UK Police brutality to disabled student

A disabled British student has slammed the Metropolitan police after it rejected his complaint of officers’ assault and brutality for hitting him with a baton and pulling him from his wheelchair.

Scotland Yard’s directorate of professional standards (DPS) rejected Jody McIntyre’s complaint of police assault and brutality during university tuition fee protests last December.

The DPS claimed officers had pulled McIntyre from his wheelchair to protect him in a “volatile, dangerous situation during violent clashes” at the student demonstrations.

The investigation results triggered an angry reaction from McIntyre who said he may appeal with the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) as the Metropolitan police investigating itself turns out to be problematic.

This comes as just hours after the demonstrations, a footage was released online that validated McIntyre’s earlier remarks that a single officer tipped his wheelchair twice and pulled him “quite violently” on a road during the protests in London.

“This decision confirms the corruption and complete ineptitude within the Metropolitan police. Firstly we should be asking ourselves why they investigate themselves? And secondly for them to say there no evidence to support my complaints of assault when there was video evidence viewed by hundreds of thousands of people is laughable.
What more evidence to you need?” McIntyre told the Guardian.

The DPS said their probe under the supervision of the IPCC “did not find evidence to substantiate any of the complaints” by McIntyre.

The Met claimed the evidence they have shows Jody McIntyre “was inadvertently struck with a police baton” with the investigation trying to reinforce the case in favor of the police by describing the incident as “justifiable and lawful” because of the “volatile and dangerous situation”.

“The investigation has found that violent disorder was occurring at the location where Jody McIntyre was positioned,” the DPS said.

“At this location officers were under sustained attack and were required to use force to protect themselves, whilst attempting to control the disorder,” it added.

This is while the DPS even claimed tipping McIntyre’s wheelchair and dragging his across the road was done for his own safety.
“His removal from his wheelchair was also justifiable given the officers’ perceived risk to Jody McIntyre,” the Met said.

This latest comment by the force was especially infuriating for McIntyre.

“Not only is that incorrect, in the sense that you do not insure a disabled person’s safety by pulling them out of their means of transport, but also it is highly patronizing to suggest that you know better than a disabled person what is in their best interests,” he said.

The IPCC has kept the option of appealing the findings within 28 days open for McIntyre.