Lawyer seeks London police apology over Black man’s arrest

ISLAMABAD, July 20 (online): The lawyer for a Black man filmed being pinned down by a London police officer who appeared to kneel on his neck said the force should apologise to his client, and claimed the incident “mirrors” the death of George Floyd in the United States.

Marcus Coutain was detained on a London street on Thursday and charged with carrying a knife.

Video filmed by a bystander shows two officers holding the handcuffed man on the ground, and one appears to be applying pressure to the man’s neck with his knee.

The officer’s hand is on the head of the man, who can be heard shouting “Get off me … get off my neck.”

During a hearing at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court, Mr Coutain’s lawyer, Timur Rusten, said the incident “mirrors almost identically what happened to George Floyd,” a Black man who died May 25 at the hands of police in Minneapolis in the US.

Mr Coustain, 48, indicated in court that he planned to plead not guilty.

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