Were the police to blame for the death of Adrian?

breathe before he suffered a fatal cardiac arrest in the police van outside the flats complex.

But an officer has defended his decision not to seek medical attention for the casualty.

Jonathan Tench was monitoring a handcuffed Mr McDonald after he had been Tasered and twice bitten by a police dog inside a flat in Chesterton, Newcastle-under-Lyme. A medical expert has ruled that Mr McDonald would still have died, even if he had received medical assistance from the officers. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) – which has brought the gross misconduct case against Pc Tench and colleagues Sgt Jason Bromley and Insp Richard Bills – suggested the officer believed Mr McDonald was putting on a ‘ruse’ before he tried to escape. Pc Tench told the Stafford tribunal: “I have known of people

I did my best for Mr McDonald. I was satisfied he was breathing.

say things for that chance to escape or assault officers.

“I did not believe any medical attention was required up until the point paramedics were called.

“I did my best for Mr McDonald. I was satisfied he was breathing and that his chest was going up and down.

Staffordshire Police descended on the Audley Road flat after receiving a 999 call in December 2014.

Police discharged their Tasers on four occasions and Adrian was bitten on the arm and leg by a police dog.

The most senior officer on the scene when he died has told how he did not class Mr McDonald as a ‘high-risk detainee.’

Insp Richard Bills responded to the incident amid fears it could escalate into a siege because a man had barricaded himself inside a room.

He said: “I did not consider Mr McDonald to fit the description of a high-risk detainee.

“He did seem paranoid and agitated but Mr McDonald was talking, walking and conscious so I did not consider him to be high risk. He sat in the van and appeared to relax.”

The results of the tribunal are expected to be known on Monday afternoon.