Police assault victim criticises sentence (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)
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Police assault victim criticises sentence
4:37pm Tuesday 7th September 2010 in
Assault victim Pamela Somerville who was left with a huge cut over her eye after being hurled headfirst into a cell by Sgt Mark Andrews, criticised his jail sentence.
"What I found the most distressing was when I heard he was sentenced to six months in jail and he could be out in three months," she told Sky News.
"I don't know how sentencing works but I get the feeling that if he had been a member of the public that had assaulted me in that way, I think he would have got a greater sentence."
Ms Somerville, of North Colerne, described Andrews as "extremely aggressive" and said he had repeatedly told her to "shut up".
"All he seemed to say was 'shut up, shut up, shut up', with other adjectives in front of shut up," she said.
"I was terrified on the way to the police station and when I got into the custody suite, I thought it would be sorted out."
She added: "I thought they must have mistaken me for somebody who had done some terrible crime. Whatever crime you have done or haven't done, is this what happens in police cells?"
She said the incident was like an "horrific nightmare".
"I thought perhaps they would never let me out," she said. "I couldn't understand why they would treat anybody in that way. It was like a horrific nightmare."
But she said she wanted to move on from the incident.
She said: "I want it all over, I want to forget it."
Asked if she had a message for Sgt Andrews, she said: "I would like him to say he is sorry."
Comments(13)
Granti
says...
5:14pm Tue 7 Sep 10
Is he still being paid while he is suspended?
I hope Pamela gets a good settlement from the police force but I bet she will have to jump through many hoops to get anything.
cght36
says...
7:31pm Tue 7 Sep 10
Road Rage
says...
7:42am Wed 8 Sep 10
The Maxter
says...
1:19pm Wed 8 Sep 10
lp78
says...
3:00pm Wed 8 Sep 10
Talk Is Cheap
says...
3:38pm Wed 8 Sep 10
Please note, she was never charged with an offence!
Chippy1967
says...
6:50pm Wed 8 Sep 10
Additional information
says...
9:24am Thu 9 Sep 10
The complaints were for ‘Improper Disclosure of Information’ and the investigation report details that DC Torrington disclosed personal & private information and data to the complainants employer on a regular basis and continually providing ‘updates’ therefore breaching the Data Protection Act 1998. Due to this breach Thames Valley Police have also been reported to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO).
The second complaint which was also concluded as being upheld & substantiated was for ‘Mishandling of Property’. This involved the same officer, DC Torrington giving away various personal possessions & items of the complainants property to an unauthorised person and also without permission or even recording it.
The investigation report details and concludes that DC Mark Torrington will receive Management Advice from the Area Commander as a result of his actions.
This officer should have been prosecuted in the same way as any member of the public would have been!
However this once again highlights the poor conduct of officers and the very low standard within Thames Valley Police which on many occasions just gets glossed over from the public. The actions of this officer are just one example of why Thames Valley Police have got such a poor reputation and proves that officers including DC Torrington obviously can not be trusted!!
david421
says...
3:23pm Thu 9 Sep 10
lp78 wrote:I totally agree. Sgt Andrews was totally wrong but she was clearly drunk and acting up. And I imagine the charges of refusing to give a breath sample were dropped in an attempt to avoid news of this coming out.
why is everyone rushing to the defence of mrs somerville?? i agree that what sgt andrews did was wrong, but, if mrs somerville was an innocent person taking a nap in her car virtually outside her house then why was she terrified going to the custody suite and why when she was there did she deliberately attempt to sit on the floor before she was dragged off to the cell???? i am sure there is more to this story..... more than mrs somerville would admit to
SarahSA
says...
7:53pm Thu 9 Sep 10
However, I am convinced that there is slightly more to this story than the one being presented by the media. Police Officers do not simply drag innocent members of the public into custody without having adequate grounds/evidence to do so. Also, on the CCTV footage Mrs Sommerville appears to not be cooperating - surely this is not the usual way to behave if you are 'terrified'.
I also disagree with comments made about Sergeant Andrews sentence being 'light'. To the contrary, I feel that he has been sentenced more severely than a member of the general public (without previous convictions), because of his occupation (position of trust etc...).
DaveHegarty
says...
10:12am Fri 10 Sep 10
Excuse the sarcasm. I'll explain.
I'm a law graduate, so I can put some fact behind my statements, as opposed to the raw emotion and keyboard rage displayed above.
Sentencing will inevitably be different for Police Officers and members of the public, this is a given. What the keyboard warriors have neglected to consider is how much heavier Sergeant Andrews' sentence was compared to what Johnny Public would have received for committing an ABH.
Rightly so, may I quickly add! He was in a position of responsibility and authority and is expected to behave in a manner which the public expect.
Did you know, that Johnny Public with no previous criminal record, for an ABH, would potentially receive a Caution should he admit the offence when interviewed by Police.
Should Johnny Public deny the offence in the interview (still having no previous record) he'd potentially end up in court, where he'd most likely only end up with community service or a referral order and some compensation owing to his victim - hardly prison is it.
Also, think about why our victim was in the custody suite, arrested for failing to provide a breath test. The officers that brought her in must have had justifiable grounds for this, or the Sergeant would have chucked them out with our victim in tow.
Maybe the Police didn't pursue any charges as a damage limitation exercise? You can imagine the headlines - "I got beaten up, then charged with an offence". It'd look even worse if she'd been found not guilty.
Or how about, they didn't charge her with anything because it was more important to medically treat her, during which time she'd sobered up and any opportunity to give her the offer of the station breath test procedure was lost. Without that offer, the CPS would never be able to prosecute her for being Drunk in Charge of a Motor Vehicle, or for Failing to Provide a Breath Sample.
Maybe that makes too much sense, so please feel free to just carry on blindly slating the Police, CPS, Courts, Government, Judges, Magistrates and prison van drivers who are all corrupt and taking backhanders to satisfy selfish urges as bullies.
The Maxter
says...
12:54am Sun 12 Sep 10
Perhaps you'd like to take a night out in a local town and run the gauntlet of her majesties police force , who, bolstered by numerous minor law's passed by recent governments can arrest you for virtually anything? If you don't believe me, try sitting in on a Monday court session.
Mind, you taking some moral high ground on this, is complete ****. You've trained to profit from the system, whether you prosecute or defend - enjoy your champagne lifestyle at the taxpayers expense - parasite.
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Pamela Somerville after the assault
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Dr lily white says...
5:12pm Tue 7 Sep 10