Innocent businessman who was arrested wins £35,000 pay-out

An innocent businessman who was pepper-sprayed, bundled into a police van and called a ‘paedo’ by an officer has won a £35,000 pay-out.

In 2014, Paul Ponting argued with police who attended his home in Ormskirk, Lancashire, to tell him they would not be pursuing a case against a man he claimed had harassed him.

The father-of-two was then arrested and put through an ordeal which he says involved him being pepper-sprayed, cavity searched, stripped and left on a cold cell floor. 

Mr Ponting was charged with four offences but cleared of all four when he came before a court.

He said he feels ‘vindicated’ after receiving the payout and that he will put the money in a trust fund for his children.

CCTV images show Mr Ponting lying naked in a cell at Skelmersdale police station before he was taken away in an ambulance due to chest pains.

Telling of his arrest at his home he said: ‘We were stood at the top of my drive when I might have swore. I turned away from them to walk back into my house when one of the officers grabbed me.

‘They then started dragging me across the road to a pub car park where the police van was parked. I was pepper sprayed in the face and dragged along the pavement, suffering cuts to my body.

‘At one point they were on top of me, although one officer was more aggressive than the other.

An innocent businessman who was pepper-sprayed, bundled into a police van and called a ‘Paedo’ by an officer has won a £35,000 pay-out. Pictured: Mr Ponting’s injuries

‘This ordeal happened in front of my two children who watched from the window.’

He says he was then taken to the police station where he says he was grabbed by the throat after demanding to see a doctor.

Mr Ponting, who owns several computer shops, added: ‘After they stripped me naked, I started to experience chest pains. I thought I was going to die in a filthy prison cell, so they agreed to call an ambulance for me.’

During the strip-search an officer, believed to be PS Eckersely, called the claimant a ‘Paedo’ and touched the claimant’s anus

He said of the CCTV: ‘You can hear the officers asking the man behind the desk if they should “suit” me and he says “yeah”. That is slang for stripping a prisoner.’

Mr Ponting was eventually taken to Wigan hospital, where a report states he had ‘multiple bruises and superficial lacerations to the limbs and a swollen left lateral hand’. 

Lancashire police said in a statement: ‘Mr Ponting was arrested on June 18, 2014, and charged with offences of assault with intent to resist arrest, harassment, sending an offensive/obscene or menacing message and a public order offence.

‘He was bailed to appear at Ormskirk Magistrates’ Court and was subsequently acquitted of all charges.

‘There is currently a civil claim lodged with the constabulary in relation to this matter and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment any further at this stage.’   

Mr Ponting’s lawyer said in a statement: ‘This was a case of a law-abiding family man subjected to gratuitous violence, unlawful arrest and prosecution – a huge waste of police time and public resources – and as a result his faith in the police was shattered.

‘Paul is man of principle and the most important thing about this settlement, is not the level of damages but the apology he has now received from the chief constable.

‘I applaud the chief constable for doing so; a sense of justice being done is the primary objective for people like Paul, and that cannot be measured in money.’ 

CCTV footage showing Merseyside businessman Paul Ponting being stripped naked by a police officers

CCTV footage showing Merseyside businessman Paul Ponting being stripped naked by a police officers

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