A FURIOUS homeowner has been cleared of affray after attacking two policemen who illegally entered his home and tasered him.
Bob White, 62, was punched by officers after he barricaded himself in his home in Sheerness, Kent, when officers showed up in an attempt to evict him.
Police claimed that he was behaving in an aggressive manner and swinging a wooden club – which Mr White denied.
Judge David Griffith-Jones QC ruled that the officers from Kent Police had entered his home unlawfully and that her was within his rights to defend his home.
A jury at Maidstone Crown Court heard the judge say that it didn’t matter that Sgt Russell Belmant was a police officer and the defendant was entitled to remove him with reasonable force.
He stated that he was essentially a “trespasser and an unwelcome intruder” to Mr White’s home after he refused to answer the door.
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Officers went round the side of the bricklayer’s home and used an enforcer to smash the bottom of a door, with Sgt Belmant attempting to enter the home through the gap.
After being told “get out of my house” by Mr White, PC Dunn, who was assisting Sgt Belmant, pulled out his Taser and used it twice.
Officers then stormed the property where they punched him in the head twice before arresting him on suspicion of affray.
The court heard how Mr White had a wooden antique which he had picked up when he heard smashing at the side of his house.
He denied swinging it at the police officer, claiming Sgt Belmant had “made up” the claims.
The jury were shown body-worn footage from police which showed the altercation from February 2019, including a bloodied Mr White being arrested.
In his closing argument to the jury, prosecuting lawyer Ian Foinette said the situation was a “world away” from an intruder breaking into your house in the night and Mr White knew police were trying to get into his home.
He said: “It was obvious he didn’t think Sgt Belmant was an intruder. It doesn’t give him the right to behave like that and swing a club round.”
Mr White, who was representing himself, told the jury: “My life has been on hold for three years while this came to court. It’s been like a prison sentence itself.
“It’s a final chance for me to get justice.
“PC Dunn Tasered me twice and I was punched in the face twice before being handcuffed.”
When reading the facts of the case Judge Griffith-Jones highlighted how Mr White didn’t strike or touch any of the police officers, who were left “without a scratch”, and said the incident was “over in an instant”.
He explained Mr White wanted to contest the warrant for possession order issued by his mortgage owner RBS, and the jury found him not guilty of the attack.
Speaking after the verdict Mr White added: “I went through this for all the other people who are being wrongfully evicted by police.
“I hope this sets a precedent for other people to challenge unlawful evictions.
“It’s not just a physical struggle for people facing similar circumstances to me but a mental one.
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“People in the same situation have ended up killing themselves over the stress from it.
“I just hope this case will help someone in the same situation as me. The officers and police need to be held to account for this.”
