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A wrongfully arrested man has been paid £10,000 in compensation with a written apology (6 June 2012)

Date: 06/06/2012
Duncan Lewis, Legal News Solicitors, A wrongfully arrested man has been paid £10,000 in compensation with a written apology

The West Mercia police force who had wrongfully arrested Anthony Finnegan for photographing a Shrewsbury bank branch including pushing him face down into a puddle by the officers as they marched him to a police station, have apologised and paid £10,000 compensation for their action.
The force had admitted its liability for the incident and its chief constable, David Shaw, will write a letter of apology to Anthony Finnegan. The force has agreed to pay £10,000 plus his legal costs and delete all records of his arrest. Till the news came in no officers who were involved has been disciplined.
Finnegan, a 49-year-old construction worker, a keen amateur photographer was taking pictures in the centre of Shrewsbury one of which was of the front lobby of a high street bank in a period building.
He was approached by a police constable and a community support officer (CSO) who, questioned him for taking discreet photographs of the bank. Finnegan replied that he was using a SLR camera and did nothing discreet.
The police officer, PC Ben Hocking, pushed Finnegan's shoulder before searching his pockets. Finnegan said he was completely cooperative and suggested they go to the police station, partly as he was not carrying identification but also because he was embarrassed to be searched publicly in his home town.
Finnegan said he was shocked when he was repeatedly shoved and one of the officers got hold of his camera while the other kept shoving him by which time the people were looking at him. Just before reaching the station Hocking pulled his thumb back sharply to restrain him and pulled him to the ground.
One officer who was about 18 stone put his knee over the ribs of Finnegan which according to a subsequent doctors examination found to have caused injuries, including abrasions and bruising.
Finnegan was placed in painfully tight handcuffs and driven to another police station, where he was told he had been arrested for a public order offence and placed in a cell. He was released at about 9pm, seven hours after he was stopped. It took police two months to confirm he would face no further action.
Finnegan said that while he was glad to have cleared his name he remains dismayed that West Mercia police took no disciplinary action against the officers involved.
A spokesman for West Mercia police said that as some details were still being worked out it would therefore be inappropriate to comment further at this time.

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