Ex-para to sue video kick cops

Diigo

A FORMER Paratrooper shown on CCTV lying handcuffed on the ground as he was kicked by a policeman is to sue Greater Manchester Police.

Lawyers acting for 35-year-old Delbo King, from Gorton, have written to the chief constable warning him of the civil action after legal aid was granted.

Mr King's legal team have refused to say how much compensation he is claiming, but it is thought he could be awarded up to £50,000.

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As revealed in the M.E.N. in 2004, a stunned magistrates' courtroom was shown the CCTV footage as the former Army boxing champion pleaded guilty to criminal damage, disorderly behaviour and resisting a police officer on duty.

The pictures taken in June 2003 show a number of officers swooping on Mr King after he smashed a city centre bus stop, showering by-standers with glass.

The footage later appears to show Mr King being sprayed with CS gas before being forced to the ground and kicked a number of times.

Discipline

The footage shifted the emphasis of the case on to the actions of the police which later resulted in an official complaint and an investigation by West Yorkshire Police supervised by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

The IPCC ruled that one of the officers shown in the footage should face internal police discipline but the Crown Prosecution Service said there was "insufficient evidence" to bring criminal charges against him or any of the other officers shown taking part in the arrest.

Manchester lawyer Robert Lizar said: "Mr King feels extremely badly let down by the police complaints process.

"A court hearing is the only way he can get an independent body to hold these police officers to account for their violent behaviour.

"It is not simply about the money, it is about justice. Mr King will be suing Greater Manchester Police."

Mr King, an unemployed phone technician and father of one, said: "I want this situation to be resolved.

"At the end of the day if I had done what the police officers did, I would be in jail now." He said what happened had a profound impact on his life.

He said: "I am angry and frustrated at the situation, but at the moment my hands are tied - I am a slave to the system."

During the course of his arrest Mr King suffered a broken tooth and bruising. He was ordered to serve one day's detention and pay £100 compensation for damaging the bus shelter after pleading guilty.

A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police said a date had not yet been set for an internal disciplinary hearing for the police sergeant accused of kicking Mr King but said it was imminent.

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