Rugby player, 20, accuses police of hacking his iPhone and locking it for 42 years as they tried to delete video showing them on a break



Jake Coplestone was arrested after filming officers on his phone apparently having a coffee break in Wiltshire's Azuza bar

The 20-year-old claims that following the filming he was approached by officers and accused of being drunk and disorderly

When his phone was returned it was locked for more than 40 years

Mr Coplestone says officers disabled it while trying to delete the footage



Wiltshire Police dispute his account



Sportsman: Jake Coplestone in action during a rugby match

A rugby player has accused police officers of trying to hack the phone he had used to record them taking a break - locking it for a staggering 42 years.



Management trainee Jake Coplestone, 20, used his mobile phone to record footage of five officers outside a bar and coffee shop.

But he was then approached by two of the officers who accused him of being drunk and disorderly and put him in handcuffs.

The Newbury RFC player was arrested and spent the night in a police cell before being released - without his iPhone.

But when the handset was returned five days later it had a screen message stating: 'iPhone is disabled, try again in 22,461,058 minutes' - more than four decades.

He claims this was due to the handset being tampered with repeatedly in a crude effort to crack the password.

But Mr Coplestone, who played rugby for a south-west England under-16 squad, was able to retrieve the 51-second video and show it to The Mail on Sunday.

Police have referred the incident to their professional standards department but say the officers involved refute Mr Coplestone’s claims.

But Jake, of Marlborough, Wiltshire, said: 'The only logical explanation for my phone being disabled for 42 years is that someone had been trying to access my files to delete the video footage of officers in the club.

'I was not drunk and disorderly and I believe the only reason for my arrest was my taking footage of the officers standing at the bar.

'I’m discussing what to do, including court action and a complaint to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, with my solicitor.'

Recalling the incident, Mr Coplestone and one of his friends said he was approached by the officers who had seen him filming.

The friends say the officers discussed whether to arrest 6ft 5in Mr Coplestone under Section 60 of the Public Order Act, then decided on ‘drunk and disorderly’ after he protested.



At this point, Mr Coplestone says he was seized by one of the officers and led off to a car park behind the Azuza venue just off Marlborough High Street where police patrol vehicles were parked.



Mr Coplestone says he was handcuffed and bundled into a vehicle and taken to the custody suite at Swindon. There, he claims he repeatedly asked to be breathalysed to prove that he was not drunk but that was refused.



Wiltshire Police policy is to offer breathalyser tests only to drink-driving suspects.

Instead, he says, he was put in a cell overnight and released the next day.



Mr Coplestone says his mobile phone was returned five days later – after the intervention of his solicitor and on condition he paid an £80 fixed penalty – but it was blocked.



With help from a software programme ironically named Jail Break, he was able to unlock the phone and retrieve the film.

Azuza: Jake Coplestone filmed officers apparently having a break in the Wiltshire bar and cafe while on duty

Chief Superintendent Paul Mills, Head of Local Policing, said in a statement: ‘No formal complaint has been made and the Force have not seen the alleged footage.

'However, due to the serious allegations being made by Jacob Coplestone, this will now be subject to an investigation by the Force Professional Standards Department who are responsible for the oversight of all conduct matters attaining to police officers and staff.’

Ch Supt Mills said records showed Mr Coplestone chose to pay the fixed penalty rather than have the matter heard in court.



Mr Coplestone’s allegations, if upheld, will add to the Wiltshire force’s tarnished reputation. The IPCC is already investigating failures in the case of murdered Becky Godden. Taxi driver Christopher Halliwell couldn’t be tried for the crime, even though he confessed, as detectives had denied him his rights under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act.

