MYSTERY surrounds the death of a student who died in an ambulance after a day of drinking.

Newbold College student Daniel Bruno Neves Vulcao - described as a 'physically large, colourful character' - died on January 19 2015 after drinking in The Bridge pub in Wokingham Road.

The 34-year-old Brazilian had been drinking with friends at the pub at around 6pm where he was seen ordering a bottle of Prosecco before leaving at around 6.45pm.

Former landlady, Rebecca Neaves, told Berkshire's senior coroner Peter Bedford, Mr Vulcao was known to staff as he was sometimes rude, but had never caused any trouble.

She was aware Mr Vulcao had arrived back at the pub at around 9.15pm but stayed outside in the smoking area and did not go inside to order any drinks.

The inquest heard that in the time he was away from the pub, Mr Vulcao had drunk another two bottles of vodka.

Ms Neaves explained she could see Mr Vulcao sat outside on one of the picnic tables through the inside CCTV and went out where she found him asleep.

She said: "I thought he had had too much to drink and needed to go home to sleep it off.

"I told him he needed to leave and he was aggressive about it."

She then rung police on 101 at around 9.45pm before four police officers and two special constables from Thames Valley Police arrived and arrested Mr Vulcao for being drunk and incapable.

“On that particular afternoon I was a single crew member,” police constable John Daltrey told the inquest held at Reading Town Hall on Monday, February 6.

“I was then detailed to Wokingham Road in Bracknell to reports of a drunken man acting aggressively. He was slumped over the table, asleep.

“I approached Bruno and said something along the lines of, 'hello mate, you need to wake up and go home'. He pulled his arm away and said something about wanting to fall asleep.

“My assessment was that the man was drunk and pretending to be asleep to disengage with myself. I felt he was feigning sleep thinking I would leave him alone.”

Jurors were shown CCTV images of Mr Vulcao lying on the floor in the recovery position for more than an hour.

“He was falling backwards, I did not want him to risk injury,” officer Daltrey continued. “I was considerably concerned it was one of those things that you train for.

“I placed him in the recovery position on the floor. It was around this time others arrived and asked if it was not better to stand him up. I believed the recovery position would be best.

“While he was lying on the floor, I arrested him for being drunk and incapable. It was very much my view at this stage his friends had left and he could have been a risk to himself.

Officer Daltrey said he was unaware after arresting a member of the public on suspicion of being drunk and incapable it automatically means they are in a medical emergency.

“My understanding at that time is that drunk and incapable did not qualify as a medical emergency. Unfortunately I was unaware of that.

“We had four very very experienced officers there and none of them were aware that this was a medical emergency.

“Looking back in hindsight, seeing the footage and what I recall there are things that I think I should have spotted that I missed.

“At no point did I ever consider that we had a medical emergency on our hands.”

Police then de-arrested Mr Vulcao and left him in the hands of the paramedics.

Mr Vulcao died at 11.21pm.

The inquest continues.