A LAW student who died after suffering a cardiac arrest in a police van had taken drugs, a coroner’s court heard.

Oxford Coroner’s Court staged a pre-inquest review hearing yesterday into the death of Nuno Cardoso, 25, from Headington.

The student at Ruskin College died at the John Radcliffe Hospital on November 24 last year.

Oxfordshire coroner Darren Salter said the cause of death was cardio-respiratory arrest due to drug intoxication - involving alcohol, cocaine and morphine.

He added that a full inquest would seek to establish the circumstances leading to the arrest, the arrest, any ‘restraint’ used by officers, the decision to take Mr Cardoso to Abingdon police station, and emergency medical care throughout.

The matter has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct and its complete report has not yet been presented to the coroner.

Mr Salter told those gathered at the pre-inquest review, including members of Mr Cardoso’s family, that a full inquest was unlikely to be held before June 2019.

At the inquest opening in December last year it emerged Mr Cardoso was arrested over allegations of an assault.

The police van pulled over at Redbridge park-and-ride off Abingdon Road but Mr Cardoso could not be saved.