Bedfordshire Police apologise to grandfather, 81, left with bloody injuries after address mix-up

Police have apologised to an 81-year-old grandfather left with bloody injuries and bruises after officers went to the wrong address - admitting the pensioner did nothing wrong.

Two uniformed officers unexpectedly appeared at Malcolm Emery's window in Potton, Bedfordshire, at 5am on Friday while responding to reports of a disturbance.

A spokesman for Bedfordshire Police said Mr Emery "had initially approached the attending officers holding a wooden implement".

Several back-up units were called to support police and, after one officer suffered a cut to her face, the man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker and was handcuffed.

But police now admit the pensioner did nothing wrong and have issued an apology.

Dep Ch Con Trevor Rodenhurst said: "I wanted to say how deeply sorry we are to everyone involved in this incident, which appears to have begun with a simple case of a mistaken address but quickly escalated to a point where a man in his 80s has received injuries to his arms, as a result of being handcuffed, and an officer has suffered a head injury.

"I have updated the man's family [on Tuesday] to let them know he will face no further action in relation to the alleged assault as, after reviewing the evidence, we are content that the officer's injuries were not caused by an intentional act."

Mr Emery's granddaughter, Kayla, tweeted photographs of her grandfather's arms after the arrest that show deep bloody wounds and bruises to his arms.

On Twitter, she said: "My 81 year old grandad having been arrested because Bedfordshire Police got the wrong address...

"...He was terrified, ill and it took ten officers and six vehicles to arrest him.

"Maybe his heart attack gave him superpowers?

"He's in the cells, confused and bruised trying to defend himself."

In a video posted on social media, the man's son can be heard saying: "He's my Dad, he's 81 years old, he has Alzheimer's, he's had two strokes." The video shows Mr Emery in handcuffs being escorted into the back of a police van.

Bedfordshire Police referred itself to the police watchdog over the incident.

Mr Rodenhurst said the force would now allow the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to conduct its review but said it was "right that we acknowledge where we have got things wrong and there were opportunities to de-escalate this situation which were not taken".

In a statement posted on Twitter following the arrest, the force said the man had been taken into custody for a "brief period" before being released.

Police later tweeted to clarify that the wooden object was not a walking stick, but something similar in size and shape to a rounders bat - although they also confirmed it was not a rounders bat.

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