Thursday, March 08, 2007

CCTV shows police officer repeatedly punching woman

Police are facing calls for an independent inquiry after CCTV footage showed a police officer repeatedly punching a woman during an arrest.

Toni Comer, 20, was being arrested last July for damaging a car in Sheffield - an offence she has since admitted.

The footage, obtained by the Guardian newspaper and shown on BBC Two's Newsnight, shows Ms Comer and a police officer falling down a flight of stairs outside Sheffield's Niche nightclub.

At the bottom, she is restrained by a group of officers, with the officer she fell with punching her five times - although it is not clear on what part of her body.

The footage shows Ms Comer, who is from Sheffield, writhing around on the ground, which she says was due to an epileptic fit. Police say she was trying to resist arrest.

She is later dragged to a police van with her trousers round her knees.

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