TWO police officers have spoken of when they arrested robber Clint Townsend.

Sergeant Martin Crawley and PC Robert Mann were speaking at the second day of Mr Townsend's inquest at County Hall today.

Mr Townsend, 33, died in March last year after attempting to rob John Gowing Jeweller in Oxford's Covered Market.

Sgt Crawley, who drove to the scene from St Aldate's police station, said: "On arrival I noticed there were a number of people on top off and around a prone man on the floor.

"Believing a robbery had taken place myself and my colleague took control.

"We began talking to him but he gave no reply."

The officers moved the man, put him in handcuffs and put him in a prone position, the court heard.

Assistant coroner Alison Thompson heard yesterday how Mr Townsend had been tackled to the floor by a group of people - including staff at the jewellery shop - when he started trying to break the store's window with a sledgehammer.

These people then sat on him until the police arrived.

Sgt Crawley told the court that one of these people may have had Mr Townsend, who was wearing a motorcycle helmet, in a head lock.

The pathologist who carried out a post mortem on Mr Townsend will give evidence after lunch.

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