A DECISION on whether police officers will be prosecuted after a man in custody lost the tips of three fingers at Colchester police station is imminent.

The investigation is almost complete with the Independent Police Complaints Commission due to announce its findings early in the New Year.

Six police officers are facing a criminal investigation as well as professional sanctions if excessive force is proven.

In April 2015 a man had been arrested and was allegedly taunting officers while in the custody cell.

A spokesman for the IPCC said: "A 33-year-old man was arrested and taken to Colchester Police Station.

“In the early hours of May 1, 2015, a number of officers entered the man’s cell.

“At the time the man was standing with one foot in the toilet bowl.

“The man held on to the rim on the metal toilet bowl in the cell and up to six officers were then involved in his restraint.

“During the incident the tops of three of the man’s fingers on his left hand were severed and the man was taken to hospital for treatment."

It is alleged he was pulled free from the toilet while he had his fingers wrapped underneath and the sharp edge sliced through the fingers.

The IPCC is investigating whether it was necessary for the officers to enter the cell and whether their actions were justified.

The investigation is also looking into the conduct of officers once the fingers had come off.

It is alleged when the man was rushed to Colchester General Hospital, rather than putting the fingers on ice and taking them with them, the fingers were left inside the toilet.

A spokesman for the IPCC said: "The tops of the fingers were later recovered from inside the toilet and transported to hospital.”

They could not be saved.

The IPCC is also looking into whether it was appropriate to then handcuff the suspect and the length of time it took to call for a paramedic.

The victim, a Romanian national who lives in Colchester, has not been named and the reason for his being in custody has not been revealed.

The IPCC spokesman, commenting earlier this year, said: "The investigation is looking at the appropriateness of restraint used by officers, including whether the officers’ actions contributed to the man’s injuries and whether any first aid was provided before he was taken to hospital.

“The investigation will consider whether the man’s mental health or ethnicity influenced the actions of officers involved in the incident, and examine why there was a delay of around five hours to retrieve and transport the severed fingertips to hospital and a delay of around seven hours in referring the matter to the IPCC.”

One officer was placed on restricted duties following the incident.

Essex Police will comment once the investigation is complete and the results are known.