Background
Mr Matthew McConville, Head of Irvings Law’s specialist Actions Against the Police Department, has successfully represented a client in a claim for compensation against Staffordshire Police but due to confidentiality, the client will be referred to as Mr T.
Police Officers from Staffordshire Police visited Mr T’s address to conduct a welfare check on children residing at the address as there was apparently some concern that Mr T may have been a person unlawfully at large who was sought on serious criminal charges. Mr T conversed with the attending Police Officers whom compared him to an old photograph of the individual they were looking for and they could not make a positive identification from the same. It was Mr T’s case that he did not resemble at all to the individual in the photograph and he also provided identification to assist too. The said attending Police Officers then left but a short time later returned and arrested Mr T on suspicion of being the person who was unlawfully at large before he was then conveyed to the Police Station. When at the Police Station, Mr T’s fingerprints were taken and checked with the person being sought and found not to be a match so he was then released with no further action.
Representation
Given the above, Mr T approached specialist Actions Against the Police Solicitors, Irvings Law, for assistance. Mr McConville immediately acknowledged that what had happened was completely wrong and without hesitation, offered to act for Mr T by way of “no win, no fee” presenting a claim to Staffordshire Police for False Imprisonment and Assault/Battery.
Resolution
In response to the claim, Staffordshire Police refused to accept that Mr T was falsely imprisoned and/or assaulted/battered when arrested. Knowing that this Defence to such a claim was weak, Mr McConville advised Mr T to issue and serve Court proceedings and after this, Staffordshire Police decided that they wanted to settle Mr T’s claim. Following negotiations, Mr T resolved his said claim in the sum of £2,000.00 plus the payment of his legal costs.
