British video catches policeman beating drunk woman:

[Praxius]

British video catches policeman beating drunk woman

The grainy video shows Const. Anthony Mulhall wrestling with 20-year-old Toni Comer as he drags her down a flight of stairs outside the club. She falls at the bottom and struggles with him, and he is seen swinging his fist into her upper body at least five times. Comer told the Guardian newspaper she had been drinking heavily in the nightclub and was thrown out by staff. Police were called after she damaged a car in the parking lot in retaliation for her ejection. She said she was so drunk that she remembered very little about what had happened and was shocked by the video footage that showed her being pummelled by Mulhall. "I didn't think they'd do something like that," Comer said. Mulhall released a statement through his lawyers saying Comer "began to kick, spit and make attempts to bite me. She tried to grab handfuls of my genitals, and knee and kick me in the same place.” "At this point I struck her as hard as was physically able with my right fist in an attempt to subdue her. There was no effect so I did it twice more," the statement said.

Yeah, I'm sorry but if some roudy drunk person, be that male or female is attacking me and going after my jublies, they're gonna get a few punches too.

[The Bacon Guy]

Quote by: Prax Yeah, I'm sorry but if some roudy drunk person, be that male or female is attacking me and going after my jublies, they're gonna get a few punches too.

Indeed. Cops have the same right to self-defence as any other citizen.

[G. Adams]

Quote by: Praxius British video catches policeman beating drunk woman Yeah, I'm sorry but if some roudy drunk person, be that male or female is attacking me and going after my jublies, they're gonna get a few punches too.

She was having an epileptic fit. The same officer who punched her reported that he saw her foaming at the mouth. You can see in the video she's having a fit.

And she's a 9 stone woman, if an officer can't control someone that size without punching her to unconsciousness he has no business being on the force.

[Praxius]

Fair enough.... but if someone was going after my nads, It'd be kinda instinct to defend in a manner such as he did.... there's no excuse, but I could see me doing something perhaps similar.... regardless of gender or size..... someone attacks me, they're going down, regardless of their mental state.

[The Bacon Guy]

Quote by: G. Adams She was having an epileptic fit. The same officer who punched her reported that he saw her foaming at the mouth. You can see in the video she's having a fit. And she's a 9 stone woman, if an officer can't control someone that size without punching her to unconsciousness he has no business being on the force.

Either way, he still has a right to defend himself. If he were going around punching suspects as a method of apprehension or arrest, I would have a problem with it. However, in this case, he was simply defending himself from an attacker. He has a right to do so regardless of her motivation for the attack.

Of course, that's all assuming that it was self defence. I agree at least that it's suspicious for a police officer to be unable to restrain a 9 stone woman.

[Osborn F Enready]

Am I to understand it was one on one, as in one cop vs one drunk?

If so, I don't think this is unreasonable actions.

[ZNFYRH]

It's excessive. A cop that size should be able to control a woman that size. If she suddenly sobers up and demonstrates a spinning roundhouse to the temple, then he can hit back. But a cop is supposed to control a person by using equal or lesser force.

I think he struck her out of frustration and just wanting to "subdue" her as quickly and easily as possible. It shows he lost control and wasn't thinking. Not fit for duty, if you ask me.

[Deus_ultima]

They have pepper spray.
South Yorkshire have tasers.
6 coppers, 1 dog, 5 "has hard as I physically could" punches v some small drunk woman?

It's ridiculous. Even in a riot, they couldn't react with that kind of brutality!

[G. Adams]

Quote by: Praxius Fair enough.... but if someone was going after my nads, It'd be kinda instinct to defend in a manner such as he did.... there's no excuse, but I could see me doing something perhaps similar.... regardless of gender or size..... someone attacks me, they're going down, regardless of their mental state.

She's on the ground and he's on top of her. Grab her wrists and sit on her so her legs don't kick. It should not be difficult to control her. If she's having a fit and not simply resisting arrest, his priority should be to protect the back of her head so she doesn't smash it open on the steps.

Bacon - Of course he has the right to defend himself, as we all do. He wasn't, he misjudged an easy, simple situation (difference between resistance and a fit) and took the easiest route to subdue her, knocking her unconscious.

