The Police Ombudsman has said a police officer was right to have used CS Spray on a man in Coleraine who was "abusive and threatening."

For a limited period following the introduction of CS Spray, the Police Ombudsman's Office was asked to investigate all uses of the device by officers.

One such incident was between three and four o'clock of November 6 2004 when a police operator answered a 999 emergency call from a woman who said she wanted her boyfriend removed from her house. The police operator said she heard noise and shouting in the background.

Police arrived at the house, which was in Mill Street, within minutes, found the woman's boyfriend and began to talk to him. One of the police officer's notebooks recalls that the man alternated between being friendly and threatening.

The man then left the house and walked away towards Railway Street in the town. When the officer left the house they found the man in the Long Commons area. They approached him, advised him not to return to Mill Street and suggested he make arrangements to get to his home in Limavady.

However, police records show the man became abusive, adopted a boxer's pose and said he would assault the officers. He then walked into the middle of the road, causing two cars to stop, while continuing to shout abuse at the police.

At this point one of the policemen told the man he was under arrest for Disorderly Behaviour. The man continued to threaten the officer, despite three warnings from the police that CS Spray would be used.

As the police officer deployed his spray the man ran off into Church Street and avoided its effects. He then turned towards the officer and again threatened to punch him. The Officer sprayed him a second time.

When Police Ombudsman investigators began investigating the incident they sent letters to the man, asking him for his version of events. The man did not respond.

The Police Ombudsman Mrs Nuala O'Loan has concluded that the officer was right to use the spray:

"The officer was faced with a man who not responding to having been talked to or arrested. The man was also abusive and threatening. If the officer had used his baton, the man could have could have suffered a serious injury.

By using the spray the officer was able to bring him under control with minimum risk to himself and to the police officers. The use of the spray was the right thing to do," she said.