Prosecutors dropped the case into Gavin Brown's death over a 'lack of evidence' against four people police wanted to charge, an inquest has heard.
Jurors have today (November 29) begun listening to evidence into the 29-year-old's death for a second week at South Manchester Coroners' Court, in Stockport.
The vulnerable dad-of-two, who had paranoid schizophrenia, died at Salford Royal Hospital eight days after an altercation outside The Melville Hotel, in Stretford.
Giving evidence for the second time during the inquest, DCI Dave Jones said five people were arrested following the melee on April 12, 2019 - three on the night, and two more in the following month.
He told the court that Greater Manchester Police's investigation was initially for an assault, but this became a murder probe following Mr Brown's death in hospital on April 20 that year.
After carrying out their investigation, police recommended four people for charges.
The court heard that three could have been charged with murder or manslaughter, while one person could have been charged with gross negligence manslaughter.
But following a lengthy process, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) ultimately said it did not have enough evidence to charge anyone.
DCI Jones told the jury that the CPS looked into the case from an earlier stage than usual, due to its 'complexity'.
"We made contact with the CPS within the first two weeks," he said.
"It was allocated to a lawyer - a senior prosecutor in York.
"There were two face-to-face meetings [between CPS and GMP], a number of telephone consultation meetings and the final CPS charging decision on September 24, 2020.
"They provided a lengthy 45-page document.
"Essentially, they said there was not enough evidence to prosecute any of the four identified males."
An appeal against the CPS' decision could be considered following the outcome of Mr Brown's inquest, the court heard.
Earlier today, jurors also heard evidence from a number of police officers who attended The Melville Hotel following the altercation.
PC Beth Eyres told the court that there was 'very little resistance' from Mr Brown when officers went to arrest him, while he didn't make a sound.
Asked by coroner Andrew Bridgman whether this was not a cause for concern, PC Eyres said 'no', adding: "That was because of the information we were provided with prior to our arrival."
Officers believed they were attending an incident involving a stabbing and an acid attack before arrival, the court heard.
PC James Philips said he was 'not sure if [Mr Brown] had any weapon him' before he started to handcuff him, only to check his welfare after the arrest.
During the first week of evidence, jurors were told that Mr Brown was found in a 'deeply unconscious' state by police, with a plastic bin bag over his face.
It followed an altercation involving a doorman at The Melville, who told jurors Mr Brown punched him twice before pressing his eyes until one of them bled.
The inquest heard that Mr Brown was then kept on the ground in a 'chokehold' by a pubgoer, while another doorman also helped to hold him down.
Jurors are set to hear evidence from one more witness tomorrow before going into deliberations.
