We act for Brandon Duffus who, like far too many young Black males, suffered injury as a result of contact with the Metropolitan police.
We are, this week, issuing Brandon’s claim with the Central London County Court against the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis for Brandon’s false imprisonment, assault and battery, and aggravated damages.
On 13 February 2020, twenty-one year old Brandon left a music event with his friends when he was stopped by Metropolitan police officers
When Brandon asked why he was being stopped, the officers quickly accused him of “getting aggy” before detaining him in a police van where he was violently assaulted by three officers.
One of the officers said that it was ‘disgusting’ that Mr Young had suggested he was stopped because of his race. Another added “that is your bigoted attitude, not us.”
Brandon was taken to Bethnal Green police station where he was subjected to a strip-search, which we allege did not follow police Code of Practice (otherwise known as PACE C). He was detained for 16 hours before he was released with no further action as ultimately the police decided there was “insufficient evidence to proceed” with a charge.
Video footage of the incident, taken by Brandon’s friends, went viral when it happened. Since then, Brandon has been trying to resolve his claim with the MPS without the need for court proceedings. To date, the MPS have made no apology for the way they treated Brandon. Instead, due to its intransigence, Brandon has been forced to take action in court, which is a costly and lengthy process.
Daniel Cooper, of Imran Khan and Partners Solicitors, said: “It is clear from the body-worn footage of the incident that the officers’ attitude toward Brandon was hostile and unwarranted. It was not necessary to detain, arrest or use any force on him, let alone the brute force to which he was subjected. Forcing victims of police violence to bring court proceedings, which could last many years, often serves to engrain the trauma inflicted on them.”
Unfortunately, cases like Brandon’s are much too common. There is still much more that needs to be done to tackle the ongoing blatant institutional racism within the MPS which continues despite the critical findings of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry in 1999.
Brandon is represented by Daniel Cooper and Emma Gilbert at Imran Khan and Partners Solicitors.
NOTES TO EDITORS
For further information, please contact Emma Gilbert on 020 74043004 or EmmaG@ikpsolicitors.com.