Police pay £30,000 injury claim to photographer
Personal Injury 08 Dec 2010
An injury claim payment of £30,000 has been awarded to a photographer who lost five teeth when a police officer in full riot gear charged at him.
The accident compensation also takes account of the fact David Hoffman's professional equipment was damaged in the incident, which was caught on camera by an amateur film-maker.
In a statement, the victim argued the "size of the award" is indicative of the strong desire of the Metropolitan Police to "avoid having the facts examined publicly" in court.
His injury claim stems from an incident that took place in April last year during protests against the G20 summit and may be taken by some as evidence of police brutality, with claims of the use of excessive force rife during and after the events.
In the course of the same demonstrations, Ian Tomlinson was killed when a police officer attacked him as he was walking away, causing the victim to fall to the ground and suffer fatal head injuries.
Published by Tessa Jones
