Misidentified Merseyside man unlawfully arrested

Background

We were recently instructed on behalf of Mr J following an incident with the Merseyside police in February 2023 whereby he was unlawfully arrested. On the morning of the incident our client was awoken to loud knocking from the police who were looking for someone under the name of ‘David’. Mr J immediately informed the police this was not him and identified himself, offering identification to the officers. Our client attempted to assist the police by pointing them to the correct address for David. Despite this, the police entered Mr J’s home, handcuffed him and pepper sprayed him, all in the presence of him 14 year old daughter. After approximately 20 minutes of being restrained, it became apparent the police had the wrong person. The police left the property with no apology to our client.

Representation

After taking our client’s instructions, we felt Mr J had been seriously aggrieved and we’re eager to represent him. We sent a letter of claim to Merseyside police detailing the events, the impact it had on our client and how our client would like the matter resolved. Upon reviewing the body worn footage of officers at the scene, it became clear that Mr J did everything within his powers to inform the officers that he was not ‘David’ but despite this he was forced to the floor and restrained.

Resolution

Our client received £6,000.00 compensation following the incident in recognition of the distress the police caused him.