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

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 happened in the early hours of November 22 2004 at New Market Street in Coleraine when police responded to a call from a publican who was having difficulty removing a man from his bar.

When a police officer asked the man to leave the premises he became abusive and aggressive. The officer warned the man to calm down and leave the premises or he would use CS Spray.

Members of the public and another police officer persuaded the man to leave the bar. He was then put into a police car which was to take him home.

The man got out of the car, however, kicked its door and became abusive to the officer who had threatened him with CS Spray. Again the Constable warned that he would use the spray and asked those in the area to stand clear.

The Constable sprayed the man's chest but this appeared to have no effect. The man continued to be aggressive to another officer and the officer discharged his spray again. The man later made a complaint to the Police Ombudsman's Office.

Police Ombudsman staff investigating the incident established that while there was no CCTV cameras in the bar, other video cameras of the area outside the bar existed. This footage was seized and examined.

The Police Ombudsman, Mrs Nuala O'Loan, said the evidence showed that the police officer was right to have used his spray:

"CCTV evidence shows that the man was aggressive and threatened the police. The use of the spray appears to have been justified."