Ever heard of the name, Mark Worsfold? He brought Parkinson’s disease to the forefront of health ailments during the Olympics. How did he do this? It wasn’t planned. He just happened to be in right place and the right and wrong time and got himself arrested. Why? He wasn’t smiling.

Here’s the story:

Mark Worsfold, 54, says he was handcuffed by Surrey police officers ‘for not smiling’ while watching men’s cycling road race.

A man with Parkinson’s disease who was arrested during the Olympic men’s cycling road race while sitting beside the route has said he wants a “letter of exoneration” from Surrey police, claiming their treatment of him was disproportionate.MarkWorsfold, 54, a former soldier and martial arts instructor, was arrested on 28 July for a breach of the peace shortly before the cyclists arrived in Redhouse Park, Leatherhead, where he had sat down ona wall to watch the race. Officers from Surrey police restrained and handcuffed him and took him to Reigate police station, saying his behavior had “caused concern”.”The man was positioned close to asmall group of protesters and based on his manner, his state of dress and his proximity to the course, officers made an arrest to prevent a possible breach of the peace,” Surrey police said in a statement. Worsfold,whose experience was first reported by Private Eye, claims police questioned him about his demeanor and why he had not been seen to be visibly enjoying the event. Worsfold, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’sin 2010, suffers from muscle rigidity that affects his face. He was released after two hours without charge or caution.”It could havebeen done better. I was arrested for not smiling. I have Parkinson’s,” he said, adding that he realised the officers were working long hours and trying to control the event properly, but they had not, in his case,acted correctly. He said he did not want to make further comment until he received a response from Surrey police.Worsfold, who teaches martial arts in Leatherhead, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro last February for the Save the Rhino charity.

Surrey police said: “There were a number of factors which led officers to makethis arrest, including the fact that the race was rapidly approaching, the heightened level of security due to the high-profile nature of the event and the sheer number of spectators in attendance. These were fullyexplained to the individual concerned. He was given words of advice andreleased with no further action.”They added that Worsfold had had “a number of knives” in his possession, but that these turned out tobe made of rubber and for use only as display items.The statement said: “Surrey police has received a letter from the man in which he has said that he ‘fully understands and appreciates the action taken by officers’. He has also said that he ‘appreciated and thanked both the arresting officers for their apologies and explanations’ following his release.”Chief Superintendent Gavin Stephens said: “Officers were policing huge numbers of people during the Olympic eventsand in the interests of public safety they acted quickly and decisivelybased on the information available to them.”Campaigners, however, said the incident was illustrative of the kind of “chronic misunderstandings” people with Parkinson’s have to deal with regularly. “Sadly Mark’s experience highlights the lack of understanding and compassion that many people currently living with Parkinson’s have to deal with every day,” said Laura Bowey, head of information and support at Parkinson’s UK.”Despite affecting over 127,000 people in the UK, people with Parkinson’s are subject to chronic misunderstandings andmisconceptions about the condition. All too frequently people with Parkinson’s tell us how are they are accused of being drunk, or acting suspiciously as they go about their daily lives.”Parkinson’s is acomplex condition, and those living with it can experience a range of different symptoms that can vary almost on an hourly basis. We hope thatMark’s experience will help to raise awareness of this distressing problem and will be a reminder to be careful about making the wrong assumptions about people who have Parkinson’s.” (taken from liveleak.com)

So, what’s your opionion? Was the arrest warranted, given the surrounding circumstances or was it a situation that could have ‘been done better’, as Worsfold stated? What do you think?

Journeying with you ~ Sherri