A student who was handcuffed after giving a homeless man £1 has received a payment of £5,000 (€7,190) in compensation.
A police officer handcuffed George Wilson, 20, from Wallasey in the UK, when he thought the student was swapping drugs with a homeless man in Liverpool, The Liverpool Echo reports.
Police alleged that Mr Wilson had been acting drunk and disorderly, and when Mr Wilson denied this the officer told him, “That’s not how I’ll write it up pal.”
The incident occurred when Mr Wilson was on a night out in Liverpool city centre, and was recorded on Mr Wilson’s phone – which a police officer accidentally set to record while detaining Wilson.
Merseyside police have now admitted that Mr Wilson was unlawfully detained but contest the claim that the officer threatened to falsify a statement saying Mr Wilson was drunk and disorderly.
Mr Wilson gave a homeless man a £1 coin shortly after leaving a nightclub, in January 2014. Police officers thought Wilson had exchanged drugs with the man and moved in to detain Wilson under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
While detaining Wilson one of the officers took Wilson’s phone and accidentally set it to record.
The conversation between Wilson and the officer was recorded.
Police officer (PO): "Can I ask what you were doing... we saw an exchange take place between you and..."
Mr Wilson (W): "Do you know how many times in town we’ve walked through and beggars ask a lot of people for money on the street."
PO: "You’ve got nothing to worry about."
W: "I’ve got nothing to worry about. However I campaign and I’m also a student of the law."
PO: "Look buddy, if I lock you up for being drunk and disorderly, cos that’s what you are being, you won’t be a student of the law anymore. I’ll take that off ya. So shut your mouth and stop being stupid."
W: "I haven’t committed disorder. I haven’t committed disorder. I’ve been polite. I’ve been respectful."
PO: "That’s not how I’ll write it up pal."
Following the settlement Merseyside Police said, "The officer involved in this incident was spoken to about the matter at a misconduct meeting earlier in the year and was provided with advice and training.
"Merseyside Police remains absolutely committed to the highest integrity and the professional standards of its officers at all times."
Merseyside police investigated internally and subsequently accepted that Mr Wilson was detained unlawfully, but still contested that the officer had threatened to falsify a statement.
Mr Wilson said he felt “let down” by the failure to uphold both of his complaints.
He told the Echo: “I felt let down by the police and felt victimised by them. I felt it was a relief to settle the claim, although it wasn’t all upheld so I still feel in a way proper justice wasn’t found.”
