Police compensate teenager banned from photographing Armed Forces Day Parade

The Press Association reports the latest news on a case taken up by Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member Dee Doocey and others at the time:

Lawyers say a teenager wrongly stopped by police from taking photographs at a public event in a town centre has been compensated.

[Police officers had] prevented Jules Mattsson – then 15 – from taking pictures at a military parade in Romford, east London, in June 2010 … Law firm Bindmans, which represented the youngster, said … “Despite the public event taking place in the middle of the town centre, Metropolitan Police officers claimed it was unlawful to photograph the parade. The officers, led by an inspector, insisted he stopped taking photographs. The inspector told (Jules) he was a public hazard and said that photographing in public was ‘anti-social behaviour’.

“He described the act of taking photographs as ‘silly’ and ‘gay’ and ‘stupid’. When (Jules) continued to state the lawfulness of his behaviour, the inspector declared it was ‘dangerous’ as he was ‘likely to be trampled on by soldiers’ from the parade…

“It is right the commissioner has promptly apologised and paid a suitable level of damages.”