Police were not responsible for the death of a man in Dundee city centre, despite his fatal fall occurring just hours after being quizzed by officers.
Steven Smeaton fell to his death from a third-floor property in Forester Street shortly after 6am on the morning of September 7.
Officers had been called to a disturbance at the property a few hours before.
Because police had been in contact with Mr Smeaton a short time before his death, a review into the incident was carried out by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner.
It has now concluded Mr Smeaton’s death cannot be attributable to any act or failure to act by police officers.
The PIRC report reveals Police Scotland received a call at about 3.30am on September 7 from a woman who said she could hear residents of a top-floor flat shouting and a child crying
Officers attended the incident at 3.47am and spoke to the female occupant of the flat, who told them only she and a young child were in the property.
Police entered the flat to check on the welfare of its occupants and discovered Mr Smeaton hiding under a bed.
He told them he had hidden there because he believed there were warrants in force for his arrest.
Both Mr Smeaton and the woman stated that they were not in a relationship and the person responsible for the disturbance had left the premises prior to police arrival.
The woman also told officers that she was happy for the man to remain in the flat and stay overnight.
The officers found that the child was in bed and did not appear distressed.
They then confirmed with the area control room that Mr Smeaton was not wanted on warrant and finding no evidence of a domestic incident, left the flat.
Around 6.30am Police Scotland were then contacted by the Scottish Ambulance Service, who said a man had jumped or fallen from a window.
Mr Smeaton was pronounced dead at the scene.
The PIRC found the initial call had been investigated properly by officers.
Although officers a noted both Mr Smeaton and the flat’s occupant had been “uncooperative and evasive” when questioned, there was nothing to suggest Mr Smeaton was contemplating taking his own life.
Commissioner Kate Frame said: “Having investigated the initial report of a disturbance, the police officers found nothing to indicate the man was considering taking his own life and from all the available evidence there is nothing to suggest his death was attributable to an act or omission by the police officers.”
Mr Smeaton’s death was originally treated as “unexplained” by Police Scotland’s Tayside Division.
Forester Street was sealed off for several hours on September 7 while investigations into Mr Smeaton’s death began.
It was not until November that police ruled out any suspicious circumstances surrounding the incident.