Os - One cop versus one small, unarmed drunk woman? 5 punches (possibly more) to the face while she's already down on the ground and him on top of her? Hardly a fitting response to her trying to sneak into the backdoor of a club.

[Scribbler1]

According the the BBC, she had been thrown out of a club for being drunk and rowdy just prior to the arrest. If the woman is epileptic she had no business getting faced to begin with.

I don't care if you have terminal cancer and your mother just died. If you kick me in the pills I'm going to beat the living hell out of you.

[Osborn F Enready]

G Adams said: Os - One cop versus one small, unarmed drunk woman?

As we have said many times.... you can NEVER judge a book by its cover, the cop or the woman.

G. Adams said: 5 punches (possibly more) to the face while she's already down on the ground and him on top of her?

Yes, it seems like a bit much, but, she had already caused property damage, refused arrest, and fought the officer.

You can only ask nicely so many times, and she had damaged property, including the LEO's jewels.

You know how rare it is for me to take this position against authority, but this doesn't seem that extreme to me.

Five people kicking her when she was down, 3, or 2 maybe, but not 1.

G Adams said: Hardly a fitting response to her trying to sneak into the backdoor of a club.

If it was my car damaged in the parking lot, the bitch would think she got off real lucky with the cop.

[ZNFYRH]

That's rather cowardly. If it's your job to maintain control with violence being a last resort, would you exercise his level of brutality just because of some stigmata regarding men and their testicles?

[Osborn F Enready]

It has nothing to do with the testicles.

It has everything to do with the INITIATION of force.

She damaged a car. (force against property)
She tried to injure the cop. (force against a person)

She was out of control.

[Chris]

And... where is the video?>

[ZNFYRH]

I also couldn't find the video.

Osborn,

She was not out of control. She simply required a more aggressive type of control. What the cop is alleged to have done was excessive. As someone who has been said to know ground-fighting / wrestling, you know there are plenty of ways to keep someone immobile that don't involve repeated punches to the face.

[bishop]

click on the article's link and LOOK... there's a link to the video on the right-hand side of the article.

definitely isn't much to look at though. nothing like the rodney king video.

[Derach]

Osbourne - "If it was my car damaged in the parking lot, the bitch would think she got off real lucky with the cop."

I know for a fact that there are people who would happily kick in your headlight or scratch your finish in hopes of illiciting a physical response from you ... I would urge you to keep your cool and handle the situation without resorting to violence .... you'll wind up on the short end of the stick, either legally or physically.

[Osborn F Enready]

ZNYFRH said: Osborn, She was not out of control. She simply required a more aggressive type of control. What the cop is alleged to have done was excessive. As someone who has been said to know ground-fighting / wrestling, you know there are plenty of ways to keep someone immobile that don't involve repeated punches to the face.

I also know that when you are in that position, as the policeman was, and you are surging with adrenaline, you aren't thinking clearly, especially with no backup on your six. You seek to immoblize the threat ASAP and restore order before any more damage, injury or UNDUE disturbance is made.

Am I saying it was an ideal, textbook example of how to react for policeman? No. I am saying with the threats that exist in the real-world, only a fool puts their life in danger when it doesn't need to be, and this cop was reacting to the best of HIS ability at that time, to restore order.

He has much to learn obviously, but that is no reason to assume because she is a woman, and of a certain size and bodyweight, only "x" amount of force is needed to do something. You don't know, until you try, because we are all different.

Rule #1, don't judge a book by the cover, which you seem to be basing your case on......

"shes a woman" and "shes smaller" does not make a competent defense in this case in my opinion.

[Osborn F Enready]

Derach said: Osbourne - "If it was my car damaged in the parking lot, the bitch would think she got off real lucky with the cop." I know for a fact that there are people who would happily kick in your headlight or scratch your finish in hopes of illiciting a physical response from you ... I would urge you to keep your cool and handle the situation without resorting to violence .... you'll wind up on the short end of the stick, either legally or physically.

Let them do so. If I have to restrain someone until authorities arrive, shame on them.

I know my rights, and I won't back down from a court of law to decide the case.

[G. Adams]

Under English law you are authorised to use reasonable force to defend yourself. Of course that is a godawful concept to define, but if this was a civilian on civilian case the guy would be done for ABH. I don't see why the cop should be given any special treatment.