Defoe spends five hours in cell after police error
Jermain Defoe could sue the police after being unlawfully arrested and held in a cell for five hours in the early hours of Monday morning.
Defoe was held by the police for five hours
The Tottenham Hotspur striker was stopped in his car at 2.30am and arrested for driving while disqualified. However, while Defoe does have a six-month ban for speeding he is currently appealing the sentence and as such is perfectly within his rights to be driving.
An error on a police computer led them to believe he was driving illegally and he was taken to Harlow police station and held until 9am.
Police are then alleged to have refused to give the player his car back and also claimed they were not sure where it was parked.
The 26-year-old only just made his team's plane to China as they flew out for the Premier League Asia Trophy.
The police computer system had not been updated to show Defoe was appealing the ban. They refused to release the player until they could confirm the status of the case. They have admiited they made a mistake.
Defoe's lawyer, Nick Freeman, told the Daily Mirror: "I have advised him he has got a strong case for wrongful arrest and false imprisonment. How would any respectable member of society feel about that treatment? They would be upset.
"These things shouldn't happen. Five hours in custody has obviously caused him distress. But he was entirely professional, many a lesser person would have responded in a slightly more emotional way, particularly if they have work commitments.
"But he retained his dignity and remained calm. My client had to endure not only the humiliation of arrest but also being incarcerated like a common criminal.
"Then, to add insult to injury, upon his release the police refused to give Mr Defoe his car back until he produced his documents and stated they were not sure where they had put the vehicle.
"They also refused to return the keys, which were on the same bunch as his house keys, causing Mr Defoe extreme difficulties, not least because he had to return home and pack for a pre-season tour of Asia with his club.
"There seems to be a total disconnect between the courts, DVLA and police. Despite being told Mr Defoe was not breaking the law and calling for his immediate release, the police would not agree to freeing him until they could clarify the position with the courts at 9am.
"The police were notified by us at 4.30 that his driving licence was not suspended. It had been in all the papers. What has happened is that someone in court has not made the court record correctly, so the DVLA got the wrong information.
"When we told them this he should have been bailed pending further inquiries. It doesn't appear that anyone tried to mitigate the damage."
A spokesman for Essex police said: "The arrest of a man from Hertfordshire on suspicion of disqualified driving was based on information held on the police national computer.
"Following inquiries, officers discovered that the information was inaccurate and released the 26-year-old man without charge. The inputting error was made by police staff at Essex police and was an oversight as a result of a pending court appeal.
"If the motorist wishes to make a complaint, then he is advised to contact our professional standards department."
Defoe was held by the police for five hours
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