A POST mortem examination into the death of an east Belfast man who died following an arrest operation in the city centre has revealed he suffered fractures to his larynx, an injury consistent with having had his neck compressed.

Gerard McMahon from the Short Strand area died in hospital last Thursday, September 8.

He had been resuscitated by ambulance crews outside the Grand Opera House in Belfast's Great Victoria Street after turning blue during an arrest.

Police had restrained the 36-year-old and there were reports of CS gas being deployed during the arrest.

However, preliminary post mortem findings show that the nightclub DJ did not succumb to the effects of the gas but had his neck compressed and his windpipe restricted with bruising to his neck and laryngeal fractures. He also had several fractured ribs and significant bruising to his body.

Sources have told the Irish News officers are to be quizzed by the Ombudsman about the methods used during the arrest of the popular DJ, who was buried on Thursday, to establish if he was restrained in a way that may have contributed to his death.

CCTV from nearby business premises and witness statements from concerned ambulance crews who treated Mr McMahon at the scene will also be gathered by investigators from the ombudsman's office.

The Irish News has also learned that world renowned pathologist Dr Nathaniel Cary, the man who carried out a post mortem on the body of Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, has been called in by the family's legal team to perform an independent review of the findings.

The ombudsman made an appeal for information this week and asked anyone who may have seen Mr McMahon at several locations in the city centre between 2am and 5am last Thursday to contact them.

The McMahon family's solicitor Padraig Ó Muirigh said they were "very concerned and distressed" at the preliminary findings of the post mortem carried out on Gerard McMahon.

"These findings indicate that he sustained bruising to the neck and laryngeal fractures, in addition to fractures to the ribs and bruising to the limbs", explained Mr Ó Muirigh.

"The post-mortem also confirmed that Gerard suffered a cardiac arrest during restraint. Toxicology results are still awaited.

"The McMahon family have engaged their own independent pathologist, Dr Nathaniel Cary, to review these post mortem findings.

"It is imperative that the Police Ombudsman’s Office carry out a thorough and prompt investigation into the circumstances of the role played by the police in this tragic incident, in particular, whether the control and restraint methods used by the PSNI during this incident contributed in any way to the death of Mr McMahon.

"The McMahon family would appeal to witnesses to this incident to come forward to the Police Ombudsman to assist their investigation and future inquest proceedings in relation to Mr McMahon’s death."