A man with a heart condition spent 18 hours in a police cell after being arrested accused of dropping an apple core. Keith Hirst, who is a full-time carer for his wife, was going to the chemists when he was approached by a police community support officer.
He was accused of dropping the apple – a charge he denied. The support officer then called for help and five policemen arrived within minutes.
Mr Hirst, 54, was taken into custody at Swinton police station after refusing to pay an on-the-spot fine and give his name. While in custody, his DNA and fingerprints were taken and he had to be seen twice by a doctor after complaining of dizziness and chest pains.
Mr Hirst, from Swinton, who has had heart surgery, said: “The way I was treated you would have thought I had robbed a bank. My family are law abiding people and I would help if I saw a gang of yobs attacking a police officer. But this kind of incident does not help in improving relations between the community and police. I suppose £50 for an on-the-spot fine is easy money for them.”
Mr Hirst, who has made an official complaint about the incident to police, was taken to the Swinton police station, where he was kept overnight. He then appeared at Salford Magistrates Court charged with littering and obstructing a police officer.
He denied both charges and the obstruction charge has since been dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service. The littering charge is scheduled to go to trial before a district judge at a later date.
No comments:
Post a Comment