'Heavy handed' arrest criticised

THIS is the moment pals of a man arrested in Doncaster town centre claim police resorted to "heavy-handed" and "over the top" tactics to take him into custody.

Police say the man they were arresting on suspicion of theft and assault had been physically abusive - but pals who saw Andrew Timmons taken into a police van at Market Place claim officers went too far in restraining him and ignored their warnings that he had recently broken his leg.

Andrew Gaskern, who saw his 25-year-old friend - of Union Street in the town centre - struggle with as many as six police officers after he was stopped, said: “There were six policemen on top of him at one point.

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“They were treating him really roughly - I think too roughly. It surely didn’t need that many officers to stop him.” His friend Robert Dowling added: “They were heavy-handed and well over the top.”

Mr Gaskern said that he and Mr Dowling weren’t with Mr Timmons at the time of the incident leading to his arrest and had happened on the scene by chance as they were walking through the marketplace.

“I don’t know why they were arresting him in the first place. Andy’s just had a pot off his leg because he broke it - I hope the rough treatment hasn’t broken it again. We asked the police to be careful of his leg whilst he was on the ground but I don’t think they paid any attention to us.

“They went through his pockets so they were obviously searching for something, though I’ve no idea what it was.”

In total nine police officers attended the scene.

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South Yorkshire Police spokeswoman Lindsay Rust said: “A local 25-year-old man was detained in the Doncaster markets area of the town centre yesterday afternoon on suspicion of theft and assault.

“The man was stopped by an officer in the market place after acting suspiciously. He was physically abusive to the officer and assistance was called and the man was arrested.

“The officers involved followed the procedures for dealing with people who resist arrest and are abusive to officers.”

Another man was also arrested at the scene after verbally abusing police.