Ex Cleveland PC Sultan Alam awarded £400,000 damages →

verbalresistance:

A former Cleveland Police officer who was wrongfully sent to prison has been awarded almost £400,000 after an 18-year legal fight.

Mr Alam was jailed for 18 months in 1996

Former traffic officer Sultan Alam, 48, was jailed for 18 months in 1996 for conspiracy to steal car parts, but was cleared by the Court of Appeal in 2007.

Cleveland Police had admitted the malicious persecution of Mr Alam, at Leeds County Court.

Judge Andrew Keyser QC said the force had tried to “destroy” his reputation.

No immediate comment was forthcoming from the force.

As well as damages, Mr Alam will also receive compensation for loss of earnings which have yet to be calculated.

After being wrongfully jailed, Mr Alam was reinstated to Cleveland Police, but retired in 2009 on health grounds.

‘Deliberate target’

The court heard how the officer, who served half of his prison sentence, was “stitchedup” by fellow officers as a result of industrial tribunal proceedings he launched in 1993, complaining of racial discrimination.

In 2003, four fellow officers involved in Mr Alam’s original prosecution were charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and other offences, but were acquitted.

In his judgement published on Wednesday, Judge Keyser said: “The claimant knew that he was not the unfortunate victim of an accidental miscarriage of justice but that he was the deliberate target of a conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, the aim of which was to destroy his reputation and his career.

“That is not an incidental feature of this case but is at the heart of the harm suffered by the claimant.

“The award of aggravated damages reflects the fact that that downfall was deliberately brought about by the concerted action of police officers.”

Earlier this month after hearing he would receive damages, Mr Alam said: “I’m relieved it’s over.”

BBC News

We often like to sit happy here in the UK, on the notions that the Police force left racism behind in the 80’s - but cases like these (and various other earlier injustices) show just how institutional racism is still an issue that shouldn’t be overlooked.

In this case, it’s an British-Asian Muslim officer, who has suffered from a smear campaign at the hands of his own colleagues, after he lodged a complaint against racial discrimination he faced - claims which were undoubtedly substantiated, in his subsequent framing for theft by the force.

Thankfully the courts dealt justice in the end.

(via cosmopolitan-fascist)

4 months ago  /  23 notes  /  Source: verbalresistance