Alfa Pages

[BigAl]

Hey guys, sorry for not posting of late, I have become a bit of a recluse/ agoraphobic.

To cut a long story short a police officer didn’t believe I was me after answering all the usual questions. What’s my name, where do I live, how long I had the car, where I was born ect even after over the radio I heard, insurance and mot checks out ok.

The damage was caused by police officers assaulting me by kneeing me several times in my leg, so bad that it was 2 weeks before I could walk without pain, whilst being lifted off the ground by two officers and my head and neck was pinned on the roof and my body against my passenger door. The door is so bad that you can gently push the handle and the door skin buckles and then popes back out, the rear door has been damaged too.

I was unlawfully arrested, falsely imprisoned in the back of a police van and when they searched me they found my driving licence, which I forgot I had on me as I don’t normally carry it, I was then let go without an apology.

I am now suffering with panic attacks, something I have never experienced before and empathise with people that suffer with such an affliction.

I used to enjoy driving but now I’m paranoid that I will get pulled over again and get physically assaulted.
I have to mentally prepare myself when I go out and am now an insomniac.

I am a law abiding citizen, the thought of doing anything illegal scares me, as being imprisoned scares the hell out of me, which is what it should do.

I am disgusted by the way I was treated and am in the process of taking civil action against the police, which is hard when you’re scared to go out, let alone go to a police station.

Please bear with me through these troubling times and any suggestions would be gratefully appreciated.
Hopefully I will be up to my usual posting and sorry for the bad news on the damage to one of our beloved 33’s
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x2 33 16v
pictures http://www.alfa-pages.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=5203

[rsfruitbat]

Having been a victim of road rage I can sympathise and have an inkling of how you are feeling. Mine got better with time. Hope yours does to.

rsfruitbat.
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Alfa 33 rallycar series 1
1399cc 16V
red / white / blue

[john 33_16v]

Holy sh*t Al'

Get a good solicitor, and probably seek counselling, then get the car fixed and get out there driving it again.

No shame in counselling. I should have had some after my son was born. Long story short, son was fine, but everything went horrendous for wife, i was told she might die, and i spent a week sitting next to her in intensive care. She made a mirracle recovery and is fine now, but i turned down counselling being all 'stiff upper lipped', and have probably remained a bit fu*ked up because of the lack of it.

John
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If it aint broke, fiddle with it until it is!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
93 33 16v Mirtle Met
08 Fiat Grande Punto Exotica Red
90 Yamaha FZR600 Genesis- Silky white/red/blue

[BigAl]

Thanks for the support guys, John I’m sorry to hear about your experience and am glad it ended up with good news.
rsfruitbat, I simply cant understand peoples mentality when it comes to road rage, I always leave early and on the motorway I drive at 60 mph and am never in a rush, unless I am late and then I can travel at 70mph. If someone annoys me I just applaud them or give the sarcastic thumbs up as you never know who you are dealing with, life’s too short.
I've been to the doctors and to get counselling takes 3 months unless you want to pay £117 P/H, no help from police victim support either as they don’t have counsellors.

Here I go again, mentally preparing myself to go out to finally go to a solicitor, it’s so annoying having to fight back tears and trying to control my breathing and pounding heart. I remember when I used to love just going out for a drive.
I’ll let you know what happens.
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x2 33 16v
pictures http://www.alfa-pages.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=5203

[1.5_iE]

that is appauling mate I feel for you, if you need any help please contact me, im often down your way and would be pleased to help, a mate of mine had a very similar ordeal, he didnt pursue it fully which he should have done and im sure he could have got something sorted out, best regards.
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1993 1.5 IE 63k Miles, Renovation Project
2007 Grande Punto 1.4 16v Sporting

[lee16v]

Al, that's shocking treatment. I hope you got the names/ numbers of those so called law enforcement officers so they can be dealt with properly. In no way is this a comparison but I was stopped for having no MOT (although I did and all other documents were in order) but was treated with a total lack of respect. Even after producing all my docs at the station the I still felt like I had been in the wrong.....it's just the way some of them get off I guess with the power going to their heads.

