A Dover man took his own life three days after he arrived home to find police searching the property and a BBC crew filming the outside.

Now his sister has accused the force of "having blood on its hands" over its handling of the incident.

The daughter of Russell Cordes, who died aged 49, said she was concerned that the presence of the cameras was the "catalyst" for Cordes' death.

The inquest had been halted in the summer, when the hearing learned that the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IOPC) were conducting an investigation into the events which lead up to Mr Cordes' death.

The hearing resumed yesterday and coroner Katrina Hepburn heard that on April 15, 2019 a search warrant was carried out at Mr Cordes' home in Oswald Road, after police had received intelligence that indecent images of children had been downloaded and made available to share from an I.P address that was linked to Mr Cordes, a kitchen porter at P&O Ferries

Det Con Darren Bassett, of the Kent Police online unit, explained they arrived at the home, with a camera crew in tow, who were filming for a three-part documentary, about their investigation team.

Mr Cordes was not at his house when police entered and the camera crew were filming the front of the property.

The inquest was told the crew continued to film outside the property even after Mr Cordes arrived and said he did not give his consent to be on camera.

Mr Bassett said having reviewed the footage, the camera crew did have about 40 seconds of footage of Mr Cordes taken at some point during that day's filming.

Electronic devices such as a laptop and a mobile phone were seized, but Mr Cordes was not arrested, as he had just finished a night shift and there were no welfare issues surrounding children.

Instead, it was arranged for Mr Cordes to attend Canterbury Police station the next day to speak to police.

"He was asked if he had seen any indecent images of children. He said he had but it wasn't something he had searched for. I explained to him if it was an accident, then it wasn't anything to worry about because we would be able to see what search terms and websites he used," Det Con Bassett told the court.

However, Mr Cordes never attended the appointment and on April 18, he was found dead, lying in his kitchen, with empty packets of pills on a nearby table.

"Did you ask Russell whether he suffered from depression or anxiety? You have got blood on your hands..."

The police community support officers who discovered Mr Cordes, after concerned calls from neighbours, said a crate of Stella Artois and a washing basket were blocking the kitchen door.

A note was also found in the house which referenced "stigma" and said that "he was sorry but could be happy now."

Mr Cordes had suicidal thoughts after he lost a job in 2017, suffered from depression and anxiety and was taking anti-depressants earlier in the year.

During the inquest, Mrs Cordes' sister, Mickele Cordes, and his stepmum, Heather Cordes quizzed Det Con Bassett on why no welfare checks had been carried out before the police and the camera crew arrived.

Heather Cordes asked: "Did you ask Russell whether he suffered from depression or anxiety?"

He replied: "You take somebody at face value. There was no reason for me to believe there was any underlying issues."

Ms Hepburn asked Det Con Bassett whether there was any duty to carry out welfare checks before a search warrant, to which DC Bassett replied: "We carry out checks to confirm who lives at the address but their medical records wouldn't be available to us."

Mickele Cordes then told Det Con Bassett: "You have got blood on your hands."

During the search, Det Con Bassett had given Mr Cordes the details of a charity he could contact for people facing similar offences and told him he could contact his GP, as well as his own number.

Mr Cordes' daughter, Drew, attended the hearing and paid tribute to her father.

She said: "My father always put me first. There was not a moment I didn't feel love and adored by him. We were incredibly close."

She said that after her father lost his job at Currys, where he had been for 20 years, he had suicidal thoughts and had even written a note. However, after after he secured a new position at P&O Ferries, he was much happier and in a "good place".

"When I spoke to him on April 12 over text, I got no indication of anything wrong. I got the impression he was thinking to the future.

"My concern is that the presence of the BBC film crew was the catalyst to him taking his own life. The stress of the situation was completely unnecessary," she said.

Miss Cordes also said that her father was found innocent of the allegation against him.

However, Kent Police were unable to confirm this, as no arrest of charge was made.

"I think I will look at where we draw the line into intrusiveness of the film crew's presence..."

The IOPC report found the officers involved in the search had not committed a criminal offence or behaved in a way which would result in disciplinary action.

The report did accept that the presence of the camera crew caused "Mr Cordes more upset and distress," but added that the police were duty bound to investigate serious offences and noted that one indecent image had been downloaded by Mr Cordes.

It added that the crew stopped filming, when the kitchen porter refused to be on camera.

Finally, the report suggested Kent Police review the decisions over camera crews accompanying officers and also carrying out appropriate safe guarding or risk assessments beforehand.

Chf Supt Pritchard from Kent Police, said in response to the IOPC report: "I think I will look at where we draw the line into intrusiveness of the film crew's presence."

Summing up, Ms Hepburn said she was satisfied that Cordes took an overdose of prescription medication with the intention to take his own life. She ruled death by suicide.

Ms Hepburn said: "His mind was made up. He may well have taken into account the recent event with the police investigation.

"There's evidence in his note with 'the stigma'. That may well have been the police investigation itself."

Ms Hepburn said the presence of the BBC film crew must have been a "background factor" and caused him further stress.

She made clear however that, although the cameras may have influenced his decision, it was not the only reason.

She said: "If you have a film crew filming a search warrant being executed then this may well be something that causes them to become a higher risk than they might otherwise have been without the film crew. It is already a stressful situation."

The footage filmed on April 15 by BBC crews will not be aired, when the documentary is released by Channel 4, the court heard.

"If you have a film crew filming a search warrant being executed then this may well be something that causes them to become a higher risk than they might otherwise have been... it's already a stressful situation..."

A toxicology report found a mixture of prescription drugs in Mr Cordes' system at fatal levels and a post mortem gave the cause of death as multiple drug overdose and pneumonia.

After the hearing, Superintendent John Phillips of Kent Police’s professional standards department said: "Following the IOPC investigation and now the inquest has taken place, force policy relating to media presence during search warrants will be reviewed to establish any learning."

The BBC was filming the investigation for broadcaster Channel 4. Channel 4 has been approached for comment.

A spokesman from BBC Studios said: "Our sincere condolences go out to the family.

"BBC Studios were filming an observational documentary series for Channel Four following the work of Kent Police.

"The crew accompanied the police to an address in Dover, where they were exercising a warrant.

"None of this recorded material will be used in the series."

If you need help on an emotional issue, you can call the Samaritans free on 116 123.

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