A police force has been fined £234,500 for health and safety breaches in relation to a belt used around the face of a man before he collapsed in custody.
Thomas Orchard, 32, died in hospital seven days after being arrested and taken to Heavitree Road police station in Exeter, Devon, in October 2012.
During his detention, Mr Orchard was restrained and an emergency response belt (ERB) was placed across his face for five minutes and two seconds to prevent spitting or biting.
In a landmark conviction in 2018, the office of the chief constable of Devon and Cornwall Police admitted breaches under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
The charge stated that the force failed to ensure non-employees, including Mr Orchard, were not exposed to risks in connection with the ERB.
Last month, Judge Julian Lambert ruled he could not be sure that the ERB, designed to restrain limbs, was a contributory factor in Mr Orchard's death.
On Friday, he fined the force £234,500 at a sentencing hearing at Bristol Crown Court, and said the force's approval of the belt for use about the face followed a "fundamentally flawed process".
The force was also ordered to pay £20,515 in costs.