I hope you see yourself through this tough time ok.

[1.5_iE]

with the exception of the police in Bath who were excellent when my car was stolen down there, every police officer I have ever dealt with, either being pulled over or whatever, has been rude, arrogant and completely disinterested, however physical assault is ridiculous, and without wanting to offend anyone, its because you are a law abiding non immigrant that they feel they can get away with it.
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1993 1.5 IE 63k Miles, Renovation Project
2007 Grande Punto 1.4 16v Sporting

[Oggie]

Not that this will make anyone feel better, between the tender age of 17 to 19 years of age I had been stopped 37 time and given 28 tickets to produce my docs , I even received 2 in one night. They only stopped pulling me over when my mother threatened police harassment at the offending station. My advice to you Al would be to seek citizens advice, see if you could afford a solicitor and get it subsidised and seek compensation, also check if your insurance covers for malicious damage and finally if you are a member of the AA they can provide a legal advisor for free or at least get a consultation. Chin up fella Iain.
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PHAT 33

[greencloverleaf pat]

[BigAl]

Thanks again guys, I managed to get to a solicitor and gave her all the info to date and am waiting for a response. I was around pats house when we looked at these replies, I felt all emotional and almost welled up, thanks for the support, you don’t know how much it means to me.


Thanks 1.5_iE “think we need some real names in our signatures” are you a lawyer by any chance?
Paul H told me that police complaints in Sussex rose by 91% from last year. They tried to fob it off by saying that we are encouraging people to complain.
Rubbish, the police don’t approach people and ask if they would like to complain.
More people need to complain and get these arrogant thugs in uniform “officers” out of the police force. Does anyone know the procedure to find out how many complaints have been made about an officer? its hard/near impossible, i feel this should be public knowledge.
I now feel I can’t trust the police not to abuse their powers and although all police are not like this, I shouldn’t have to wonder if they are.

Lee, there was cctv footage recorded of the whole incident by a policeman with a head cam and the pub which I stopped outside. The manager looked over the cctv footage and was burning a copy off for me and said “you can clearly see you being done over by the police” the next day the police came in and seized the copy and then told the manager that its now a criminal investigation, so now I cant get a copy unless I get a solicitor to request for it. This disgusts me as not everyone can afford a solicitor and where’s the justice in that, I cant get my own evidence about me!

Oggie, I know it may sound silly but I don’t want to have any no fault claims on my insurance, I’ve got 8 years protected no claims bonus. I’m not sure if talking about malicious damage would count, even though they might be not your fault, it makes a difference to your premium.
I will try and venture out to the CAB, I definitely can’t afford a solicitor. I am not a member of the AA as our cars are too reliable.

Pat, nothing was wrong with my pc, all I have been doing these past 4 weeks is watch TV on my pc all night until I can’t stay awake anymore.
I just didn’t want to think or talk about it as it gets my heart pounding.
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x2 33 16v
pictures http://www.alfa-pages.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=5203

[Joelomint]

If you took extra legal cover, your insurers will cover any 'uninsured losses'. that should include unforseen legal costs. They might want to use thier recommended firm tho, and they would most likely aim for an out of court settlement.

[BigAl]

Thanks for info, I will have a word with my insurers tomorrow, along with the solicitor, as I haven’t heard from them and try to get to the C.A.B as well.
I would be more than happy to go to court, can you get emotional compensation without going to court though?
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x2 33 16v
pictures http://www.alfa-pages.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=5203

[johnboy]

Man this is shocking. you cant let them get away with this.you've got to be strong chap!! goog luck and get that copy from the pub.there tying to cover there tracks!!!!

all the best john
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WODA WE NEED? MORE POWER!!

