Robber wins damages over filming

CCTV footage of the robber was shown to victims

A convicted armed robber has been awarded £1,000 in damages by the European Court of Human Rights because the police filmed him without his permission.

West Midlands Police have described the decision, which also awarded the man £7,000 costs, as a slap in the face and say it makes a mockery of the legal aid system

The robber was convicted after officers at Bilston Street Police Station in Wolverhampton used CCTV cameras to film him in November 1997 after he refused identity parades.

The custody suite pictures were shown to witnesses of his crimes and he was sentenced to five years for a string of armed robberies against taxi drivers in Wolverhampton.

'Restricts investigations'

He has now served his time and cannot be identified for legal reasons but his solicitors issued a statement saying: "In this fast moving technological world, the public's rights need protecting."

The European Convention on Human Rights states that "everyone has the right to respect for their private life and there should be no interference by a public authority".

But the police say at the time, covert filming was seen as a legitimate way to catch criminals.

West Midlands Police Federation say officers are injured every day by criminals and many receive no compensation.

The federation's Paul Tonks said: "I wouldn't say our hands are totally tied but it's getting that way.

"The more cases like this that go to Europe it restricts the ability of officers to investigate crime."

Police officers must now have a court's permission to film in secret.