The Independent Police Complaints Commission has concluded Cumbria Constabulary officers acted correctly in their handling of an incident involving Dale Burns.
Mr Burns died in Furness General Hospital following his arrest on 16 August 2011.
An inquest into his death concluded today with narrative verdict.
The IPCC independently investigated the incident and this confirmed Cumbria Constabulary had been called to reports that Mr Burns was self-harming and had caused damage to his flat in Hartington Street, Barrow at 6.33pm on 16 August.
The officers who responded stated they found Mr Burns in an agitated state. Mr Burns advised the officers that he had taken a gramme of mcat, a stimulant drug also known as mephedrone. Due to concerns about Mr Burns' welfare the officers summoned an ambulance.
However, the officers state Mr Burns became more erratic, throwing items from a window and attempting to pick up a television set.
When the ambulance arrived the officers decided Mr Burns' behaviour meant it would not be safe for the paramedics to deal with him.
The officers believed the threat posed by Mr Burns had increased. The officers reported he threw a glass out of the window and then approached Pc Kevin Milby with his fists clenched and his eyes rolling.
Pc Milby discharged his Taser as he feared for his safety. He stated he did not have time to shout a warning. As the Taser discharge reportedly had no effect, Pc Milby cycled the Taser – discharging electric current through the wires and barbs which were attached to Mr Burns from the original discharge.
The officers reported that Mr Burns slumped to the floor, however he continued to struggle violently meaning he could not be handcuffed. Pc Milby shouted a warning and cycled the Taser again. Two officers were attempting to handcuff Mr Burns and due to his size they were trying to link two sets of handcuffs together.
Pc Scott Elliott sprayed PAVA into Mr Burns face, but this had no effect.
Seeing the officers struggling and Mr Burns continuing to resist, Pc Milby cycled the Taser again. This had the effect of subduing Mr Burns sufficiently for the handcuffs to be applied.
The post incident examination of the Taser showed it had been activated on four occasions between 6.49pm and 6.51pm. Each discharge lasted five seconds.
Mr Burns was then carried to a police van and taken directly to hospital. The police van arrived at Furness General Hospital's Accident and Emergency Department at 7.24pm.
The doctor at the A&E reported Mr Burns was agitated and moving violently when he arrived and he decided to sedate him. Mr Burns then calmed sufficiently for officers to remove his handcuffs.
Following further tests Mr Burns' condition began to deteriorate at around 8.05pm. Resuscitation was attempted by hospital staff and one of the police officers. Mr Burns was pronounced dead at 8.41pm.
A post mortem by a Home Office pathologist concluded Mr Burns had died as a result of Methylenedioxypyrovalene (MDPV) poisoning. There was no evidence to suggest the use of Taser or PAVA spray or restraint had contributed to Mr Burns' death in any way.
As a result of the investigation findings, the IPCC concluded the officers had acted appropriately and there was no evidence they had committed misconduct.
IPCC Commissioner Naseem Malik said: "The death of Dale Burns was a terrible tragedy for all those who loved him. However, his death was also a very public matter as it came under the media spotlight due to the fact he had been subject to Taser discharges prior to his death. It was therefore important we conducted an independent investigation to establish the facts and the reason for Mr Burns' death.
"The medical evidence was conclusive that the Taser discharges did not contribute to Mr Burns' death. His death was a direct result of the drug he had consumed.
"Our investigation has shown that the officers involved acted appropriately and any force they used was justified. Mr Burns was under the influence of a drug. He was a large and very strong man and the officers tried their best to keep him calm. However, it is evident the situation changed to a point where the officers believed Mr Burns posed a threat and they used force to restrain him.
"The officers knew Mr Burns was potentially suffering a medical emergency. They had summoned an ambulance, but established it was too dangerous for the paramedics to deal with him. However, they chose to take him straight to hospital for treatment once restrained. Sadly the medical evidence suggests Mr Burns' death was inevitable due to the effect of the drug. My sympathies go out again to his family. I hope our investigation and the inquest has given them the answers to the many questions they undoubtedly had.”
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