A Police Officer who claimed he was forced out of his job after he was filmed smashing into a disabled OAP’s car has won an Employment Tribunal.
PC Mike Baillon said that he was bullied out of his job after becoming the “laughing stock” of the force over the CCTV footage which showed Baillon hitting the Range Rover of 74-year-old driver Robert Whatley in South Wales.
The Police Officer is now in line for a six figure sum after the Tribunal ruled that he was unfairly dismissed from the traffic squad after writing a letter to the force raising concerns about how his case was handled.
Although the panel has yet to decide how much compensation Mr Baillon will receive, it has been reported that it will reach six figures due to lost earnings and pension entitlements.
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CCTV footage of the incident in 2009 show PC Baillon hitting the car 15 times with a baton, while a fellow officer is seen climbing onto the bonnet of the car and kicking the windscreen.
The video was viewed more than 30 million times on YouTube, and Mr Baillon said he was forced to walk out of his job after being ridiculed every day by his colleagues.
Mr Baillon and his colleague stopped Mr Whatley’s car after chasing him down as he drove along country roads without a seatbelt.
Following the incident, Mr Baillon was moved from the roads unit to a local policing team, an Employment Tribunal in Cardiff heard.
The Tribunal also heard that although the officers were cleared of misconduct after an internal investigation, PC Baillon was removed from frontline duties and his colleagues often brought up the “Whatley incident”.
Pc Baillon told the hearing:
“The ridicule from colleagues was getting to me – it was every single day.
“They thought I had done wrong and I was lucky to have got away with it. I just wanted my closure.”
The officer decided to take sick leave for stress, and wrote letters of complaint to the Gwent Police Authority.
Former police Superintendent, James Baker, told the Tribunal that he was taken off front-line duties because Pc Baillon’s mental state could have impaired his ability to respond to high-speed chases.
Mr Whatley won a £20,750 payout from the police over the damage caused to his Range Rover and also received £45,000 in costs.
He was later ordered to pay £235 after being found guilty of speeding and failing to stop for police.
