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Judge Rules Met Officer Used Unlawful Force on Ballet Dancer, Awards £34,000 in Initial Damages

The court found the officer had "considerably overreacted," rejected any solid basis for terrorism suspicion, and set a later assessment for a near-£600,000 career-loss claim.

Overview

  • A Central London County Court judgment found the force used on Alexander Loxton during a 2016 stop-and-search to be unlawful.
  • Judge David Saunders awarded £24,000 in general damages for a permanent ankle ligament injury plus a provisional £10,000 in aggravated damages.
  • Further compensation tied to Loxton’s claimed loss of a professional dance career, just under £600,000, will be assessed at a later hearing.
  • The incident occurred outside Kennington Police Station, where an officer stamped on Loxton’s left foot during a confrontation as he tried to retrieve stolen property.
  • The judge preferred Loxton’s account over the Metropolitan Police’s, concluding there were no solid grounds to suspect crime or terrorism and that the response was disproportionate.