A 65-year-old man is suing the Metropolitan Police for approximately £10 million, alleging that officers used excessive and unjustified force when they tasered him, causing him to fall and become paralyzed. Leonard Sandiford claims he was mistaken for a burglar during an incident in April 2022 in east London.
According to court documents, Sandiford was tasered as he attempted to flee from officers who were investigating a suspected burglary at a bookmaker's shop. Police had been called to the scene and encountered Sandiford near the premises. Officers attempted to stop him, but he reportedly ran off and climbed a shed roof. It was at this point that an officer discharged a Taser, causing Sandiford to fall from the height of the shed and sustain severe injuries, including a broken spine.
Sandiford, who has never been charged or arrested in connection with the incident, is suing Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley for assault and battery. His legal team argues that the Taser discharge was unnecessarily dangerous and constituted "high-handed and oppressive" conduct. The fall left Sandiford an "incomplete tetraplegic," requiring 24-hour care and making him wheelchair-dependent for all mobility.
The Metropolitan Police, however, are contesting the claim. Lawyers for the force argue that Sandiford contributed to his injuries by fleeing from police, creating a "fast-moving, high-pressure" situation. They also contend that Sandiford was under the influence of drugs at the time and was attempting to burgle the premises before trying to escape in a van.
Bodycam footage reportedly shows PC Liam Newman firing the Taser. Sandiford's barrister stated that the officer could not have reasonably believed that firing the Taser was a justified use of force, especially given Sandiford's elevated position on the shed. The police's defense asserts that PC Newman considered his options and believed the Taser was the only effective means to prevent potential harm to occupants of a nearby house, seeing it as a pre-emptive strike.
PC Newman was previously charged with assault over the incident but was acquitted in a criminal court in January of the current year. The Metropolitan Police's defense maintains that the use of the Taser was a reasonable response to a suspected burglar in a dynamic situation, emphasizing that Sandiford's own actions, including drug consumption and fleeing, led to the incident.
The case is set for a full trial next year unless a settlement is reached out of court. The proceedings will reportedly examine the mechanics of the Taser injury and PC Newman's state of mind and decision-making process.