This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/6428865.stm
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| CCTV shows officer punching woman | CCTV shows officer punching woman |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| CCTV footage has been released which shows a police officer repeatedly punching a young woman outside a nightclub in Sheffield. | CCTV footage has been released which shows a police officer repeatedly punching a young woman outside a nightclub in Sheffield. |
| The footage also shows Toni Comer, 20, being dragged into a police van. | The footage also shows Toni Comer, 20, being dragged into a police van. |
| Ms Comer, from Sheffield, was being arrested last July for damaging a car - an offence she has since admitted. | Ms Comer, from Sheffield, was being arrested last July for damaging a car - an offence she has since admitted. |
| Police said they would investigate a complaint by Ms Comer but they were "happy" with the officer's conduct. He said he had been trying to subdue her. | Police said they would investigate a complaint by Ms Comer but they were "happy" with the officer's conduct. He said he had been trying to subdue her. |
| The footage has prompted calls for an Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) investigation, with one race relations manager saying there may have been a racist element to the incident. | The footage has prompted calls for an Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) investigation, with one race relations manager saying there may have been a racist element to the incident. |
| South Yorkshire police said they were "outraged" by that claim. | South Yorkshire police said they were "outraged" by that claim. |
| Writhing | Writhing |
| 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. | 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. |
| Toni Comer has admitted an offence of criminal damage | Toni Comer has admitted an offence of criminal damage |
| 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 then shows Ms Comer writhing around on the ground, which she says was due to an epileptic fit. Police say she was trying to resist arrest. | The footage then shows Ms Comer 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. | She is later dragged to a police van with her trousers round her knees. |
| On Wednesday, at Sheffield Magistrates' Court, Ms Comer admitted criminal damage to a car, which she said happened after she was ejected from the nightclub, where she had been drinking brandy and had become aggressive. | On Wednesday, at Sheffield Magistrates' Court, Ms Comer admitted criminal damage to a car, which she said happened after she was ejected from the nightclub, where she had been drinking brandy and had become aggressive. |
| She was given a conditional discharge and ordered to pay £250 to the vehicle's owner. | She was given a conditional discharge and ordered to pay £250 to the vehicle's owner. |
| Ms Comer says she is now preparing a civil case against the police in relation to her arrest, during which she claims to have suffered cuts and bruises. | Ms Comer says she is now preparing a civil case against the police in relation to her arrest, during which she claims to have suffered cuts and bruises. |
| I struck her as hard as I was physically able with my right fist in an attempt to subdue her Pc Mulhall | I struck her as hard as I was physically able with my right fist in an attempt to subdue her Pc Mulhall |
| "I couldn't believe it to be honest, I couldn't believe they could do something like that at all," she said. | "I couldn't believe it to be honest, I couldn't believe they could do something like that at all," she said. |
| In a statement broadcast by Newsnight, the police officer who punched her, named only as Pc Mulhall, said Ms Comer had become violent. | In a statement broadcast by Newsnight, the police officer who punched her, named only as Pc Mulhall, said Ms Comer had become violent. |
| "As her hands became free she tried to grab handfuls of my genitals and knee and kick me in the same place. | "As her hands became free she tried to grab handfuls of my genitals and knee and kick me in the same place. |
| "At this point, I struck her as hard as I was physically able with my right fist in an attempt to subdue her. There was no apparent effect so I did this twice more." | "At this point, I struck her as hard as I was physically able with my right fist in an attempt to subdue her. There was no apparent effect so I did this twice more." |
| He said she continued to resist handcuffs. | He said she continued to resist handcuffs. |
| "I now struck her as hard as I was physically able in an attempt to deaden her arm...in the end I had to use brute force," he said. | "I now struck her as hard as I was physically able in an attempt to deaden her arm...in the end I had to use brute force," he said. |
| 'Stomach-turning' | 'Stomach-turning' |
| Newsnight showed the footage to former Flying Squad commander John O'Connor. | Newsnight showed the footage to former Flying Squad commander John O'Connor. |
| He said: "The fact that these blows were in pursuance of trying to subdue her to get handcuffs on seems to me to be quite reasonable." | He said: "The fact that these blows were in pursuance of trying to subdue her to get handcuffs on seems to me to be quite reasonable." |
| But local race relations manager Ruggie Johnson, who first obtained the tape, said: "It is absolutely shocking indeed to think that images like these could be coming out of South Yorkshire. | But local race relations manager Ruggie Johnson, who first obtained the tape, said: "It is absolutely shocking indeed to think that images like these could be coming out of South Yorkshire. |
| "This is not the deep south, this is South Yorkshire." | "This is not the deep south, this is South Yorkshire." |
| Chief Superintendent Ali Dizaei, of the National Black Police Association, called for an investigation by the IPCC, saying that it was "absolutely" a concern that race may have been an issue. | Chief Superintendent Ali Dizaei, of the National Black Police Association, called for an investigation by the IPCC, saying that it was "absolutely" a concern that race may have been an issue. |
| Shami Chakrabarti, director of human rights group Liberty, also demanded an urgent investigation into the officer's actions. | Shami Chakrabarti, director of human rights group Liberty, also demanded an urgent investigation into the officer's actions. |
| "These images turn the stomach," she said. | "These images turn the stomach," she said. |
| South Yorkshire Police said: "The force is outraged at the nature of the report itself, and the possible suggestion that this may be linked to any kind of racist incident. | South Yorkshire Police said: "The force is outraged at the nature of the report itself, and the possible suggestion that this may be linked to any kind of racist incident. |
| "We are satisfied with the way this incident was handled and happy with the conduct of the officer but we will investigate the circumstances of the complaint as we would with any complaint. | "We are satisfied with the way this incident was handled and happy with the conduct of the officer but we will investigate the circumstances of the complaint as we would with any complaint. |
| "It is worth noting that as a result of the original incident the individual was convicted of a criminal offence." | "It is worth noting that as a result of the original incident the individual was convicted of a criminal offence." |