<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div>Wow! This is really scary. Sounds like these guys on this police force need white canes.<br><br>Sent from my iPhone</div><div><br>On Oct 18, 2012, at 7:33 PM, Kevin Pearl <<a href="mailto:kvnprl@insightbb.com">kvnprl@insightbb.com</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></div><div><h1 class="title" style="-webkit-hyphens: manual; "><font size="3"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://m.guardian.co.uk">m.guardian.co.uk</a></span></font></h1><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">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.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">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.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The matter is being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) after Farmer made a complaint to the force.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">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.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"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."</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">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'."</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Farmer, who has suffered two strokes, the most recent requiring two months in hospital in March, was fearful he would suffer another stroke.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"I walk at a snail's pace. They could have walked past me, driven past me in a van or said 'drop your weapon'."</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">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.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">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.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"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.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"It then became apparent this man was not the person we were looking for and officers attended to him straight away.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"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.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Lancashire Constabulary deeply regrets what has happened. We have clearly put this man through a traumatic experience and we are extremely sorry.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"We have launched an urgent investigation to understand what lessons can be learned and the matter has been referred to the IPCC."</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Farmer says he is taking legal action against the force and wants the officer involved charged with assault.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">A 27-year-old man carrying a samurai sword was later arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">-A correction was made to the standfirst on 18 October 2012. "IPPC" was changed to "IPCC".</span></p></div></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div><span>_______________________________________________</span><br><span>Nfbk mailing list</span><br><span><a href="mailto:Nfbk@nfbnet.org">Nfbk@nfbnet.org</a></span><br><span><a href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbk_nfbnet.org">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbk_nfbnet.org</a></span><br><span>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Nfbk:</span><br><span><a href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbk_nfbnet.org/kyfranks%40yahoo.com">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbk_nfbnet.org/kyfranks%40yahoo.com</a></span></div></blockquote></body></html>