A WATCHDOG has referred the death of a High Wycombe man in police custody to the Crown Prosecution Service.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission has finished its probe into the death of Habib Ullah and sent the case to the CPS for assessment.

Mr Ullah suffered a cardiac arrest and died on July 3, 2008, after being restrained by officers who were trying to force drugs out of his mouth in Sharrow Vale, an inquest in 2010 was told.

The inquest was later abandoned after the Buckinghamshire Coroner was informed police officers had been advised to alter parts of their statements by a solicitor.

IPCC Deputy Chair, Rachel Cerfontyne, said: "This has been a complex investigation which I recognise has taken an unbearably long time for Mr Ullah’s family.

“I am very sorry for the prolonged distress this has caused, but it has been essential to ensure that our investigation was robust and thorough."

The abandonment of the inquest led to the IPCC reopening its investigation into the case after an initial probe ruled there was no evidence to justify criminal proceedings against the officers involved.

The watchdog has sought additional information from doctors and restraint experts.

It also investigated the reasons behind the discrepancies between the original statements from offices and the accounts given at the inquest.

Five Thames Valley Police officers and a solicitor acting for police officers have been interviewed by the IPCC under criminal caution.

The family of Mr Ullah has campaigning for answers for five years.

Click here to read previous stories about the case, including reports from the abandoned inquest.