FACTFILE Marc Vallée
POLICE had twice checked Marc Vallée’s NUJ press card at a “Sack Parliament” protest in Westminster in October 2006, when he was pushed backwards to the ground through police lines, sustaining a back injury that left him unable to work for a month.
He sued the Metropolitan Police for assault and breaching his rights of freedom of expression and assembly. He won an out of court settlement and received a written apology, although the Met refused to admit liability.
Marc Vallee says: “Before I decide to go to work now I have to ask myself, do I want this hassle today?”
FACTFILE Andy Handley
MILTON KEYNES News staff photographer Andy Handley (right) was arrested when he took photos of a road accident from behind a police cordon. He told police he was entitled to legally take pictures in a public place. The officer said he had the right to seize his equipment as it was a “crime scene”.
Andy Handley was handcuffed and taken to a police station, where he was photographed, fingerprinted and DNA tested. He was held for eight hours and received a caution for obstruction. But following an NUJ complaint, police apologised, describing his arrest as “a serious misjudgement” and deleted his data from the Police National Computer.
FACTFILE Mike Wells
IN SEPTEMBER 2007 freelance Mike Wells was stopped and searched three times and had his phone taken while covering the Defence Systems and Equipment International exhibition in London. Despite showing his press card, officers told Mike Wells that he was being searched on the grounds that he was a person likely to cause criminal damage such as graffiti.
FACTFILE Alan Lodge
Nottingham freelance Alan Lodge was stopped by an officer when photographing an armed police siege in March 2006. He refused to stop photographing a police officer when asked, relying on the guidelines for dealing with the press which he himself had helped Nottinghamshire police to draft earlier that year. He was arrested and his camera confiscated. He was charged with obstruction of a police officer, and, despite NUJ support, given a nine-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £400 in costs.
FACTFILE An NUJ photographer
THE PHOTOGRAPHER, who wishes to remain nameless, was taking photographs of an incident at London Bridge station in December 2007 and was approached by British Transport Police. He was informed that photography was illegal on a railway platform. He produced his press card but it was taken by a community support officer who said he would not give it back unless the photographer deleted the images. NUJ official John Toner wrote to BT Police, who apologised and said the CSO concerned had been “given words of advice from a senior officer”.