Leonard Sandiford, 61, is now confined to a wheelchair following a shocking police chase in Woodford Green, east London. The pensioner was Tasered by an officer and fell six feet from a shed, suffering a devastating spinal injury that left him tetraplegic, a court heard.
Met Police Officer Faces Serious Allegations
PC Liam Newman, 31, denies causing grievous bodily harm. Prosecutor Irshad Sheikh slammed the officer’s use of the Taser as “unreasonable” and unlawful. “The risk of injury should have been obvious,” Sheikh told Southwark crown-court/" title="Crown Court" rel="nofollow">Crown Court, insisting Sandiford posed no threat that justified such force.
Chase Turns Tragic: The Moments Before the Fall
- Sandiford was driving a white Ford van when officers tried to stop him on suspicion of attempted burglary near a bookmakers.
- After raising his hands and exiting the van, he ran when PC Newman brandished a Taser.
- Sandiford climbed onto a shed but was struck twice by the Taser, losing muscle control and plummeting to the ground.
Sandiford Speaks Out From Hospital Bed
“I remembered running from police and something hit my neck or back. Then my lights went out. I woke up in hospital about two months later,” Sandiford told jurors. He fiercely denied any burglary involvement and said he ran out of fear, having promised his children he wouldn’t return to prison.
The gripping trial continues as jurors decide whether officer Newman’s actions were justified or criminally reckless in this tragic case.
