A black youth worker who was Tasered after being pulled over by City of London police has lost a case for damages.
Edwin Afriyie, 36, had his arms folded and was standing at a distance from officers when he was Tasered by City of London police after a road traffic stop, body-worn footage showed.
A high court judge ruled on Friday that the officer was justified in believing he needed to use a Taser because Afriyie “was a large and muscular man” who “was clearly very agitated” and had “repeatedly shouted” that he would not allow himself to be arrested and pushed officers’ hands away.
After he was Tasered, he fell backwards, hit his head on a stone window ledge and suffered a minor head injury.
Officers at the scene had wrongly claimed in written statements that Afriyie had adopted a “fighting stance” before being Tasered.
The judge, Henrietta Hill, said it was clear from video footage that he had done “no such thing at any point in the incident” and that this created a “justified concern” that they had deliberately colluded to exaggerate Afriyie’s aggression.
Despite this she found that the officer who Tasered him “honestly believed” it was necessary because he feared Afriyie would aggressively resist arrest.
Afriyie said on Friday he was considering appealing against the decision. “It just doesn’t feel right. How can she say it was justified to Taser me?” he said.
Afriyie was driving three friends back from a party in east London in April 2018 when he was pulled over by police in the City. Officers told him they believed he was speeding, but he was never prosecuted for this. He believes he was stopped because he was a black man driving a Mercedes.
His legal claim did not go into race discrimination but he said last year that police in the incident “treated him like a wild animal” and that the experience would never have happened to him if he was white.
He was breathalysed and arrested after the machine repeatedly failed to register a result, which can happen if users do not blow hard enough. He was asked to put his hands behind his back to be handcuffed, but pulled his arms away.
Afriyie argued that he was unlawfully handcuffed and Tasered but his claims for assault, battery and misfeasance in public office were all dismissed as the judge ruled that officers reasonably believed force was justified.
Afriyie’s lawyer, Kevin Donoghue, said he was considering an appeal. “Mr Afriyie is exceptionally disappointed with the decision and is considering his options,” he said.
The court has yet to decide whether Afriyie has to pay costs.
The case was first heard in 2022 but the judge fell ill and was unable to complete it. The claim was retried last month. City of London police were contacted for comment.