"Serious failings" of police officers while restraining a man contributed to his death, an inquest jury has concluded.

Krystian Kilkowski died in the early hours of his birthday after suffering from complications while being restrained by police officers in Diss.

An inquest which lasted more than four weeks finished on Tuesday, with a jury concluding that Mr Kilkowski's death could have been prevented were it not for "serious failings" from emergency services.

In four weeks of evidence, the court heard how police had attended his address in Cotsman Close after receiving a 999 call with concerns about his "strange behaviour".

They arrived to find him "pacing back and forth, sweating excessively and convinced that somebody was trying to kill him".

Mr Kilkowski was detained by officers under the mental health act, but the jury said it was concerned that he had not been properly informed of why this was happening.

The Polish-born machine operator fled from the police and after being caught up with, was restrained while officers awaited an ambulance - during which time he suffered wrist injuries from his handcuffs and self-inflicted injuries through bites to his arm and his tongue.

It later emerged that Mr Kilkowski was suffering an acute behavioural disturbance brought on by amphetamines.

But the jury raised concerns about Mr Kilkowski's restraint, which saw him held to the ground for more than an hour - saying "the approach lacked leadership".

The forewoman said: "The police had all received restraint training and were aware that restraining on the ground was to be avoided if possible.

"Krystian was held on the floor for a prolonged period in extreme heat.

"This represented a serious failure to keep Krystian safe and this failure contributed to the rapid deterioration in his condition."

The jury also highlighted concerns over communication between the police and the control room at the East of England Ambulance Service Trust - which hampered Mr Kilkowski receiving swifter medical attention.

They said Mr Kilkowski's deteriorating condition was not communicated well enough resulting in the urgency of his call not being upgraded quickly enough.

As a result, medical attention did not arrive as soon as it could have, prolonging his restraint and allowing his condition to worsen.

It also meant that paramedics arriving at the scene were not fully aware of the severity of the situation - despite several attempts from officers to inform the call handlers.

The jury concluded that he had died a drug-related death following amphetamine intoxication leading to an acute behavioural disturbance.

They added that this was "exacerbated by a period of physical activity and further complicated by serious failings in the management of his restraint".

The jury also concluded that "organisational failings in emergency services led to delays in him receiving critical medical care".

Jodie Anderson, a caseworker for the charity Inquest, on behalf of his family, said: "Krystian’s death is another shocking example of the lethal consequences of police officers dealing with people in mental health crises.

"Krystian was in distress and needed care, not brutality.

"The failure to treat his rapidly deteriorating condition as a medical emergency meant that he was deprived of any chance of survival.

"We call for a widespread structural and cultural change in the way that those in acute mental health crisis are treated on the streets.

"A failure to acknowledge this growing problem will result in further unnecessary deaths following disproportionate use of force at the hands of police forces."

A spokesperson for Norfolk Constabulary said: "This is a tragic case in which a man lost his life, and our thoughts remain with Mr Kilkowski’s family and friends.

"We are currently reviewing the findings of the inquest and will be commenting further shortly.”

Mr Kilkowski died in the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital at 12.15am on August 11, 2020, his 32nd birthday.