School Boy Receives £4000 for being called "Gay" and Wrongfully Detained [15th Dec 2011]
A schoolboy has been awarded £4,000 in compensation from the Metropolitan Police this week after they wrongfully arrested him and told him he was "running around being stupid and gay". Jules Matsson, who is now a professional photographer, had been taking photographs of a military parade during Armed Forces Day in 2010 and was stopped by police. He was originally told he was a public hazard and exhibiting anti-social behaviour. When pressed, the officer made the "gay" comment. Mr Mattson was told that taking photos was against the privacy of the soldiers that he could constitute a terrorist threat. Mr Mattson carried on taking photographs and was arrested and detained for 15 minutes. Mr Mattson's lawyers claimed that the comments were designed to belittle their client who was just 15 at the time. The police have since sent a letter which apologises and points out that the press should have the free right to report on events and that not allowing them to do so goes against democracy. It has emerged this week that the safety net set up to protect savers has paid out almost £26 billion in compensation to 4.5 million customers in the last ten years since it was set up. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) was set up ten years ago to, in part, protect savings up to £85,000 if a bank goes bust. This figure has been increased from £31,700 in recent years. Mark Neale from the FSCS has commented that the scheme protects people when they have nowhere else to turn, however he points out that savers need to check that their money is deposited into an institution which qualifies for the compensation scheme. In the last ten years 2,528 financial institutions have collapsed and 2,000 of these were financial advisers. The largest payouts so far have been when Bradford and Bingley collapsed, the Icesave trouble and the London Scottish Bank. A woman has been awarded compensation for sexual discrimination and constructive dismissal after an employment tribunal. Angela Ashby worked in the sales department of Cathelco, a marine supplies company based in Chesterfield. She left her role due to the laddish culture which existed and the fact that her boss allowed it to continue. Her boss, Peter Smith had allowed members of staff to watch pornography at their desks which made the atmosphere uncomfortable for Ms Ashby. Staff members also made lewd comments. Ms Ashby was also told she had a "fat face" in an email and was teased about her weight. Other female staff had the same treatment. She had been forced to take anti-depressants due to this bullying. The British Transport Police have announced this week that they will be prioritising metal theft from railways as the number of delays caused by the issue has increased by 700% in the last three years. This had led to a huge surge in compensation payments which are made to passengers who are delayed or stranded. The Home Office is looking into new legislation and a tightening of the measures which need to be take by scrap yards. In fact, MP's are calling for a ban on cash transactions and claim that the laws of 50 years ago are no longer robust enough to deal with the problem. In 2009 Network Rail spent £373,799 in compensation for 148 hours of delays. This figure has increased in 2010 to 949 hours and £3.6 million. Many scrap yards will still accept metal with no questions asked even if it is obvious cable, metal signs or lengths of metal rail. |
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