Damages claim over wrongful arrest

Barry Fulthorpe, 63, won a long battle to prove that officers unlawfully locked him up and used excessive force to do so after taking his case to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

The former handyman, from Headingley, Leeds, who has no criminal record, is now suing the police for damages.

He said: “It has weakened me physically, it has affected my confidence. That night I was very frightened because I didn’t know what was going to happen.”

Mr Fulthorpe was at Revival bar in Leeds city centre in April 2012 when a friend, Jonathan Mahoney, injured his hand and was asked to leave. Mr Fulthorpe approached police who were speaking to Mr Mahoney outside, but was pushed away.

He said: “Before I knew what was happening I was being handcuffed and thrown in the back of a van. I was in shock. They never said a word, didn’t tell me what I was being arrested for.”

Mr Fulthorpe was locked in a cell at the Bridewell police station on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly. He was eventually released without charge after nearly nine hours in custody.

An internal investigation by the force’s own standards department found in favour of the police, but the IPCC overturned that decision.

In a letter, the IPCC said “no real thought was given as to why this arrest was necessary”, the use of force was unlawful and it criticised the decision to keep his arms cuffed behind his back.

West Yorkshire Police later issued a formal apology, admitting the arrest was not based on reasonable grounds and the use of force was unlawful.

Mr Fulthorpe said: “I’m still very angry.”