Arsalan
08-03-07, 09:10 AM
Pc admits using 'brute force' in woman's arrest
By Stephanie Condron and John Crowley
Last Updated: 9:52am GMT 08/03/2007
Video: Pc punches woman during arrest (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/mms:/main.jhtml?xml=/mms://telegraph.wmod.llnwd.net/a689/o1/TELE_CCTV_RAW_08.wmv)
The police force whose officer struck a young black woman "as hard as I was physically able" as he arrested her said today it was outraged at the suggestion that it was a racist incident.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/graphics/2007/03/08/ubeat.jpgPc Anthony Mulhall said he struck the woman 'as hard as I was physically able'Pc Anthony Mulhall, of South Yorkshire Police, said he used "brute force" as he hit Toni Comer to subdue her so she could be handcuffed.
He was filmed repeatedly striking the 19-year-old woman while he and other officers tried to arrest her outside a nightclub.
The force is investigating the incident in July of last year which was captured by CCTV cameras outside the Niche nightclub in Sheffield.
Officers have pointed out that it is acceptable to punch someone who is resisting arrest.
But campaigners suggested the incident is reminiscent of the sort of police tactics which once sparked riots in America.
Toni Comer, who is of mixed race, had been ejected from the club and damaged a car parked outside.
The CCTV footage shows Pc Mulhall scrambling with the woman at the top of a flight of stairs.
They tumble down and the officer lands on top of her before two other policemen and a security guard come to his aid.
Then with his back to the camera, Pc Mulhall is seen repeatedly hitting Miss Comer, who is lying on the ground until she is finally taken to a police van with her trousers around her ankles.
Miss Comer, now 20, yesterday pleaded guilty to criminal damage and was given a conditional discharge and ordered to pay £250 compensation to the owner of the car.
But she is now pursuing a civil action against the force.
She said: “I got quite a few cuts and bruises to my arms and legs.”
Pc Mulhall said in a statement: “She began to kick, spit and made attempts to bite me. As her hands became free she tried to grab handfuls of my genitals, and knee and kick me in the same place.
"At this point, I struck her as hard as I was able with my right fist in an attempt to subdue her.
"There was no apparent effect so I did this twice more.
“When she continued to resist handcuffs, I now struck her as hard as I was physically able in an attempt to deaden her arm.
"In the end, I had to use brute force.”
The force said an investigation would be supervised by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. A South Yorkshire Police spokesman said it would consider the incident further today. But he added: “The force is outraged at the nature of the report itself and the possible suggestion that this may be linked to any kind of racist incident.”
Chief Superintendent Ali Dizaei of the National Black Police Association said that it was “absolutely” a concern that race may have been an issue.
But he said that, while the video looked “appalling” at first glance, it was acceptable for officers to use force of the kind seen if it was necessary to stop the person being arrested from harming themselves or someone else.
Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, said of the footage obtained by The Guardian: “These images turn the stomach and raise serious questions about police misconduct.”
Police had been called when Ms Comer vandalised a car after being thrown out of the club.
She admitted being drunk at the time of the arrest, about which she had no memory.
She is epileptic and believes her movements may have been caused by a fit.
It was only after viewing the film that she began considering a civil action.
She acknowledged that police would have been unaware of her medical condition and said that her father, Leroy Walcott, had told her she can be aggressive during an epileptic fit.
Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman and MP for Sheffield Hallam, said: “I have spoken to the Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police who has given me assurances he will refer the case to the Independent Police Complaints Commission and will consider taking the police officer off his duties whilst an investigation is ongoing.”
Information appearing on telegraph.co.uk is the copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited and must not be reproduced in any medium without licence. For the full copyright statement see Copyright (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/portal/main.jhtml?view=COPYRIGHT&grid=P9)
By Stephanie Condron and John Crowley
Last Updated: 9:52am GMT 08/03/2007
Video: Pc punches woman during arrest (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/mms:/main.jhtml?xml=/mms://telegraph.wmod.llnwd.net/a689/o1/TELE_CCTV_RAW_08.wmv)
The police force whose officer struck a young black woman "as hard as I was physically able" as he arrested her said today it was outraged at the suggestion that it was a racist incident.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/graphics/2007/03/08/ubeat.jpgPc Anthony Mulhall said he struck the woman 'as hard as I was physically able'Pc Anthony Mulhall, of South Yorkshire Police, said he used "brute force" as he hit Toni Comer to subdue her so she could be handcuffed.
He was filmed repeatedly striking the 19-year-old woman while he and other officers tried to arrest her outside a nightclub.
The force is investigating the incident in July of last year which was captured by CCTV cameras outside the Niche nightclub in Sheffield.
Officers have pointed out that it is acceptable to punch someone who is resisting arrest.
But campaigners suggested the incident is reminiscent of the sort of police tactics which once sparked riots in America.
Toni Comer, who is of mixed race, had been ejected from the club and damaged a car parked outside.
The CCTV footage shows Pc Mulhall scrambling with the woman at the top of a flight of stairs.
They tumble down and the officer lands on top of her before two other policemen and a security guard come to his aid.
Then with his back to the camera, Pc Mulhall is seen repeatedly hitting Miss Comer, who is lying on the ground until she is finally taken to a police van with her trousers around her ankles.
Miss Comer, now 20, yesterday pleaded guilty to criminal damage and was given a conditional discharge and ordered to pay £250 compensation to the owner of the car.
But she is now pursuing a civil action against the force.
She said: “I got quite a few cuts and bruises to my arms and legs.”
Pc Mulhall said in a statement: “She began to kick, spit and made attempts to bite me. As her hands became free she tried to grab handfuls of my genitals, and knee and kick me in the same place.
"At this point, I struck her as hard as I was able with my right fist in an attempt to subdue her.
"There was no apparent effect so I did this twice more.
“When she continued to resist handcuffs, I now struck her as hard as I was physically able in an attempt to deaden her arm.
"In the end, I had to use brute force.”
The force said an investigation would be supervised by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. A South Yorkshire Police spokesman said it would consider the incident further today. But he added: “The force is outraged at the nature of the report itself and the possible suggestion that this may be linked to any kind of racist incident.”
Chief Superintendent Ali Dizaei of the National Black Police Association said that it was “absolutely” a concern that race may have been an issue.
But he said that, while the video looked “appalling” at first glance, it was acceptable for officers to use force of the kind seen if it was necessary to stop the person being arrested from harming themselves or someone else.
Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, said of the footage obtained by The Guardian: “These images turn the stomach and raise serious questions about police misconduct.”
Police had been called when Ms Comer vandalised a car after being thrown out of the club.
She admitted being drunk at the time of the arrest, about which she had no memory.
She is epileptic and believes her movements may have been caused by a fit.
It was only after viewing the film that she began considering a civil action.
She acknowledged that police would have been unaware of her medical condition and said that her father, Leroy Walcott, had told her she can be aggressive during an epileptic fit.
Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman and MP for Sheffield Hallam, said: “I have spoken to the Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police who has given me assurances he will refer the case to the Independent Police Complaints Commission and will consider taking the police officer off his duties whilst an investigation is ongoing.”
Information appearing on telegraph.co.uk is the copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited and must not be reproduced in any medium without licence. For the full copyright statement see Copyright (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/portal/main.jhtml?view=COPYRIGHT&grid=P9)