The Metropolitan Police is reportedly due to pay out millions of pounds to a Black man who was left paralysed after being Tasered by an officer in 2020.
Jordan Walker-Brown, now 27, was Tasered by PC Imran Mahmood during a patrol in Finsbury Park in the early months of the first coronavirus lockdown, on May 4, 2020.
Mr Walker-Brown, who was 23 at the time, was left with “catastrophic” injuries after hitting his head on the pavement and breaking his back. He was left paralysed from the waist down, and now uses a wheelchair.
PC Mahmood was cleared of unlawfully inflicting grievous bodily harm on Mr Walker-Brown, at a court hearing last May.Mr Walker-Brown has reportedly now sued Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley for compensation.
The Met has admitted liability in relation to Mr Walker-Brown’s claim.
According to MailOnline, lawyer Kate Boakes, acting for Mr Walker-Brown, told a High Court hearing this week: “This is going to be a high value case.
“It's clearly a seven-figure case. It's a chunky seven figure case, but I cant be more specific than that,” she told judge Master Richard Armstrong, adding: “The claimant is very young and he's suffered a very severe injury and its a very complicated case.”
It is understood the exact claim figure is yet to be decided.
A Met police spokesperson said: “Following receipt of a civil claim in relation to this incident, we have been in touch with representatives for Mr Walker-Brown to confirm that the Met accepts responsibility for the serious injuries he suffered.
“We know that his life has been changed forever and do not underestimate the impact the incident has had on both him and his family.
“The claim is ongoing and as such it would be inappropriate to discuss the matter further at this time.”
PC Mahmood saw Mr Walker-Brown walking along the pavement in May 2020 and decided to speak to him "to see if he could legitimately explain what he was doing in the area" during lockdown, Southwark Crown Court heard during his trial last year.The court heard he also did not believe Mr Walker-Brown was dressed appropriately for exercise with his hood up and woolly hat on in warm weather. He had a bum bag on which the officer believed could have been used to carry illegal items, and did a "double take" when he saw police arrive, the court heard.
Mahmood and a colleague chased him and drew their Tasers while the van followed.
Mr Walker-Brown then entered the front garden of a house and tried to climb over a fence leading to a footpath, but first had to jump onto a wheelie bin to make it over, the court heard.
At this point the defendant drew his Taser, which created such an electric shock it caused Mr Walker-Brown to tumble backwards over the fence, the court heard.
During PC Mahmood’s hearing last year, prosecutors told Southwark Crown Court Mr Walker-Brown had not pulled out a weapon and presented no “physical threat” to anyone at the time he was Tasered.
The PC had believed Mr Walker-Brown had a weapon on him and that he could have been dangerous, the court was told.
When interviewed by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, PC Mahmood told the police watchdog: "I discharged my Taser because I believed that [Mr Walker-Brown] was cornered, with a knife, and having failed to get over the wall was in the process of turning to attack me and anyone that attempted to stop him.
"I honestly believed that he was mentally moving from flight to fight mode as he was longer at the bins than I expected."
He said he believed Mr Walker-Brown was "about to attack".
He added: "I honestly believed I had to stop Mr Walker-Brown in that moment to prevent this very real, dangerous and imminent threat to my safety."
The officer wept in the dock after his not guilty verdict was read out by the jury.
