A terminally-ill man caught mooning a speed camera has had his charges dropped.
The Mirror reports that Darrell Meekcom, 55, was detained last November by police at his home in Kidderminster, England, for committing the offence.
Advert
The man, who suffers from a severe form of multiple system atrophy, says he mooned the camera because it was on his ‘bucket list’.
Come on, let a man fulfil his dying wishes.
Shortly after dropping his pants in front of a mobile speed camera van on Stourbridge Road, the father was slammed to the ground by several West Mercia Police officers.
Despite telling them he had ‘serious health issues’, police continued to detain him on the ground. Body camera footage of the incident was shown at the Redditch Magistrates Court.
Advert
However, police officers claimed during the trial that the man ‘obstructed’ arrest.
Prosecutor Sarah Hurd said Meekcom also began hurling abuse once they confronted him at his home.
She said: “For matters that you do not need to know about officers attended the defendant’s address at around 12.30pm on November 5.
“They went to investigate an offence and they knock on the door.
"The defendant answers through a window and says he will not cooperate. He does not want to give his name or discuss anything with the officers.”
Advert
The magistrate said while Darrell did not disclose health issues until he was placed to the ground, he was still found not guilty of ‘resisting arrest’.
Chair of the bench Justice Charles Townsend said: “We feel the police acted quite lawfully on Friday 5 November by arresting you.
“However, given the serious health conditions you are faced with, clenching your hands in the way that you did was justified, given the potential consequences of your hands being placed behind your back.
“Therefore we find you not guilty of resisting arrest and that your defence of self-protection has been accepted.”
Advert
According to Daily Mail, Darrell was pleased with the court’s decision, citing that police were ‘looking for any little thing to get me on’.
He added: “The truth like oil comes to the surface. You don't go to those extremes. The magistrates summed it up perfectly.
"It was taking a mallet to smash an acorn. It was just a bunch of young kids, there was no leadership there."
He added: "I maybe shouldn't have done it anyway, but when you're dying you think of things differently."
Charisa Bossinakis