Alfa gt jtdm blackline
1990 S2 16v veloce sleeping!
2002 ts gtv the wifes now
1997 seadoo gsx 800
1999 freestyle superjet

[Joelomint]

If you go down the route of personal injury, then lay it on thick as you can! You should be due a sizeable settlement, especially if you get a copy of the footage.
Make sure you see your GP a few times, and let the GP know how this is making you feel. It would all be taken into consideration when making a settlement.
If you plan to take it on a point of principle, do it all through a solicitor. You may find the officers involved have already tried to dispose of the footage, and last thing you need is your local plod crawling all over your business trying to discredit you.
I imagine they will be highly motivated to hush it all up. So be sure you're up for it, and would be worth checking if the pub landlord will back you up if the footage has gone missing. Otherwise it could boil down to your word against theirs, and magistrates tend to favour the police.
I know of a firm called Taylor Nichol who deal with actions against the police (They even represented the birmingham 6). They merged with TV Edwards group this year. Try having a chat with them.(http://www.tvedwards.com)
Years ago, i got punched in the face and dragged around a bit due to 'mistaken identity' by the police. I used Taylor Nichol then. They were excellent, and got me sorted on legal aid all the way.
Unfortunately, the police are essentially the biggest gang in the country, and they are not on your side right now. This could all take a long time to sort out, so remember that the sun does shine upon the righteous

[BigAl]

Not been in contact with my insurance yet, I have made an appointment with the cab. I spoke to the solicitors that I saw last week yesterday, but they hadn’t looked over my documented list of events, they can’t help as they don’t do Legal aid. I have made an appointment with another solicitor for Friday.
I have the name of the officer that seized a copy of the cctv footage and an email saying that “all that has been done is any CCTV evidence thought relevant to your complaint ( which has yet to be made in writing so this is not entirely clear ) has been secured. “, this is from the inspector that was supposed to be dealing with my complaint. I told him that I don’t want to deal with him as he was very aggressive in getting me to make my complaint and I felt harassed, along with him fishing for information.
I have nothing to hide, they can try and discredit me all they like, I guess it will not be pertinent to the case as the officer didn’t know me from Adam and even if I, or anyone was known to the police, it doesn’t justify them doing what they did, does it??
I know a policeman, who is a parent of one of the kids I used to coach, I have known him for several years and is retiring this year and I have already asked him for a character ref in preparation for when I go to court, but he is not allowed to do this as an officer but thinks he is allowed to put in writing that I was interested in becoming a special officer, this will go towards my character reference. He has asked me to write to him, I know him personally as I have been to his house, know his land line and mobile number and know his wife and child.
I am still trying to get counselling and my land lady gave me a number for someone that does cbt cognitive behaviour therapy and even offered to pay for it, how nice is that!!
The problem is that when someone who has suffered with such a thing talks about it, it brings up all the emotions again and if you don’t talk about it, you suppress it.

Thanks for all your comments and PM’s guys keep them coming, even though it’s hard to talk about it and I am still suffering with agoraphobia, it is much appreciated and very welcome.
Is anyone a lawyer or know of one that would be interested in my case??
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x2 33 16v
pictures http://www.alfa-pages.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=5203

[Sudmeister]

Hey BigAl,

I haven't been on here for a while and have just read this thread - I'm stunned and really sorry to hear about the ordeal you've been through and still in, that's shocking. I know it's easier said than done but try not to let this get you down, there are some arseh0les out there that screw with our lives but they are not the majority and time is a good healer.

It looks like you've been given some good advice and I don't have much that I can add, I don't know a solicitor that might be able to help with this sort of thing. The only thing I can add though is that it might be worth checking your Home/Contents insurance and even credit cards, as sometimes these come with free legal cover. (I was recently made redundant and the legal cover that came with my Contents insurance helped me keep my employer honest and resulted in a good pay-off).

