DEFIBRILLATORS should be rolled out to all police stations in Scotland following the death of a man who suffered a heart attack in custody, a Sheriff has said.

The recommendations follow a Fatal Accident Inquiry into the case of Kevin McGurty, 43, who collapsed at Annan Police Station in Dumfries and Galloway on November 20 2013.

The court heard that the availability of defibrillators varied at police stations across Scotland but were "not generally" provided to smaller stations such as Annan.

Sheriff George Jamieson said that while there were "no reasonable precautions" which were likely to have prevented Mr McGurty's death, he urged Police Scotland and the NHS to consider equipping all custody stations with the devices which can "shock" the heart into restarting during cardiac arrest.

Sheriff Jamieson also called for a review of the training given to staff to deal with a medical emergency after the FAI found that the two officers trying to with Mr McGurty "failed to apply CPR".

Both officers had received training in emergency life support, but Sheriff Jamieson said they had panicked when "faced with a real life emergency" and "did not put their training into practice".

This suggested "inadequate training", he added.

Mr McGurty had been on the run from police earlier in the evening following reports of a domestic disturbance between himself and his wife. He later surrendered to PCs Keith McKinnell and Chloe Rice who drove him to Annan Police Station, but within minutes of arriving he "suddenly fell backwards to the ground".

The officers put Mr McGurty into the recovery position and immediately phoned for an ambulance.

However, expert witnesses who reviewed CCTV footage of the incident told the FAI that the officers "had not acted appropriately".

In his determination, Sheriff Jamieson said: "The police officers had failed to apply CPR when the circumstances suggested that Mr McGurty was not breathing normally ... My impression is PC McKinnell, who was 'petrified' was unable to think clearly and apply his training. PC Rice, a newly qualified officer, deferred to his decisions.

"They both wanted the medics to arrive and deal with the problem. Unfortunately for Mr McGurty time was of the essence and CPR should have been applied immediately to increase his chances of survival."

However, the Sheriff stressed that even with a defibrillator, doctors estimated Mr McGurty's chances of survival beyond 30 days were "no more than one to two per cent" given his overall poor health. Mr McGurty was a heavy smoker with alcohol problems, lower back pain, and depressive episodes. The post-mortem also revealed that his heart was slightly enlarged.

Nonetheless, Sheriff Jamieson said "consideration should be given" to equipping all custody stations with defibrillators, and improving police training "to make as certain as possible that all officers faced with a situation of a sudden collapse are clearly able to recognise a situation where the [defibrillator] may be required and act accordingly."

He added: "I wish to emphasise that I have sympathy for the circumstances in which PCs McKinnell and Rice found themselves regarding Mr McGurty’s death. I commended them for acting in a very caring and attentive way towards Mr McGurty after his collapse. They acted appropriately in calling an ambulance, and trying to comfort him in his distress. They had to make a judgment in difficult circumstances, for which even the best training might not have equipped them psychologically.

"The court’s duty however is to look back with the benefit of hindsight and conclude, as it has done, that the officers should have applied CPR. This is unlikely to have saved Mr McGurty’s life, but, Police Scotland must do more to impress upon its officers the need to act with alacrity when similar circumstances arise in the future."