A former republican prisoner who was controversially arrested while putting up a suicide awareness poster on a lamppost has taken his own life.

Henry MacErlean (62) died at his home in Ardoyne in north Belfast on Sunday evening.

The Irish News reported in June this year how he was arrested after police said he was seen "interfering with a lamppost using tools and a ladder".

Mr MacErlean had been erecting posters advertising the Lifeline helpline in north Belfast - an area which had seen a spate of suicides - and was questioned on suspicion of disorderly behaviour, obstructing police and resisting officers.

The PSNI were accused of double standards at the time, with Sinn Féin Policing Board member Pat Sheehan saying it was "unacceptable" at a time when loyalists were erecting flags on lampposts with impunity in the run-up to the Twelfth.

Mr MacErlean was due to appear before Belfast Magistrates Court last Friday but was too ill to attend.

His solicitor Seamus Delaney said he was in "no doubt" his arrest had impacted his client's health.

"This was a man who at 62 years old was still an accomplished runner but after his arrest I noticed a dramatic change in him," he said.

Mr MacErlean was a member of Republican Network for Unity and spokesman Carl Reilly said he "felt very strongly" about raising awareness of mental health issues.

"His love for his community and working for the betterment of that community with ex-prisoners and other groups had gained Henry enormous respect," he said.