My client Nigel Vernon was arrested at Brighton train station on 2 June 2019 by Officers of Sussex Police. The Officers were in ‘plain clothes’ and grabbed Nigel’s arms without warning, only later telling him that they were Police.
What made the experience even more humiliating than it would have been anyway was the fact that it happened in front of several of Nigel’s former work colleagues whom he had been in the process of meeting at the station.
The Officers searched Nigel, stating he was under arrest for ‘criminal damage’ and repeatedly referring to him by the name of “Steve”. Nigel was swift to offer the Officers evidence that he was not the man ‘Steve’ whom they apparently thought he was. He produced his driving licence and explained that his former colleagues could vouch him – but he was ignored by the Officers.
It became clear that the Officers were acting on the basis of a photocopied CCTV still of the suspect (whom they had evidently already identified by name), but they refused to show this to Nigel.
Nigel was then, totally unnecessarily, handcuffed (he was putting up no physical resistance at all) and marched to a Police vehicle, during which time the Officers informed Nigel that he was suspected of being responsible for a number of cat mutilations in the local area. This was a reference to the case of the “Brighton Cat Killer” – who had stabbed and wounded or killed 16 cats since October 2018.
Following investigation, it was established that a man named Steve Bouquet was in fact the real target of the Police, as they arrested him later the same day, and he was subsequently charged and convicted with these offences.
Nigel was conveyed to Brighton Police Station and processed. He had never before been arrested and found himself undergoing a totally shocking, alien experience.
Approximately 5 minutes into his incarceration in the cell, Nigel was visited by an Officer who blithely informed him that this was a case of ‘mistaken identity’ and he was to be immediately released.
Nigel brought a claim against Sussex Police for wrongful arrest. Sussex denied liability. Following the institution of court proceedings, Sussex agreed to pay an out of court settlement of £8,250 plus his costs.
My client’s name is changed.
Also read: Police under pressure: Wrongful arrests in the media spotlight
