Police taser innocent blind man

Twirlywoos

Twirlywoos

Twirlywoos

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A police force has apologised after an officer used a Taser on a blind man whose white stick was mistaken for a sword.

The man was stunned by police following reports of a man walking through Chorley with a samurai sword on Friday.

Ch Supt Stuart Williams, of Lancashire Police, said the force "deeply regrets" and had "clearly put this man through a traumatic experience".

The man was taken to hospital for treatment and later discharged.

The case has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

'Extremely sorry'
Mr Williams said police had "received a number of reports that a man was walking through Chorley armed with a samurai sword".

"A description of the offender was circulated to officers and patrols were sent to look for the man," he said.

"One of the officers who arrived in Chorley believed he had located the offender.

"Despite asking the man to stop, he failed to do so and the officer discharged his Taser."

Mr Williams said it "became apparent that this man was not the person we were looking for and officers attended to him straight away", taking him to Chorley Hospital.

He added that the force "deeply regrets what has happened".

"We have clearly put this man through a traumatic experience and we are extremely sorry for that," he said.

"We have launched an urgent investigation to understand what lessons can be learned."

A man carrying a samurai sword was later arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-19979184
 
A terrified blind stroke victim was tasered to the ground by police – who thought his thin white stick was a Samurai sword.

Innocent Colin Farmer, 61, who was hit in the back by the stun device, has made a formal complaint and is pursuing legal action.

The incident has sparked a full investigation by Lancashire Constabulary.

Former architect’s practice boss

Mr Farmer was on his way to meet friends for a drink in a Chorley town centre pub when the electroshock weapon was fired at him from just feet away by a police officer.

“The whole thing was like being trapped in a nightmare,” said Mr Farmer.

Mr Farmer, of Royle Road, Chorley, who walks with a white stick, has suffered two strokes – one in November 2008, and another in March this year, when he spent two months in hospital.

“I didn’t even know the police were there,” said Mr Farmer, a Fellow of the Institute of Directors for 20 years.

“I heard this man shouting. I thought they were shouting at some people.

“I certainly didn’t know they were police – and I certainly didn’t know they were shouting at me.

“I thought I was going to be attacked by some hooligans. The next thing they fire a taser at me, though I didn’t know it was a taser at the time.

“I just felt this thump in my back. As soon as the taser hit me I hit the ground.

“I hit my head on the floor, then this policeman came around. I said ‘I’m blind, I’m blind. I’m blind’.

“This policeman knelt on me and dragged my arms round my back and handcuffed me so tight I’ve had bruises since.

“I said you’re hurting me, I’m blind – and there’s no way he could not have seen my stick on the floor.

“I walk at a snail’s pace. They could have walked past me, driven past me in the van, or said ‘drop your weapon.’

“It’s a sad excuse. They wouldn’t even stop when I said I’m blind.

“I was absolutely terrified. I thought any second I’m going to have another stroke and this one will kill me.”

Mr Farmer’s horrific ordeal began at about 5.45pm on Friday.

He was walking along Peter Street, close to the Parmesan and Pepper restaurant, when police swooped.

Mr Farmer, who lives with his

18-year-old son, explained that as a result of having a stroke – which has left him registered blind – his brain “doesn’t believe the left exists” and he has trouble picking up objects on that side.

“The other day I walked into the back of a white van because it was parked and partly on the footpath,” he said. “Things can appear invisible.”

After the taser incident Mr Farmer was taken to Chorley Hospital for treatment and was later released.

He said the explanation police gave him for their actions was that they had received reports of someone wielding a Samurai sword wandering in Chorley.

“In your wildest dreams, you couldn’t mistake me for having a Samurai sword,” he said. “I didn’t just drop down in a helicopter. I’d walked a few hundred yards. They must have seen me.”

Mr Farmer, a former property developer and head of a large architectural practice in Chorley, said he was the founder of the City Living project.

Chief Superintendent Stuart Williams, who is responsible for policing in Chorley, said: “We received a number of reports that a man was walking through Chorley armed with a Samurai sword and patrols were sent to look for the man.

“One of the officers believed he had located the offender. Despite asking the man to stop, he failed to do so and the officer discharged his taser.

“It then became apparent this man was not the person we were looking for and officers attended to him straight away.

“He was taken Chorley Hospital by officers who stayed while he was checked over by medics. They then took him to meet his friends in Chorley at his request.

“Lancashire Constabulary deeply regrets what has happened. We have clearly put this man through a traumatic experience and we are extremely sorry.

“We have launched an urgent investigation to understand what lessons can be learned and the matter has also been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.”

http://www.chorley-guardian.co.uk/news/local/blind-man-tasered-in-police-blunder-1-5034507

Absolutely disgusting :mad:
 
I knew those white canes that look exactly like a 15th century Samurai sword would one day come back to haunt them.
 
Someone's in for a right *******ing, and rightly so.
I think the officer that fired on him is the one in need of a white stick.
 
Came in expecting 'he didn't see it coming' punchline, left feeling disappointed at thread and police :(
 
I am experiencing no shock after reading this article.

I'm on the side of the police on this one, a doddery fella ambling down the street waving a white dipped stick along the ground can EASILY be mistaking for a samurai sword weilding manic by highly trained police officers.
 
Sad state of affairs really.

If the officer was routinely armed, the guy would now be dead.

What kind of power-crazed moron can't tell the different between a blind man's cane and a sword??
 
Tasers were only brought in to the UK as an alternative to 'Deadly Force', to be used if possible instead of Firearms, so a Taser would be used as an alternative if a Firearm was deemed necessary in any given situation, not as 'Torture' instruments for people who won't comply as they are commonly used by the US Police Force, sadly the Home Office seems quite happy to let our Police use them like the US Police.

There was also a case of a 14 year old girl Tasered not so long ago when she was accidentally 'shot' when Police arrested an unarmed man and they decided to use a Taser because he was being 'Aggressive' towards them.
 
doofer said:
Tasers were only brought in to the UK as an alternative to 'Deadly Force', to be used if possible instead of Firearms, so a Taser would be used as an alternative if a Firearm was deemed necessary in any given situation, not as 'Torture' instruments for people who won't comply as they are commonly used by the US Police Force, sadly the Home Office seems quite happy to let our Police use them like the US Police.

There was also a case of a 14 year old girl Tasered not so long ago when she was accidentally 'shot' when Police arrested an unarmed man and they decided to use a Taser because he was being 'Aggressive' towards them.
Click to expand...

Easy solution there... Don't be aggressive towards the police!
 
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