Terror of blind man tasered by police: 'I thought they'd kill me', says stroke victim aged 61 whose white stick was mistaken for a samurai sword



Retired company director Colin Farmer, 61, was shot as he walked to meet friends in Chorley, Lancashire

The unnamed officer then handcuffed Mr Farmer - a two-time stroke victim - as he fell to the ground after being hit with the stun-gun

The frightened grandfather, who is blind and partially paralysed down one side of his body, feared he was being attacked by a mugger

Mr Farmer has called for the officer responsible to be 'sacked, charged and locked-up' following the incident



Lancashire Constabulary has said it 'deeply regrets' the blunder, and has launched an urgent investigation

Police were accused last night of behaving like ‘thugs with weapons’ after firing a 50,000-volt Taser into the back of a blind man.

An officer mistook stroke victim Colin Farmer’s white stick for a samurai sword and discharged the stun gun – leaving the retired architect writhing in agony on the ground.

No disciplinary action is being taken against the officer. The extraordinary blunder is the latest illustration of the soaring number of controversial incidents with the weapons, which can be fatal.



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'Terrified': Blind pensioner Colin Farmer, 61, was set upon in Chorley, Lancashire after a police officer mistook his cane for a samurai sword

Mr Farmer, 61, said yesterday he ‘thought he was being killed’ by the stun gun before being handcuffed as he lay face down on the ground.

He added that the officer who discharged the device should be ‘sacked, charged and locked up’.

Former home secretary David Blunkett, who is himself blind, said last night: ‘I am as stunned as Colin Farmer must have been by the Taser itself. After the Paralympics I genuinely hoped we’d made some progress.’

'Trapped in a nightmare': Mr Farmer said he feared he would suffer another stroke when he was hit with the Taser in Chorley, Lancashire (file photo)

Kevin Lonergan, of the Galloway’s Society for the Blind charity, said: ‘I know Colin personally and he wouldn’t hurt a fly. How could you mistake a white walking stick for a samurai sword? I am shocked and disappointed at the police.’

Last year in the UK, Tasers were fired by police into suspects at least 1,081 times, compared with 744 in 2010 – a 45 per cent rise.

In June the Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, wrote to the Prime Minister to demand that every front-line officer have access to a Taser.

There are currently 12,000 Tasers on our streets but under the Federation plans that number would be increased to 36,000.

Mr Farmer’s ordeal began at 5.45pm last Friday when he was walking down an alleyway to meet friends at a pub in Chorley, Lancashire. Officers had received reports of a man roaming around a town centre armed with a large sword. Minutes later, they swooped on Mr Farmer, wrongly assuming he was the swordsman.

The unnamed officer claimed he shouted for Mr Farmer to stop but when he carried on walking, opened fire only to realise his mistake.

Innocent: Blind Mr Farmer was walking along Peter Street to meet his friends in a pub when the officer swooped

The real thing: A samurai sword of the type that Mr Farmer's stick was mistaken for by a police officer

Mr Farmer, who is now pursuing legal action against Lancashire Constabulary, was taken to hospital before being released. Police later arrested a 27-year old man believed to be the real offender but he was released without charge after no weapon was found.

Mr Farmer, who has five sons and two grandchildren, said: ‘I was slowly making my way down the street when I heard this man shouting. I had no idea it was directed at me and I just kept thinking, “I’ve got to get out of here” because I thought they were hooligans trying to mug me. I was terrified.

Worried: Mr Farmer, a retired company director, thought he was being attacked by hooligans when he was hit with the weapon by the officer

‘But suddenly I felt a huge force on my back and this electric shock went right through my body. I thought I was being killed. My muscles just went and I dropped my walking stick and collapsed on to the floor. I thought I was having another stroke.

‘It was like being hit by lightning. I dropped to the floor with my cane and I was shouting all the time, “I’m blind! I’m blind!”



After Mr Farmer fell to the floor face down, the police officer knelt on his back before handcuffing him.

Mr Farmer said: ‘I told him he was hurting me but he wasn’t listening. He used such force when he put the handcuffs on that he broke a small bracelet which was a family heirloom belonging to my grandfather.

‘He was not an officer of the law; he was an absolute thug with a licence to carry a dangerous weapon.’

Mr Farmer was left blind following a stroke in 2008 which left him partially paralysed down one side. He suffered a second stroke following a brain haemorrhage in March this year.

He said a second officer admitted there had been a case of mistaken identity and apologised.

But he added: ‘It was obvious that I was blind and did not pose a threat to anyone. I walk at a snail’s pace and they could have asked me to stop but this officer was on a mission to use that gun no matter what.’

A police officer holding a Taser stun gun during a training exercise (file photo)

Chief Superintendent Stuart Williams, of Lancashire Constabulary, said the incident had been referred to the IPCC and the officer who fired the Taser had not been suspended.

CONTROVERSIAL WEAPON

Tasers were introduced to give officers an option between firearms and other weapons such as batons and CS gas

They have been discharged in more than 6,200 confrontations across England and Wales since they were introduced in 2004

Police use a U.S. manufactured £500 X26 model which fires a 50,000-volt charge into the victim via two barbs attached to thin metal wires

It has a range of 21ft and causes muscles to twitch uncontrollably

He added: ‘We deeply regret what has happened. We have clearly put this man through a traumatic experience and we are extremely sorry.

‘We have launched an urgent investigation to understand what lessons can be learned.’

The use of Tasers by the Lancashire force has risen by 80 per cent in a year. Last year they were fired 73 times.

In the past, critics including Amnesty International have said Tasers, which were introduced in the UK in 2004, should be used only by highly trained officers where there is a threat to life or of serious injury.

Tasers, which are described as a ‘less-lethal’ alternative to firearms, cause temporary paralysis by firing a 50,000-volt charge into the victim via two barbs attached to thin metal wires which have a 21ft range.

Solicitor Sophie Khan, who has represented several people injured by stun guns, said: ‘This officer was obviously trigger-happy as he shot a blind man in the back.

