Reggae star Smiley Culture threatened police with a knife, seconds before plunging the blade into his heart as officers carried out a drugs raid at his home, an inquest heard today.

The 48-year-old, whose real name was David Emmanuel, was in the kitchen of his Warlingham home with a police officer when the incident happened on March 15, last year.

The Brixton-born eighties star who shot to fame with his the song Police Officer, was visited by police at 7am and arrested on suspicion of importing Class A drugs into the UK.

Outlining the case to the jury, Coroner Richard Travers said Mr Emmanuel had appeared calm and relaxed as four Metropolitan Police officers, who cannot be named for legal reasons, searched the property.

The singer had been deemed low risk and had been allowed to make himself cups of tea, but the inquest heard his behaviour unexpectedly changed as an officer known as witness two, filled in paperwork as the search came to an end.

Mr Travers told jurors: "Mr Emmanuel very suddenly without warning stood up and witness two realised Mr Emmanuel had a large kitchen knife in his hand.

"The officer said he shouted "knife" so as to warn his colleagues, when Mr Emmanuel shouted 'Do you f***ing want some of this?' And 'What about this?'

"Witness two will say Mr Emmanuel's face and body language changed completely, he appeared angry and was screaming.

"He then held the knife with both hands and plunged it into his chest."

An ambulance was called, officers administered first aid and attempted to stem the flow of blood, but Mr Emmanuel was pronounced dead at the scene.

The jury of five men and six women heard Mr Emmanuel's neice had stopped by his home that morning after he had failed to answer the phone.

The coroner said when Laura-May Emmanuel arrived she did not go in and saw her uncle from a distance.

In a statement Miss Emmanuel said her uncle looked 'calm albeit a little bewildered'.

She told him she would come back after dropping her daughter to school, but by the time she had returned her uncle was dead.

The court heard three pathologists examined Mr Emmanuel's body.

Two concluded the cause of death was 1a haemorrhage due to 1b stab wound to the heart and the third gave the cause of death as 1a stab wound to the left chest.

Pathologist Dr Robert Chapman was called to Mr Emmanuel's home and said he saw a pair of handcuffs on the floor to the left of the singer's body and that 12cm of the blade was visible.

Giving evidence Dr Chapman said there were no defensive injuries on Mr Emmanuel's hands but blunt injuries consistent with handcuffs were found on his wrists.

He added he could not be sure whether the handcuffs were applied before or after the stabbing.

The inquest continues.