Blind Taser victim: CPS to consider police watchdog evidence
The police watchdog has passed a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) after a blind man was Tasered by police in Lancashire.
Colin Farmer, 63, was stunned by a police officer who was looking for a man walking through Chorley with a samurai sword on 12 October last year. The officer is claimed to have mistaken Mr Farmer's white stick for the sword. An IPCC spokesman said the CPS will now decide whether there is enough evidence for criminal charges to be brought. Tasers are designed to temporarily paralyse a target by delivering electric shocks of up to 50,000 volts. Damages claim Mr Farmer, who is registered blind and has suffered two strokes, was walking to a pub to meet friends at the time of the incident. He said the electric shock forced him to drop his stick and fall to the ground. Mr Farmer was taken to hospital for treatment and later discharged. A man carrying a samurai sword was later arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly. In January, Mr Farmer's solicitor said a claim had been lodged for damages from the Lancashire force. The incident was investigated by the IPCC after a referral by Lancashire Police. A spokesman for the force said: "We have and continue to assist the IPCC with their investigation into this incident. "We understand the decision to refer the case to the CPS and we await the outcome of their decision."