A First Nations peacemaker who died in custody after officers deployed capsicum spray to break up a nearby brawl is "much more than a statistic", an inquest has been told.

Gregory Merriman, 58, was housed at the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre in Sydney when a fight broke out among his fellow inmates on December 27, 2022.

CCTV of the incident shows the Yuin man was not involved in the brawl - in which one man was wielding a pole - but appeared to try and break it up before retreating towards his cell.

Mr Merriman was metres away when a correctional officer deployed capsicum spray to diffuse the fight before the inmates were locked in their cells, the inquest into his death was told.

No one checked on him until nearly half an hour later when he was found unresponsive in his cel

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