PRC-UTE
4th September 2007, 00:33
'Brute force'
The PSNI have been accused of acting 'in a brutal manner' during an
incident in Cornshell Fields in the early hours of Saturday morning when
three men, one of them suffering from cerebral palsy, were arrested.
The Sunday was inundated with calls yesterday from people in the area who
said that they could see no reason for the heavy handed police presence
and the subsequent events.
The mother and wife of those arrested told the Sunday her account of what
happened: "The police arrived at our door and they claimed they had
received an allegation against my son. Now they did not ask him about this
allegation or give him a chance to give his side of the story.
"Before I had a chance to open the door when they knocked they came in and
they were very hyper and aggressive. They were shouting and pushed one of
my sons up against the wall. My other son, the one they wanted to talk to
was in the toilet, and I told them that but they continued to behave very
aggressively. When my son appeared they grabbed him, pulled him out to the
garden and banged his head of a fence. My husband came down the stairs and
went out to see what was happening and they grabbed him as well.
"My other son, who suffers from cerebral palsy was then grabbed and they
hit him across the back and they arrested him. I had to dive and try and
protect my other son. It was absolutely disgusting the way the police
behaved.
"After a couple of hours they brought my son with cerebral palsy back and
they acted as if they were doing me a favour. He has been very upset since
then and can't understand what is happening."
Another resident of Cornshell Fields resident told the Sunday: "I couldn't
believe the noise the police were making. They arrived and sat outside the
house for 45 minutes and then they started bringing people out of the
house.
"I saw them bringing one man out and shoving him into the car and then a
female police officer started shouting abuse at him when he was in the
car.
"I saw them bringing a second fellah out to the car and he didn't really
seem to be offering any kind of resistance. At this point one of the
police men said to another 'give me my baton,' while he had the fellah at
the back of the car.
"At this point landrovers arrived and it was just complete chaos. The
police seemed to have no respect for anyone else in the area. It seems
ridiculous that police would send so many officers to the one scene when
there was very little trouble to begin with."
Another resident said: "I have tried to call the police in the past over
serious incidents and couldn't get one but there seemed to be no shortage
here for what did not look like a serious incident."
A spokesperson for the 32 County Sovereignty Movement said: "After a
recent incident with a former councillor politicians and clergy fell over
themselves to condemn it yet after an incident like this their silence is
deafening."
A police spokesperson said: "Police were responding to a call from a
member of the public. They were confronted with a violent and aggressive
situation. Three men, aged 28, 29 and 53 were arrested for disorderly
behaviour and assault on police." Police confirmed that one of the men was
later 'dearrested' due to his mental condition, this is believed to refer
to the man suffering from cerebral palsy.
http://www.derryjournal.com/journal/39Brut...ce39.3168203.jp (http://www.derryjournal.com/journal/39Brute-force39.3168203.jp)
The PSNI have been accused of acting 'in a brutal manner' during an
incident in Cornshell Fields in the early hours of Saturday morning when
three men, one of them suffering from cerebral palsy, were arrested.
The Sunday was inundated with calls yesterday from people in the area who
said that they could see no reason for the heavy handed police presence
and the subsequent events.
The mother and wife of those arrested told the Sunday her account of what
happened: "The police arrived at our door and they claimed they had
received an allegation against my son. Now they did not ask him about this
allegation or give him a chance to give his side of the story.
"Before I had a chance to open the door when they knocked they came in and
they were very hyper and aggressive. They were shouting and pushed one of
my sons up against the wall. My other son, the one they wanted to talk to
was in the toilet, and I told them that but they continued to behave very
aggressively. When my son appeared they grabbed him, pulled him out to the
garden and banged his head of a fence. My husband came down the stairs and
went out to see what was happening and they grabbed him as well.
"My other son, who suffers from cerebral palsy was then grabbed and they
hit him across the back and they arrested him. I had to dive and try and
protect my other son. It was absolutely disgusting the way the police
behaved.
"After a couple of hours they brought my son with cerebral palsy back and
they acted as if they were doing me a favour. He has been very upset since
then and can't understand what is happening."
Another resident of Cornshell Fields resident told the Sunday: "I couldn't
believe the noise the police were making. They arrived and sat outside the
house for 45 minutes and then they started bringing people out of the
house.
"I saw them bringing one man out and shoving him into the car and then a
female police officer started shouting abuse at him when he was in the
car.
"I saw them bringing a second fellah out to the car and he didn't really
seem to be offering any kind of resistance. At this point one of the
police men said to another 'give me my baton,' while he had the fellah at
the back of the car.
"At this point landrovers arrived and it was just complete chaos. The
police seemed to have no respect for anyone else in the area. It seems
ridiculous that police would send so many officers to the one scene when
there was very little trouble to begin with."
Another resident said: "I have tried to call the police in the past over
serious incidents and couldn't get one but there seemed to be no shortage
here for what did not look like a serious incident."
A spokesperson for the 32 County Sovereignty Movement said: "After a
recent incident with a former councillor politicians and clergy fell over
themselves to condemn it yet after an incident like this their silence is
deafening."
A police spokesperson said: "Police were responding to a call from a
member of the public. They were confronted with a violent and aggressive
situation. Three men, aged 28, 29 and 53 were arrested for disorderly
behaviour and assault on police." Police confirmed that one of the men was
later 'dearrested' due to his mental condition, this is believed to refer
to the man suffering from cerebral palsy.
http://www.derryjournal.com/journal/39Brut...ce39.3168203.jp (http://www.derryjournal.com/journal/39Brute-force39.3168203.jp)