The family of a Perth dealer who died after swallowing cocaine during a raid on his home have claimed the police should learn lessons from their mistakes.
Sheriff Fiona Tait received the final submissions in the fatal accident inquiry into the death of Stuart Sandeman, 37, in 2011.
Sandeman, who weighed more than 33 stones, was seen putting cocaine in his mouth by officers. He ended up on his living room floor with three officers struggling to control him because of his large size. He was pronounced dead 45 minutes later and traces of the drug were found in his stomach.
A representative for his family claimed there had been deficiencies in the planning and briefing of the operation.
They highlighted the fact that officers’ entry into the home was delayed because they were unaware the door was not council-issue and had been reinforced by Mr Sandeman.
They claimed effective demolition of the door would have allowed quicker entry and in greater numbers to make it easier to control Mr Sandeman.
Advocate Catherine Smith said: “It is submitted it was clear from the collective evidence of the officers that they were not able to control him as he moved from the kitchen to the living room with the number of officers available to try and do this.”
She added: “It is submitted that some aspects of the handling of dynamic situation around the attempted detention of Stuart Sandeman demonstrate failures that … could make a difference in other cases.
“It is submitted there are therefore lessons to be learned in those respects.”