Man left with ‘catastrophic’ injuries after police officer tasered him in Haringey, court told

A police officer left a man with “catastrophic” life-changing injuries after tasering him on top of wheelie bins and he fell backwards onto a footpath, a court heard.

PC Imran Mahmood, 36, is accused of unlawfully inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent on Jordan Walker-Brown during a patrol in the early months of the first lockdown on May 4, 2020.

Mr Walker-Brown, who was 23 at the time, was left paralysed from the waist down after falling backwards over a fence, hitting his head on the footpath behind and breaking his back.

He had not pulled out any weapon at the time he was tasered, the court heard.

Southwark Crown Court heard how Mahmood was patrolling the Haringey area of north London with eight other officers when their marked van turned into Burgoyne Road.

The police officer noticed Mr Walker-Brown walking along the pavement and decided to speak to him.

Mahmood and a colleague chased him and drew their tasers while the van followed.

Mr Walker-Brown then entered the front garden of a house and tried to climb over a fence leading to a footpath, but first had to jump onto wheelie bins to make it over.

At this point, the defendant drew his taser, which created an electric shock which caused his alleged victim to tumble backwards over the fence.

He could not use his arms to control his fall, landed head-first on the footpath below and broke his back.

Prosecutor Ben Fitzgerald KC told jurors: “Mr Walker-Brown did not present a physical threat to Mr Mahmood or anyone else.

“He did not produce a weapon or try to attack anyone; he was trying to get away.

“Mr Mahmood fired the taser at the moment when it looked as if Mr Walker-Brown might get away over the wall.

“He discharged the taser when Mr Walker-Brown was up on the wheelie bin, with the obvious risk of injury from an uncontrolled fall, which is exactly what happened, with catastrophic results.

“Mr Mahmood should not have used the taser. It was not, the prosecution says, a reasonable use of force in the circumstances he faced. It was not lawful.”

He added that Mr Mahmood was taught that tasers cause “intense pain” which leave the subject unable to control the muscles in their body and that tasering someone at a height carries a “particular risk”.

Mr Mahmood stood ashen-faced in the dock wearing a dark blue suit, light blue tie and white shirt as the case against him was read out.

He does not dispute inflicting grievous bodily harm but denies that it was unlawful.

The trial, which is expected to last five days, continues.

Misconduct proceedings are expected to take place later if he is found guilty.

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