Knee on neck arrest mirrored George Floyd, lawyer claims

THE arrest of an alleged knifeman by a police officer who knelt on his neck “mirrored” what happened to George Floyd, a court was told, as his lawyer urged prosecutors to review the case.

Marcus Coutain, 48, indicated a not guilty plea when he appeared at Highbury Corner magistrates’ court yesterday accused of possessing a knife in public.

Timur Rustem, his lawyer, said the case “mirrors almost identically what happened to George Floyd” in the US and called for a formal apology from Scotland Yard.

London and other cities witnessed large Black Lives Matter protests following the death of Mr Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.

Mr Coutain was arrested on Thursday evening on suspicion of affray and

‘A man saying “I can’t breathe” and “get your knee off my neck” – while he was already handcuffed’

possession of an offensive weapon, following reports of a fight. Video footage, shared widely on social media, showed a white police officer appearing to kneel on his head and neck.

In the footage, Mr Coutain pleads with officers to “get off my neck” as he is handcuffed on the pavement in Islington, north London.

The police watchdog is investigating the arrest, which resulted in one Met officer being suspended and another placed on restricted duties.

Deputy Commissioner Sir Steve House described the footage as “deeply disturbing” and said some of the techniques, which are “not taught in police training”, caused him “great concern”.

Outside court, Mr Rustem said the Crown Prosecution Service should review the case, drop the charges and offer a “formal apology” to Coutain. He said his client was “very distressed and very confused and not quite sure why he was targeted in this way”.

He added: “Essentially Mr Coutain was stopped and searched for matters for which he has not been charged.

“It is the use of what I would regard as excessive force, a knee being placed on his neck ... references which mirror exactly what happened to George Floyd in America. A man saying ‘I can’t breathe’ and ‘get your knee off my neck’ – while he was already handcuffed and while he was restrained by two police officers.”

The case has been sent to Snaresbrook Crown Court on Aug 17.