The Met Police has promised to investigate officers who held down a London student at a psychiatric hospital shortly before he died after an inquest found “excessive force” led to his death.
Olaseni Lewis, 23, died on September 3, 2012, three days after he was restrained by officers at Bethlem Royal Hospital.
A coroner today gave a narrative verdict at an inquest into his death, with a jury having concluded that “excessive force” had been used by the officers.
The Met apologised to Mr Lewis’ family following the verdict and promised to investigate any misconduct by officers.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Richard Martin acknowledged officers had “failed to follow their training”.
In a statement, he said: “Seven years ago Olaseni Lewis died in tragic circumstances. I would like to say sorry to Mr Lewis’ family and friends for their loss, and the circumstances in which he lost his life.
“Today, the jury who have heard all the evidence relating to his death, have raised serious concerns about the actions of our officers on that day.
“That is clearly of grave concern for us and we must now fully consider the detail of their narrative verdict.”
Mr Lewis, who was known as Seni, voluntarily admitted himself to the psychiatric hospital after his family became concerned about his behaviour.
He slipped into a coma after being restrained and later died after being put on life support.
In September 2011, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) ruled that no police officer should be the subject of misconduct proceedings.
However, the IPCC ordered a reinvestigation after the High Court quashed its findings in 2013.
No criminal charges were brought against any officer.
Mr Lewis family have campaigned for the past seven years for answers surrounding his death.
Deborah Coles, director of charity INQUEST said: “This jury have reached the most damning conclusions on the collective failures of police and mental health services.
“This was a most horrific death. Officers knew the dangers of this restraint but chose to go against clear, unequivocal training.”
The Met has said it will now work with the IPCC to open any “misconduct processes”.
Mr Lewis added: “The fast moving nature of incidents such as these means they are some of the most difficult officers, who are not medical professionals, have to face.
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“However, the jury stated that the officers failed to follow their training and they also raised concerns about the quality of national training. This we will address as a matter of urgency with policing nationally.”
