A law student has won £5,000 from police who handcuffed him for giving money to the homeless.
George Wilson gave a homeless man £1 after leaving a Liverpool nightclub at 2am. Police thought the Liverpool John Moores University student was buying drugs, or, at that price, crushed-up nettles, and detained him and clapped him in handcuffs. Wilson told an officer that he was a "student of the law". To which the policeman replied, "Look, buddy, if I lock you up for being drunk and disorderly, because that's what you are being, you won't be a student of the law any more. I'll take that off you. So shut your mouth and stop being stupid".
Wilson replied that he was being polite and respectful, to which the officer responded, "that's not how I'll write it up, pal". However the law student, who has since graduated, had recorded the entire conversation on his phone, and pursued an action for false imprisonment and trespass to person. Merseyside Police agreed to pay him £5,000 compensation, although Wilson said, "I still feel in a way proper justice wasn't found".
Adam Quick of James Murray Solicitors, acting for Wilson, said the officer's comments were "shocking". But the policeman, who denied threatening to falsify a statement, was exonerated by a Merseyside Police investigation which concluded that his words could be interpreted differently, for example by saying them in a different conversation.
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George Wilson gave a homeless man £1 after leaving a Liverpool nightclub at 2am. Police thought the Liverpool John Moores University student was buying drugs, or, at that price, crushed-up nettles, and detained him and clapped him in handcuffs. Wilson told an officer that he was a "student of the law". To which the policeman replied, "Look, buddy, if I lock you up for being drunk and disorderly, because that's what you are being, you won't be a student of the law any more. I'll take that off you. So shut your mouth and stop being stupid".
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Liverpool, 2am |
Wilson replied that he was being polite and respectful, to which the officer responded, "that's not how I'll write it up, pal". However the law student, who has since graduated, had recorded the entire conversation on his phone, and pursued an action for false imprisonment and trespass to person. Merseyside Police agreed to pay him £5,000 compensation, although Wilson said, "I still feel in a way proper justice wasn't found".
Adam Quick of James Murray Solicitors, acting for Wilson, said the officer's comments were "shocking". But the policeman, who denied threatening to falsify a statement, was exonerated by a Merseyside Police investigation which concluded that his words could be interpreted differently, for example by saying them in a different conversation.
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Reassuring news for my own profession.
And something the earwig Philip Blond (see neighbouring story) would do well to reflect on instead of mindlessly bashing solicitors as mindless bloodsuckers (not saying it doesn't taste nice though).
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