A former Royal Marine who won a landmark defamation case against West Yorkshire Police has received a further settlement from the force over a separate claim for unlawful arrest and false imprisonment.

The ex-soldier received £67,500 last year after the police falsely claimed, in an email to his then employer, the Royal Navy, that he had harassed his former partner and subjected her to coercive and controlling behaviour. It also said his behaviour was not compatible with service in the armed forces.

The email was sent before officers had spoken to the man or formally interviewed his former partner. The subsequent court ruling was believed to be the first time a police force had been found to have committed the highest level of defamation by incorrectly stating someone had committed criminal offences.

The former marine was detained in August 2020, a day after the email was sent. He has now received £30,000 from West Yorkshire Police in an out-of-court settlement after it was claimed there was no lawful justification for the arrest and its actual purpose was to damage the serviceman in a custody case that was ongoing at a family court at the time.

PC Jo Lavender is facing retrial on one count of rape.

placeholder image — PC Jo Lavender is facing retrial on one count of rape.

He was due to attend a hearing the day he was arrested but the police refused to let him contact the court to explain his non-appearance.

The legal claim alleged police discriminated against the ex-soldier, who is black, because an investigation into allegations such as those made by his former partner “would not have treated a white male serviceman with the same scepticism, unfairness and lack of objectivity”.

It also alleged subsequent bail conditions, which lasted for an “inordinate” period of 16-and-a- half months and included making 600-mile round trips from his then home in the South-West to report to a police station in West Yorkshire, were unlawful and aimed at influencing the family court case.

The ex-soldier, who cannot be named for legal reasons, left the military in May. The criminal case against him was dropped due to lack of evidence and the family court proceedings ended with a shared custody arrangement.

He remains angry at his treatment by the police and the decision to believe everything alleged against him. He said he believed “wokery and racism” played a significant part in the way they acted.

“The emotional and psychological effect this had on me, whilst serving in the UK armed forces at an elite level, led to me being driven to paranoia and depression.

“I hope no-one else has to go through what we’ve been through.”

West Yorkshire Police said it had reached a settlement with the claimant which includes compensation and costs being paid without admission of liability.