Police put a rifle in my face and cuffed me, thinking I was robber

9:20am Tuesday 24th November 2009

By Laura Smith

AN innocent man had a semi-automatic rifle pointed in his face by police, who mistook him for an armed robber.

Matthew Mills, 22, was driving out of the Morrisons car park, in Hadleigh, in his black Ford Ka, when he got caught up in an armed police operation.

He was in the wrong place at the wrong time, as at least 40 officers swooped on a black Nissan Navara pick-up truck, and fired three times to shoot out its tyres.

Four men were arrested during the operation, on suspicion of conspiracy to rob, and a gun, an axe and a stun gun were recovered. They have now been charged.

A terrified Mr Mills, who lives in New Road, Great Wakering, only got caught up in the incident after stopping in the car park to send a text message, at about 8am, on Thursday.

As he tried to leave the car park, a silver BMW X5 blocked his exit, before a second car hemmed him in from the other side.

He said: “I was very frightened, until I saw the people in the car were wearing stab vests and must be police.

“But a policeman had already jumped out and pointed a semi-automatic rifle at me.

“They grabbed my hands, got me out of the car and cuffed my hands behind my back.

“I was sat on the ground, feet straight out in front with the cuffs biting into my wrists behind me.

“At about the same time, I heard the shots as they fired at the tyres of the other car.

“I was very shaken up. Then they started asking me about all my movements, and when they ended I’d been detained about 30 minutes.”

Mr Mills said they took him into a BMW and questioned him about his whereabouts for the previous 12 hours.

They then realised he had nothing to do with the attempted armed robbery and released him with an apology and a number to ring. He has just started a probation period as a trainee tyre-fitter, at Dick’s Tyres, in London Road, Leigh, and had to explain to his new boss he was late for work because he had been arrested for armed robbery.

Company director, Steward Mountney, 45, said he thought Matthew was making poor excuses at first.

He said: “I didn’t believe him until he showed me his wrists, where he had been bound up by the police. He said he had a machine gun stuck in his face.”

Essex Police spokesman Nishan Wijeratne said: “We did apologise to this man at the time.

“He happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when this operation was carried out.

“We will be speaking to him in the future to reiterate our apologies and advise him if he does wish to submit a complaint we will review it.”

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said they had not been responsible for that side of the operation.

l David Speed, 29, and Lee Watson, 42, of Eisenhower Drive, Beckton, Andrew McCracken, 29, of Oglethorpe Road, Dagenham, and Scott Guy, 34, of no fixed address, were arrested during the police operation.

They have all been charged with conspiracy to rob, possession of an imitation firearm in a public place, possession of a prohibited weapon, and possession of an imitation firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence. They appeared at Havering Magistrates’ Court on Saturday.