An innocent man whose leg was broken when police mistakenly arrested him has won £12,000 in compensation.
Stephen Feehan was shopping for clothes for a relative’s funeral when he alleges he was tackled by plain-clothes officers.
Recalling his ordeal in Hayes, West London, labourer Stephen, 40, said: “It was so very nasty, an absolute nightmare.
"It came out of nowhere. Suddenly I was chucked to the ground by these blokes I presumed were a gang.
“I was on my back with my hands over my face and took at least 10 punches to the face and body while two officers kicked my sides and stamped on my lower body.
"I was silent, in shock, but I could feel my nose and lip had popped.
“Then one of them turned me on to my front, at which point another stamped on my leg just above my left ankle and I knew it had broken.
“The first I knew they were police was when they shoved handcuffs on me. They kept calling me by another name.”
He was held at a police station for 22 hours on suspicion of conspiracy to commit burglary before finally being released on bail.
Stephen says a doctor arrived two hours after he was first locked up at Uxbridge police station, but claimed he was only prescribed anti-inflammatories and was told his leg wasn’t broken.
Two days later he was diagnosed with a fractured fibula.
Stephen, who missed his great-uncle’s funeral and couldn’t work for four months due to his injuries, claimed the police used unreasonable force during the incident on December 15, 2015.
Police told him in February, 2016, there would be no further action against him but he claimed they failed to apologise, so he launched a legal claim against the Met.
“I became very reclusive,” he said. “I was traumatised thinking if the police can do that and get away with it, anyone can.”
Last June, he was diagnosed with adjustment disorder linked to the incident, after suffering depression and anxiety.
The Met said lawful force was used to carry out a lawful arrest.
Stephen’s claim of false imprisonment was denied on the basis it was necessary to keep him in custody to verify his identity and allow effective investigation of the offence.
They settled out of court and Stephen, who lives in Waterford, Republic of Ireland, received £12,000.
But he fumed: “I don’t think it accounts for the hell I’ve endured.”
Police said: “The Met confirms the civil claim has been settled out of court. We do not discuss settlement terms.”
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