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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Footballer Defoe to sue police | Footballer Defoe to sue police |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Tottenham Hotspur and England footballer Jermain Defoe is to start legal action against Essex Police for wrongful arrest and false imprisonment. | Tottenham Hotspur and England footballer Jermain Defoe is to start legal action against Essex Police for wrongful arrest and false imprisonment. |
| Mr Defoe's solicitor, Nick Freeman, said the footballer had authorised him to start proceedings relating to his arrest on 27 July. | Mr Defoe's solicitor, Nick Freeman, said the footballer had authorised him to start proceedings relating to his arrest on 27 July. |
| Mr Defoe, 26, was stopped in his Range Rover and arrested on suspicion of driving while disqualified. | |
| Essex Police said it was investigating the claims. | |
| A statement from the force said: "Essex Police is conducting an internal investigation and is liaising with Mr Defoe's legal team to ascertain the details of his complaint. | |
| "It would be inappropriate to comment any further at this time." | |
| Police apology | |
| According to Mr Freeman, the Spurs striker, who lives in of Cuffley, Hertfordshire, was not disqualified at the time of his arrest. | |
| He had previously been banned from driving but this ban was not in effect at the time, as it was pending appeal. | |
| Mr Freeman claims that Essex Police kept Jermain Defoe in custody for several hours before releasing him. | |
| The BBC has seen a letter of apology addressed to Mr Defoe from the acting Deputy Chief Constable of Essex Police. | |
| It contains a formal apology for the arrest and confirms that an internal investigation has been launched. | |
| Nick Freeman added that his client was suing the police as a matter of principle, and that should he win, any money would be donated to charity. |