In January 2014, 20-year-old George Wilson, who was attending Liverpool John Moores University at the time, stopped to give £1 to a homeless man in Liverpool city center. However, he was handcuffed and arrested under the Misuse of Drugs Act by a police officer who thought they were exchanging drugs.
Recently, Wilson received a £5,000 pay out in an out-of-court settlement after police accepted he had been detained unlawfully.
Wilson produced an audio clip of the incident, recorded on his phone, to prove his claim that the police officer threatened him when he denied he was behaving in a drunk and disorderly manner. Excerpts from the recording:
Police officer: “Can I ask what you were doing… we saw an exchange take place between you and…” Wilson: “Do you know how many times in town we’ve walked through and beggars ask a lot of people for money on the street.”
Police officer: “You’ve got nothing to worry about.” Wilson: “I’ve got nothing to worry about. However I campaign and I’m also a student of the law.”
Police officer: “Look buddy, if I lock you up for being drunk and disorderly, cos that’s what you are being, you won’t be a student of the law anymore. I’ll take that off you. So shut your mouth and stop being stupid.” Wilson: “I haven’t committed disorder. I’ve been polite. I’ve been respectful.” Police officer: “That’s not how I’ll write it up pal.”
Wilson claimed the comments by the police officer suggested he planned to falsify a statement saying he was drunk and disorderly. The officer said he was not threatening to falsify a statement but saying he did not accept Wilson had not been drunk and disorderly. An investigation by Merseyside Police concluded the words could be interpreted differently and the officer was advised not to use them again.
However, it was upheld that once the homeless man had been searched and no drugs were found, Wilson should have been released and as such he was detained for longer than necessary.
Wilson, who now works as an apprentice for Bentley Motors, told the ECHO, “I felt let down by the police and felt victimized by them. I felt it was a relief to settle the claim, although it wasn’t all upheld so I still feel in a way proper justice wasn’t found.”
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He got a lesson of real life vs the lies he learned in law school.
Justice? What is justice? Justice is what the people in the power decide is justice. This time the police officer, another day the police chef, another example the judge, Obama, the Roth Child Family and so on the power chain goes. We on the floor is nothing. Before we stand together and take the power back.