The nephew of reggae star Smiley Culture said he would not give up the fight to get justice for his uncle, after a leaked report suggested police officers were unlikely to face criminal charges or disciplinary action over his death.

Merlin Emmanuel and his family, who have been campaigning for a full investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), are now considering whether to make further challenges when an inquest is held.

David Emmanuel, 48, known as Smiley Culture, allegedly stabbed himself in the heart when four police officers raided his house in Warlingham, looking for drugs, in March.

The singer, who grew up in Brixton and went to Tulse Hill School, was then handcuffed and died moments later.

His death caused outrage in the community and prompted a large-scale march from Wandsworth to Scotland Yard.

But in a letter to the family leaked to The Guardian newspaper last week, Mike Franklin, commissioner of the IPCC, said the actions of the police officers involved "did not meet the threshold for misconduct".

He conceded the raid was "not satisfactory", but said the IPCC had "not found any evidence which would suggest any criminal acts were committed by any of the officers in the house."

Commenting on the news, Mr Emmanuel said: "We are obviously disappointed but far from surprised.

"There is always that window of hope, but it looks like we will be one of those joining the list of those that are waiting for justice. We are a resilient bunch and we will fight as long as there are options."

He said there had been a "veil of silence" from authorities following the incident.

All four officers have given voluntary accounts of what happened, but none have been formally interviewed as part of the IPCC investigation.

The family wants to know why Mr Emmanuel, who was due to face drug charges, was cuffed after his fatal injury.

They also question why the officer in the kitchen at the time of Emmanuel’s death refused a direct request by the IPCC’s lead investigator to give a formal interview.

Mr Emmanuel said: "What we have here is a gentleman who would still be alive if the police had not visited him that morning. I would much rather have visited him in prison than in a graveyard."