Jury Returns Unanimous Acquittal in 8 Minutes for Black Man Subjected to Excessive Police Force and Racial Trauma

Ife Thompson successfully represented NK, a Black man, at the Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey) in a five-day trial involving two counts of assaulting an emergency worker. The Crown alleged that NK had deliberately punched one officer and pushed the other police officer while being detained, pointing to alcohol consumption to suggest some intoxication. The prosecution relied on three police witnesses and Body-Worn Video (BWV) from four officers.

The defence maintained that no assaults occurred, and that issues of self-defence and mistake were central to the case. Through careful cross-examination, defence counsel walked officers through minute-by-minute BWV footage in slow motion, showing that the alleged assaults were unsupported by the video evidence.

The court heard that immediately prior to police arrival, NK had been racially profiled by security guards who called him a “gangster,” pushed him aggressively, then punched him in the back of the head, and pinned him to the ground. Part of the assault was captured on footage and the bouncers admitted the rest. In a dazed state from the head injury, NK believed he was still being attacked by the bouncers when officers arrived. The defence put forward that rather than investigating whether NK was a victim of a crime, attending officers assumed he was the primary aggressor and used excessive force against him. Members of the public witnessed the police detention of NK with several recording and some openly criticising the officers’ disproportionate use of force.

An expert psychologist gave evidence that the incident with security guards triggered NK’s pre-existing PTSD regarding racial discrimination. The expert noted that “NK’s trauma and associated symptoms, including the racialized aspects of this, were triggered during an altercation with bouncers. The activated trauma symptoms will have influenced the interaction with the police that followed.”

During the trial, defence counsel successfully resisted a hearsay application regarding an officer who withdrew her statement, alongside making abuse of process arguments and a submission of no case to answer.

After just 8 minutes of deliberation, the jury returned unanimous not guilty verdicts on all counts. Following the verdict, the trial Judge commended defence counsel on the record for doing a “phenomenal job” throughout the trial.

Ife Thompson states “This case highlights ongoing, systemic concerns regarding the excessive use of force by police against Black men. It also shows how important it is to understand how the trauma of experiencing anti-Black racism impacts individuals on a daily and recurring basis. The defence firmly maintains that this matter should never have been prosecuted.” Ife Thompson

Ife Thompson was instructed by Rebecca Field of Hodge Jones & Allen Solicitors.