Callum Kerr, a 35-year-old father of three and bare knuckle boxer from Warrington, died in hospital on the afternoon of 23 June 2026.
Incident on board
Greater Manchester police (GMP) stated that at around 2.25am on Monday 22 June 2026, officers were called to reports of a man behaving aggressively towards passengers and crew on an inbound flight. During the incident, another passenger and a member of cabin crew were allegedly assaulted by Kerr. When officers boarded the aircraft upon arrival, they found Kerr being restrained by passengers and aircrew at the rear of the plane.
Police response
Police officers handcuffed Kerr, but according to GMP, he was not arrested. Once officers realised he was seriously unwell, they attempted to save his life. A GMP spokesperson said: "Officers used handcuffs to detain him and quickly identified he was unresponsive, through the provision of first aid, and began with CPR." Kerr was taken by paramedics to hospital, where he later died.
Investigations launched
Because Kerr died after contact with police, the case has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). The IOPC will independently investigate GMP's actions. The IOPC stated that the officers involved are being treated as witnesses and are not suspected of wrongdoing. The IOPC said: "At this stage, we have established Mr Kerr, 35, was being restrained by members of the public on board the flight from Cyprus when five police officers boarded the plane at Manchester Airport in the early hours of Monday. On arrival, one of the officers applied handcuffs and began carrying out checks. It quickly became apparent he was unresponsive and a minute later officers began CPR."
Family tribute
In a tribute released by police, Kerr's family said: "Callum was a family man, father to three beautiful young children, a lover of sport and with a heart of gold."
Separate inquiries
The IOPC confirmed its independent investigation will focus on the actions of police, while a separate GMP investigation is considering the actions of the members of the public involved. Chief Superintendent Mike Allen said: "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." Jet2 declined to comment.
