Wrongfully arrested on suspicion of theft awarded compensation with deletion of records from police systems
One of our clients was arrested on suspicion of theft. He lived in shared accommodation in a block of flats which had a common post room. He had purchased an electrical item online. A day or so later, upon entering the residents block, our client noticed an electrical item parcel in the post room. He picked it up and took it to his room. He unwrapped it and began to use it. Unknown to him, a fellow resident had purchased the same item online and the parcel our client had picked up was actually for the fellow resident. The fellow resident reported his missing parcel to the police. The Police came and checked the building’s CCTV. It clearly showed our client taking the parcel. Police Officers thought it appropriate to go and arrest our client in the early hours of the morning. Despite our client providing an explanation and showing his online purchase receipt, he was taken to the police station and detained. He was interviewed. He provided a full and frank explanation, following which he was released with no further action. A claim was pursued against the Metropolitan Police for wrongful arrest. Without admitting liability, in an out of court settlement, the claim was settled in the sum of £5,000. In addition, our client’s fingerprints, DNA samples and arrest details were deleted from the police systems.