Criminal law, International

Police Shoot Blind Stroke Victim With Taser In Back In Fear That His White Stick Was A “Samurai Sword”

170px-Long_caneColin Farmer, 63, is a blind stroke victim who uses a standard white stick to walk. Farmer suddenly found himself on the ground in Lancashire, England after a police officer thought he was brandishing a samurai sword. He shot Farmer in the back with a 50,000-volt Taser stun gun.

Farmer, 63, was on his way to a pub to meet friends and, due to two prior strokes, moved quite slowly. He fell to the ground in shock on October 12th and only found out later that an officer had shot him.

He is seeking damages for assault, false imprisonment and a breach of his human rights. The police department is still investigating though all of the staring at the cane is unlikely to turn into anything that looks like a samurai sword.

350px-Katana_Masamune

Source: Independent

48 thoughts on “Police Shoot Blind Stroke Victim With Taser In Back In Fear That His White Stick Was A “Samurai Sword””

  1. This isn’t the first time blind people have been attacked without provocation, and the gang members not identifying themselves as such before attacking.

    http://articles.latimes.com/1989-05-17/news/mn-225_1_officers-beat-blind-man-batons-cane

    Are they simply incompetent and blind? Are they ignorant of how to identify walking sticks of the blind? Or are they just thugs who enjoy beating up people who cannot defend themselves? Given the history of their willingness to commit violence (and the lack of any accountability, the legal immunity they get), it’s probably all of the above.

    Please explain again why members of the world’s largest criminal street gang cannot be referred to with a certain word, despite the fact that it’s so apt.

  2. As Bugs Bunny used to say, “Only a big fat rat would shoot a guy in the back” (especially a blind and disabled one)
    SHAME

  5. Well he was blind and soon to be a blind drunk….. They are just doing preventative measures……it’s all in the report I’m sure….

    1. Preventative measures like a fear giving pharisee. They were at odds with Jesus. The police are taught to be an atheist in action. Legal; system, military, and police are the real atheists

  9. It would be good to read the police report on this. But I would say the officer just lit the man up right off the bat. Had he waited 2 seconds, it should have been obvious that a samaurai sword is not standard issue for the blind.

  10. In the officer’s defense, he also once identified a nuclear warhead as an espresso machine. The lad is a wee bit confused. A katana? Really?

  14. That is odd. I don’t know how they do it in the UK, but I failed my driver’s permit test many years ago by one question:

    How can you identify a blind person?

    I answered “all of the above”, but the actual correct answer was that you can identify them BY THEIR CANE WITH ITS ORANGE AND WHITE MARKINGS…

  16. A “Samurai Sword”? Surely they jest. I hope he sues the police and anyone else for all they’re worth! Tasered in the back because the police “thought” he “might” have had a long, sharp, dangerous weapon? Will someone please take tasers away from all so-called law enforcement before they kill us all with their new toy – or give the blind stroke victim a second stroke, seizure, or heart attack. Must be time for a new version of “Mondo Cane.”

  19. “Farmer suddenly found himself on the ground in Lancashire, England after a police officer thought he was brandishing a samurai sword.”

    *********************

    A katana? It’s a shillelagh, of course.

  20. What a joke of an excuse for the abuse of an elderly, handicapped man. You can never be too careful about those blind Samurai warriors sneaking around Lancashire!

Comments are closed.