An inquest into the death of a Watford man, held today, heard how he fell ill while in a cell waiting for a court hearing.

Wayne Spencer Broad was arrested and held in police custody overnight on November 15, before falling ill the next morning.

He died on November 30 2011 after suffering from a seizure brought on by alcohol withdrawal.

Sergeant Adam Smith was working between 10pm and 6am while Mr Broad was in custody. He described it as "a busy shift" with a number of people detained over night.

He said he was not made aware that Mr Broad could be at risk of seizure or alcohol withdrawal.

At about 2am sergeant Smith decided to stop rousing Mr Broad every half an hour as previously advised, as he seemed well and needed a period of rest before appearing in court the next day, choosing instead to check on him every hour.

Mr Broad was collected by Serco court officers at 8.55am and taken through to a secure holding area while he waited for his court appearance.

Stacey Griffin, a senior custody officer with Serco, was in charge of the transfer. She said Mr Broad’s paperwork contained a medical warning to call 999 if he complained of feeling short of breath.

Mr Griffin said: "At 9.10am Mr Broad complained he was feeling unwell, his shoulder hurt, he was short of breath and he had heart palpitations.

"He was visibly unwell - sweating, incoherent and delayed in answering questions. I checked his medical report, talked to my colleagues and the spoke to Mr Broad before deciding to call an ambulance."

Coroner Andrew Walker asked Ms Griffin why she delayed in calling for an ambulance when Mr Broad’s notes advised calling 999 immediately if he felt out of breath.

Ms Griffin said: "I wanted to ascertain that he was really unwell, some people in custody are able to make themselves look quite unwell. There is a lot of documentation to fill in when a prisoner has to be transported to hospital."

Paramedics arrived half an hour later and took Mr Broad to the QE2 Hospital in Welwyn. During the trip and his treatment at the hospital he was handcuffed to a Serco officer.

When he returned to the police station at 3.40pm Ms Griffin said he looked "more unwell".

During this time the magistrates came to the cells to allow Mr Broad’s hearing to take place. He was given unconditional bail.

She added: "Myself and another colleague took his pulse and talked to his solicitor before deciding to call for an ambulance again. He was unsteady, sweating and shaking, and was unable to hold a glass of water.

"The ambulance arrived and put him on a stretcher. I gave him £20 from petty cash because I was concerned that he would not be able to get home."

The case continues.