AN inquest into the death of an east Belfast man who was restrained by police has heard from an expert who said taking someone to the ground is especially dangerous and should be the last thing to do.
Eric Baskind, an expert on restraint techniques, was speaking at the inquest into the death of Gerard McMahon, who was detained by police in Belfast city centre in September 2016.
Police were called to Great Victoria Street following reports of a disturbance.
Mr McMahon, who was 36 and from the Short Strand area, became unresponsive while being detained by officers, who also used CS Spray.
He had been found behaving erratically and wearing just a pair of boxer shorts.
The inquest had heard that Mr McMahon, who worked under the name DJ Macko, was suffering from acute behavioural disturbance (ABD).
People suffering from the condition can experience unexplained bouts of anger, bizarre behaviour and unnatural strength.
Mr McMahon died hours after being detained.
Yesterday, Eric Baskind, an expert on restraint techniques, told the inquest that officers should have recognised that Mr McMahon was experiencing a medical emergency, known as acute behavioural disturbance, rather than someone criminally violent.
He said taking someone to the ground was especially dangerous and should be the last thing to do, adding it wasn't remotely necessary.
Separately, a police constable involved in the training of officers said it was hard to identify someone with ABD or whether someone was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, adding that he personally had never come across someone with ABD.
A police chief inspector also told the court that the PSNI had put additional measures in place since the incident.
