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The death of a man who police had handcuffed on Blackwood High Street was drugs-related, an inquest has ruled.

The jury inquest at Newport Coroner’s Court was told Simon Love, 32, was seen by passers-by as being in a “zombie-like state” on June 25, 2018.

Worried members of the public had flagged down a police car at around 2.30pm.

Mr Love was acting erratically and an officer had held his arm as he was walking towards the busy road. Back-up was called as well as an ambulance.

CCTV footage showed Mr Love walking in circles before stumbling and falling to the ground.

According to the Independent Office forPolice Conduct (IOPC), an officer handcuffed Mr Love at 2.35pm as he was struggling on the ground and then moved him onto his side for medical treatment and to put on an oxygen mask.

At 2.47pm an officer told the force control room that Mr Love was struggling to breathe and at 2.52pm messaged to say he was now unresponsive.

Officers removed the handcuffs a couple of minutes later while continuing to make resuscitation attempts. They were joined by a paramedic at around 3pm and an ambulance crew five minutes later. Mr Love was pronounced dead at the scene at 3.48pm.

A post-mortem found Mr Love’s likely cause of death was MDMA and cocaine toxicity and evidence suggested he had taken drugs before he died.

Following his death an investigation was carried out by the IOPC, which found no evidence that the actions of Gwent Police officers contributed to it.

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. CCTV and police body-worn video footage along with radio and telephone calls were also looked at.

The investigation was completed in April 2019 with its finding shared with the Coroner, Mr Love’s family and Gwent Police.

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.