THREE police officers who travelled with the ambulance which took Andrew Jordan to hospital, all told the inquest the ambulance crew had been warned by their sergeant about the danger to Mr Jordan of keeping him lying on his stomach.

They claimed the ambulance crew had told them and Sergeant Simon Young that they were quite happy to have Mr Jordan lying face down with his hands cuffed behind his back and strapped on to a stretcher in the ambulance.

Probationer PCs Christopher Evans, Michael Clarke and Jamie Hobbs each told the inquest how during the ambulance journey they had raised concerns with emergency technician Daniel Gaze, about Mr Jordan's deteriorating condition.

They claimed Mr Gaze had dismissed concerns about Mr Jordan having a possible fit and his panting breaths, telling them he was hyperventilating and was alright.

PC Evans said after the ambulance's first stop, he had told Mr Gaze he had heard Mr Jordan "snore" and his lips smack together. He said it was he who had drawn the ambulanceman's attention to the fact that Mr Jordan's left hand was cold, but said Mr Gaze had told him it was probably due to the window being open.

He said Mr Gaze had felt the right arm and said it was warm. He had then told Mr Gaze that Mr Jordan's lips had turned purple and had said "This ain't right." Mr Gaze had then stopped the ambulance a second time because Mr Jordan was not breathing.

Earlier Sergeant Young had described, when he arrived, Mr Jordan had seemed under control with four officers restraining him on his knees bent over a sofa with his hands cuffed behind his back. He had asked other officers to leave the small living room. He denied any officer had applied any pressure to Mr Jordan's back, despite extensive bruising found on his body. He said he didn't see Mr Jordan moved from that position until he was taken out of the house. He said Mr Jordan's removal from the house had been delayed while they waited for a police van to take him. But when he became concerned that Mr Jordan could not stand, he had decided Mr Jordan should travel to Queen Mary's Hospital in the ambulance instead.

Segeant Young said he had asked the ambulance crew if they were happy to have Mr Jordan handcuffed and they had said yes. But he was not, and had taken the decision to take off the cuffs and put three officers in the ambulance in case Mr Jordan became violent.

He claimed he also told the crew to be "mindful of positional asphyxia" and they had given no sign that they did not know what he meant. He said the crew did not alter Mr Jordan's position from lying front down and he did not feel it appropriate to tell them what to do.