A CORONER has raised concerns after a man died in the sea off Portland just hours after being released from police custody.

Ivan Rumenov Ignatov, 24, was arrested on July 18 last year in connection with an alleged assault in Sturminster Newton.

In a pre-inquest review, senior coroner Rachael Griffin, confirmed that Mr Ignatov was taken into custody and was released the next day on July 19 at around 6pm and made his way via a bus to Portland. It was then at 9pm, just three hours after being released, that there was an 'incident' whereby Mr Ignatov allegedly tried to steal a car, the coroner heard.

Mrs Griffin said a number of people saw him behaving in an 'erratic manner' and then saw him make his way down to Church Ope Cove and enter the sea about 10.20pm.

She said: "Very sadly though he goes missing in the water and we know that he is found (dead) on the 31st of July."

Because Mr Ignatov had been released from custody only hours before his death the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) was notified. Dorset Police were then advised to look into his death through their independent Professional Standards Department (PSD).

Mrs Griffin said there were disputes over whether when in police custody, concerns were properly identified about his mental health.

She said: "One of the things I will be investigating is the assessment of his mental health and whether those concerns and potential risks of harm to himself were identified and dealt with.

"It is important to say that state agencies, including the police, have a duty to protect life and where there is a real or immediate risk to a person's life they must take reasonable actions to deal with that risk."

Mrs Griffin said it concerned her greatly that there had been statements taken following his time in custody which revealed Mr Ignatov was very mentally distressed and had attempted to harm himself during his time in detention. As a result he was given Ripstop clothing and the level of observation he was under by custody staff was subsequently increased.

However, despite concerns raised, there is no record of any face-to-face consultation with a mental health professional for Mr Ignatov. It was said that he was advised to access support from his GP and was given details of Dorset's mental health crisis teams before being released from custody.

The coroner's investigation into Mr Ignatov's death is ongoing.

Mr Ignatov lived in Sturminster Newton with his parents who attended the hearing. His parents, through an interpreter, said Mr Ignatov did not have any serious mental health issues that they were aware of or were seriously concerned about.

They said their son, originally from Bulgaria, had been living in the UK for three years before he died.

Mr Ignatov's parents raised concerns that despite their son entering the water at around 10.20pm and a police helicopter arriving and a lifeboat launched, there was a decision made by the search teams to not go into the water. The police helicopter circled the area before losing sight of Mr Ignatov at around 11.04pm.

Mrs Griffin requested the details of the Professional Standards Department review before the next hearing to establish what happened during police custody and if the appropriate action was taken, as well as requesting further statements from family and those who undertook the search that night.

The next pre-inquest review will take place on December 8 where it will be decided whether or not a jury is needed for a full inquest into Mr Ignatov's death. This will depend on whether it will require the consideration of Article 2 of the European Convention for Human Rights regarding the potential role state agencies had in the lead up to his death.