UK inquest: Reggae star Smiley Culture stabbed himself in chest during raid on his home

LONDON – A British inquest has found that reggae star Smiley Culture died from a self-inflicted stab wound to the chest during a 2011 police raid.

The suicide verdict from an inquest jury Tuesday matched an account from police, who had said the London-born musician stabbed himself with a kitchen knife as officers searched his house in connection with a drugs investigation. His family had called that account of events “bizarre.”

The jury suggested the musician could have been better supervised, and coroner Richard Travers said he would suggest changes to police on improving supervision during home searches.

Culture — whose real name was David Emmanuel — gained fame with 1980s hits including “Cockney Translation” and “Police Officer.”

Inquests are held in Britain to establish the facts about violent or unexplained deaths.