Wrongful arrest

Jarrett v Chief Constable of West Midlands Police (CA LSG 10 April)

A police officer was interrogating the claimant on a complaint from a traffic warden that the claimant had knocked her notebook when she was writing a parking fine notice. The claimant screamed and, calling the traffic warden a liar and waving her handbag at the officer, refused to answer the officer’s questions or to provide her name and address. On the grounds that there had been no breach of the peace, the judge held that the arrest was unlawful and awarded the claimant £6,000 damages.