On 28 Apr 2010 at 7:49pm Angry, Troubled Youth wrote:
On tuesday I was arrested just outside the grange.
lots of people are saying different things.
1. i wasn't involved in any of the fighting that was taking place
2. i had no illegal substances in my possesion
3. i was not aggressive towards police
4. i never tried running away, i was escorted out of the grange in hand-cuffs
5. i was released without charge, i did not end up in prison
On 28 Apr 2010 at 7:55pm Angry, Troubled Youth wrote:
And by the way, I never slashed anyone's tires or broke any wing-mirrors.
On 28 Apr 2010 at 8:01pm Lopster wrote:
as long as lying isn't on your list of misdemeanours too it sounds like you's been on the receiving end of some rough "justice" - don't let it get you down, rise above it, prove them all wrong - sticks and stones and all that
On 28 Apr 2010 at 8:22pm Angry, Troubled Youth wrote:
You're half right. It was rough but no so much justice.
On 28 Apr 2010 at 8:49pm No Pot Pourri wrote:
My guess is that you were around where there was trouble afoot. You made no attempt to leave, even when you you a disturbance was in progress and your attitude was surly and belligerent.
Just a guess, I was not there, but I was once a teenager.
On 28 Apr 2010 at 8:54pm Angry, Troubled Youth wrote:
Fair enough. You're allowed to make assumptions.
On 28 Apr 2010 at 11:16pm Long Distance Whelker wrote:
Were you with, or did you know, the troublemakers?
More importantly, did the troublemakers get arrested and charged
On 29 Apr 2010 at 5:53am Big bloke wrote:
So let's get this straight. There you were, happily walking through the grange gardens eating your ice cream and admiring the tulips in the spring sunshine when a couple of burly cops jumped out of the bushes and for no reason, assulted you and arrested you. ???????????????????
On 29 Apr 2010 at 7:46am Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
Yes, ATY, life's not fair and the cops get it wrong sometimes just like everyone else.
Bloody annoying though. I suspect that when something big kicks off involving a particular group, whether they're football fans, hunt supporters or teenagers, any of that group in the area is likely to get picked up.
Did they say what they were arresting you for?
On 29 Apr 2010 at 9:41am Down and Out wrote:
Whilst being, these days, a quiet and respectable well-behaved citizen of the realm I've seen, in the past, enough situations where coppers have completely and violently over-reacted - football matches, pickets, political marches and the like - to know that they go a long way past reasonable on occasion. It's just to do with fear, prejudice, the uniform and testosterone.
Cops sometimes don't do their job very well, but sometimes neither does anyone else. I think you just have to mark it down to 'sh1t happens' and move on.
On 29 Apr 2010 at 1:14pm Penguin wrote:
Yes, Big Bloke, it happens. I spent a night in the Police Station one New Years eve after being arrested for 'obstructing the highway'. All I was doing was waiting to meet someone outside the Rainbow. We didn't go in there, just arranged to meet outside. The police were already there when I arrived, and I had only been there for literally a few seconds when I was bundled into the back of the van, only to find the person I had been waiting for already in there having been arrested for the same thing. All in all they arrested 8 people - me, my friend, and 6 other people who were just grabbed as they left the pub and put straight into the van. Before anyone says, it was New Years eve and you were obviously drunk, I wasn't. This was fairly early in the evening and I am not a big drinker in any case. Nor was there any surliness or belligerence - apart from the fact that there wasn't time to say anything, I think we were all just too taken aback by the ridiculousness of the situation !
In the Sussex Express the next week there was an article about a fight in the Lamb on New Years Eve resulting in 8 arrests !! There were even quotes from the officer that had arrested us. I am guessing it was just easier for the police to arrest us than and stay well out of the way of any real trouble at the Lamb. Basically it seems we had our evenings ruined purely to make it appear that the police had done their job. Can't say I have much (or any) faith in them anymore.
On 29 Apr 2010 at 1:26pm TDA wrote:
So the police P-P-P-Picked up a Penguin?
On 29 Apr 2010 at 4:14pm Big bloke wrote:
Well penguin, i presume you officially complained for wrongful arrest, took it to the highest in command, took it to your MP and then to every media outlet in the land. I would've.
On 29 Apr 2010 at 4:34pm Penguin wrote:
I wrote to the Chief Constable and got no response. I also wrote to the Sussex Express to point out the truth behind their story, again to no avail.
To be honest though, whilst a sorry would have been nice, and if it happened again now I would certainly do as you say, back then I didn't really consider taking it any further.
ps. Very good TDA !
On 29 Apr 2010 at 4:47pm Big bloke wrote:
Bloody hell Penguin, I would've been in that police station asking to speak to the superintendant and then taken it to the police complaints comittee. Believe, me, if i was wrongly arrested like that, i wouldn't sleep until i had 1) a written apology, 2) confirmation that it would be removed from my records and 3) compensation.
On 30 Apr 2010 at 11:17am Penguin wrote:
Appreciate what you are saying Big Bloke, and as I said, if it happened again now I would do just that, but I was quite young when this happened and probably not that aware of what further actions I could have taken. Certainly compensation didn't even cross my mind.