Peter Williams said his prosthetic limb became detached as he was tackled by police (Reuters)
Peter Williams said his prosthetic limb became detached as he was tackled by police (Reuters)

A disabled pensioner has been awarded £45,000 after police pulled off his false limb and wrestled him to the ground after accusing him of breaking into his own home.

Peter Williams, 70, sustained a dislocated shoulder and a fractured elbow after being pinned to the ground by officers at his home in Salford.

The great-grandfather said he had been locked out of his house after forgetting his keys when he went for a drink at his local pub.

Williams said he smashed one of his garage windows and attempted to climb inside to get back into his house.

But while he was climbing, six police officers grabbed him and threw him to the ground, saying "got you, you thieving little scrote", he said later.

Williams' prosthetic leg became detatched in the struggle. Williams added that a tracheostomy hole from throat cancer surgery scraped the ground in the melee and made him cough up blood.

Williams, who was 66 at the time of the incident, said the amount of force used by the officers was "ridiculously over the top".

He told the Manchester Evening News: "To this day I'm still very, very angry about what happened. Why did they have to throw me to the ground? Why did they have to be so aggressive?

"I was an old man stuck halfway through a window. They could have just tapped me on the shoulder and asked me what I was doing. They didn't even give me a second before they started manhandling me.

"When I was pinned to the ground, I couldn't breathe, I thought I was going to die. It was a ridiculous use of force that I'm still suffering from to this day."

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed they had agreed a compensation figure with Williams but defended the officers' use of force.

A spokesperson said: "Officers had responded to an emergency report of someone believed to be breaking in to Mr Williams' home address.

"On arrival, officers found a man hanging out of a broken ground floor window at the rear of the property. It was dark and the officers did not know that the male was the homeowner or that he spoke using a tracheostomy tube.

"The male did not respond to the officers so was removed from the window and restrained on the ground where he continued to struggle.

"As soon as the reality of the situation became clear, Mr Williams was released, first aid was administered and an ambulance was called.

"GMP considered it appropriate to pay Mr Williams a reasonable sum in compensation for the injuries and loss that he alleged were caused by its officers, with no admission of liability."

Cancer