£100,000 for assault and unlawful arrest

Four years ago Mr Shane Price was assaulted by an Inspector and falsely imprisoned by officers of Lincolnshire Constabulary.  Shortly after Nick Stanage was instructed by Iain Gould of DPP solicitors to represent Mr Price at the trial of his claim for damages, the Chief Constable proposed an out-of-court settlement of £100,000 plus legal costs, which Mr Price has accepted.

The high value claim included claims for aggravated and exemplary damages. Two factors were particularly deserving of condemnation:

(i) the Force's Professional Standards Department had perversely decided that the Inspector who assaulted Mr Price had 'no case to answer for misconduct'; and

(ii) a Chief Inspector had taken no adequate investigative action after an officer sent an anonymous 'bad apple' report to the Anti Corruption Unit, claiming that on the same night of the assault the Inspector had been heard boasting to colleagues in the parade room about 'smacking a gypo' (Mr Price is a Romany Gypsy).   

The final settlement shows the benefit of obtaining expert and tenacious legal representation. The Defendant's first offer to settle had been for the sum of £15,000.

Media: Iain Gould’s blog Part 1 (and Part 2), Travellers Times and Daily Mail