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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Wow….just….wow!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> Nfbk [mailto:nfbk-bounces@nfbnet.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Kevin Pearl<br><b>Sent:</b> Thursday, October 18, 2012 7:33 PM<br><b>To:</b> NFBK<br><b>Subject:</b> [Nfbk] Police Taser Blind Man<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><h1 style='-webkit-hyphens: manual'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><a href="http://m.guardian.co.uk">m.guardian.co.uk</a></span><o:p></o:p></h1><p>An innocent blind man was shot in the back with a 50,000-volt Taser by police after they mistook his white stick for a samurai sword.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Colin Farmer, 61, was hit after reports of a man walking through Chorley, Lancashire, early on Friday evening, with a sword. He said he initially thought he was being attacked by hooligans when he was struck by the Taser.<o:p></o:p></p><p>The matter is being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) after Farmer made a complaint to the force.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Farmer, who used to run an architects' practice, was on his way to meet friends at 5.45pm and was walking in Peter Street near a restaurant. "I was just walking along and I heard some men shouting really angrily and thought I'm going to get mugged. I didn't know any police were here.<o:p></o:p></p><p>"The Taser hit me in the back and it started sending all these thousands of volts through me and I was terrified. I mean I had two strokes already caused by stress. I dropped the stick involuntarily and I collapsed on the floor face down."<o:p></o:p></p><p>He added: "I was shaking and I thought 'I'm going to have another stroke any second and this one is going to kill me. I'm being killed. I'm being killed'."<o:p></o:p></p><p>Farmer, who has suffered two strokes, the most recent requiring two months in hospital in March, was fearful he would suffer another stroke.<o:p></o:p></p><p>"I walk at a snail's pace. They could have walked past me, driven past me in a van or said 'drop your weapon'."<o:p></o:p></p><p>Lancashire Police apologised to Farmer for the "traumatic experience" but confirmed last night that the officer who fired the Taser has not been suspended and remains on duty.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Chief superintendent Stuart Williams, from Lancashire Police, said: "We received a number of reports that a man was walking through Chorley with a Samurai sword and patrols were sent to look for him.<o:p></o:p></p><p>"One of the officers believed he had located the offender. Despite asking the man to stop, he failed to do so and the officer discharged his Taser.<o:p></o:p></p><p>"It then became apparent this man was not the person we were looking for and officers attended to him straight away.<o:p></o:p></p><p>"He was taken to Chorley Hospital by officers who stayed while he was checked over by medics. They then took him to meet his friends in Chorley at his request.<o:p></o:p></p><p>"Lancashire Constabulary deeply regrets what has happened. We have clearly put this man through a traumatic experience and we are extremely sorry.<o:p></o:p></p><p>"We have launched an urgent investigation to understand what lessons can be learned and the matter has been referred to the IPCC."<o:p></o:p></p><p>Farmer says he is taking legal action against the force and wants the officer involved charged with assault.<o:p></o:p></p><p>A 27-year-old man carrying a samurai sword was later arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly.<o:p></o:p></p><p>-A correction was made to the standfirst on 18 October 2012. "IPPC" was changed to "IPCC".<o:p></o:p></p></div></div></body></html>