Look after yourself Miater,

John
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Alfasud 105Ti Green Cloverleaf
33 16v

[BigAl]

Thanks john,
I am now able to sleep at night but still have anxiety all the time, I had my first CBT session Tuesday, helped me understand things, I am procrastinating a little, for good reason I guess and not got round to writing to the chief Superintendent, as suggested by the last solicitor I saw.
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x2 33 16v
pictures http://www.alfa-pages.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=5203

[paulhide]

At least they didn't have a Tazer
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Owner's Club 33 Registrar. Now from P4 & S2 1.7 QV
http://www.alfa-pages.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=5188

[Eddie_W]

They sound like the bloody Gestapo! What's Blighty coming to?
This is support from Downunder.
Regards Eddie
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The pop star formerly known as Eddie W

[Admin]

Hi

Not unique:-

Caught on CCTV

All the best

Keith
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I owe, I owe, its off to work we go.
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[BigAl]

keith,
i saw this on the news the other day, it made me SOL swear out loud
pictures for those without broadband
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1090655/Arrest--assault-Judges-disgust-soldier-held-hit-times-POLICE.html
Someone commented on the government wanting to arm the police force with tazers, i say NO! I am disgusted by this and it has brought feelings of my experience, although not the same, to the surface, not that they ever went away!
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x2 33 16v
pictures http://www.alfa-pages.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=5203

[BigAl]

Update for you guys.
I finally finished my version of events and took the advice from a solicitor and sent it into the chief superintendent along with my complaint, aided by solicitor.
I got a requested courtesy call from him, but no mention of requested voluntary disclosure of video footage was mentioned.
The next day I got an email from him saying that he is standing by the investigation that took place.
The thing I don’t get is that an investigation was carried out without my version of events. They said I was unwilling to give my version and just got footnotes from my telephone calls.
They didn't take into consideration that I was too traumatised to go into the police station without a solicitor to give it!
How they can perform an investigation without my full version of events is beyond me and surely leans towards a biased opinion.

The police officer that instigated all this and was one of three officers performing knee strikes to me said that, I thrust my hands into my pockets and he feared that I had a weapon. Absolute rubbish!! My hands were in my pockets at all times, as it was cold and he was on the opposite side of my car at the time he said I was under arrest for obstruction.

The thing I don’t get is that the investigation says that this officer’s statement is backed up by CCTV footage, how can they not see that my hands were always in my pockets and is therefore untrue?

The investigation states that I now have 28 days from 29th December 2008 within which to make appeal.
Does that mean 28 days to let them know that I wish to appeal, or 28 days to get my appeal in?

I am about to write to the chief super again requesting voluntary disclosure of video evidence as I have waited a week for any further correspondence to no avail.

If anyone is interested in my full version of events let me know, I have no problem in posting it as it is the truth, which when I get the video evidence you will see.

After only just beginning to feel better, I am now feeling anxious all the time.

Thanks for all your support and kind words, here comes the long part.
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x2 33 16v
pictures http://www.alfa-pages.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=5203

[BigAl]

I forgot to mention that there is CCTV footage of the whole thing and one of the officers body-worn video, that records sound.
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/gazette/vol70n3/cam-eng.htm
I now need to find a solicitor that does legal aid as they are few and far between.
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x2 33 16v
pictures http://www.alfa-pages.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=5203

[BigAl]

my mistake i got a reply from the chief inspector, however after writing to both the c/inspector and the c/super i got a reply from the c/super saying "I am making enquiries about the contents of your letter and I will back to you as soon as these are complete."
Man my heart is going 10 to the dozen, i hate this feeling.
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x2 33 16v
pictures http://www.alfa-pages.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=5203

[Admin]

Hi

Good luck. Might be worth sending a letter to try and reserve your right to appeal, or that as there is still an investigation on going that you do not feel you can appeal. Just to stop the c/super taking ages to reply and then that making it too late to appeal

All the best

Keith
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I owe, I owe, its off to work we go.
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