A BLACKWOOD man who died shortly after being arrested in the town died as a result of taking MDMA and cocaine, an inquest has found.

Simon Love, aged 32, died on June 25, 2018, on Blackwood High Street.

Witnesses reported Mr Love “stumbling” into the road and “gurning”, with one saying he was “zombie-like.”

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Members of the public flagged down a police van, and the officer tried to stop Mr Love from walking into the road, and called for further support, reporting Mr Love was being “difficult”.

The jury at Newport Coroners’ Court was shown CCTV footage of Mr Love walking in circles before stumbling and falling to the ground.

The additional officers arrived and handcuffed Mr Love at 2.35pm, and then moved him onto his side for medical treatment and to apply an oxygen mask.

At 2.47pm PC Neil Millett reported to the police control room that Mr Love was struggling to breathe and at 2.52pm messaged to say he was now unresponsive – although he clarified in court that he said “unresponsive to what we were doing, not unconscious.”

Officers removed the handcuffs a couple of minutes later,  and shortly afterwards Mr Love stopped breathing. One of the officers in attendance, PC John Waller, said CPR took place for “around 20 minutes”, before Mr Love was pronounced dead.

A paramedic arrived at around 3pm and an ambulance crew five minutes later. Mr Love was pronounced dead at the scene at 3.48pm.

A post mortem examination carried out concluded the likely cause of death was MDMA and cocaine toxicity.

Following a referral from Gwent Police, Independent Office for Police Conduct investigators attended the scene that day. Investigators took witness statements from the officers involved, paramedics, a passing doctor who had tried to assist, members of the public, and Mr Love’s family, as well as examining CCTV and police body-worn video footage along with radio and telephone transmissions.

IOPC director for Wales, Catrin Evans, said: “I again send my condolences to Mr Love’s family and friends for their sad loss. This was a traumatic event for everyone involved and those who witnessed it.

“We carried out a thorough investigation into the circumstances and in our view the officers acted appropriately in the face of a medical emergency.

“The early decision to handcuff Mr Love was proportionate and necessary as, while not aggressive, he was clearly in need of medical help and there was a risk of him trying to leave or stepping into a busy road.

“Officers kept him handcuffed to help administer urgent medical treatment.

“While with hindsight Mr Love’s handcuffs might have been removed slightly earlier, we are of the view officers did their best in the challenging circumstances of a dynamic medical emergency.”

The IOPC found no conduct to justify bringing any disciplinary proceedings against officers involved, but recommended they take part in a debrief to consider any learning, for instance around the treatment of seizures, and any further training needs arising.

The jury returned a conclusion of a drugs-related death.