A man who died after being restrained by up to 11 police officers might have survived if life support had been given, an inquest was told.

Olaseni Lewis, 23, of South Norwood, fell into a coma after being restrained at the Bethlem Royal Hospital in Monks Orchard Road, Beckenham.

Jurors at the inquest, being held at South London Coroner’s Court in Croydon, were asked to consider evidence that a doctor had checked Mr Lewis’ pulse and found it to be 45 to 50 beats per minute.

They were told that if they believe that was the case and had immediate life support had been given, Mr Lewis’s life could have been saved.

The inquest was told at a hearing on March 2 at the same court that a combination of restraint and struggle in severe agitation were the cause of Mr Lewis’ death.

Dr Ashley Fegan-Earl, the forensic pathologist who examined the IT graduate’s body, told the inquest that in a state of acute behavioural disturbance (ABD), Mr Lewis’ struggle and muscle demands while being restrained by officers affected his pulse rate and breathing and, in part, caused his heart to stop.

A “significant” lack of oxygen to the 23-year-old’s brain as a result of the cardiac arrest then caused the death of the South Norwood graduate, according to Dr Fegan-Earl.

The jury were instructed to consider whether force used by the police officers, including hand cuffs and leg restraints, was necessary.

They were told that any person is entitled to use force to defend themselves or another person if they believe they are in immediate danger of harm.

The inquest in to the death of Mr Lewis began on February 6 this year, seven years after he fell in to a coma on August 31, 2010, and has been ongoing for ten weeks.

The South Norwood IT graduate was taken to Croydon University Hospital but died four days later on September 3.

The jury are expected to deliver a conclusion this week.