Black Royal Marine accuses West Yorkshire Police of racism as force issues humiliating High Court apology for trying to have him dismissed from the military over false claims he threatened his ex partner in child custody battle

• West Yorkshire Police has been accused of ‘racism’ by the marine 

A police force today issued a humiliating apology in the High Court to a black Royal Marine they tried to have dismissed from the Armed Forces.

West Yorkshire Police (WYP) sent an email to the Marine’s Warrant Officer repeating allegations made by his former partner with whom he was locked in a custody dispute. The marine has accused the police of ‘racism’.

The email, written by PC Cathryn Harrison, ended with the words: ‘I ask that you look into an internal investigation into X, as if in the case a criminal charge is unable to be brought against him, his behaviour, threats and blatant lies to (his former partner) are far below the standard expected of a member of the armed forces.’

It included attachments which named the child, thereby breaching the Family Court’s strict rules of confidentiality.

Incredibly, the email was sent before police had approached the then 25-year-old Marine, who serves with Britain’s elite special forces, for his side of the story.

West Yorkshire Police (WYP) sent an email to the Marine’s Warrant Officer repeating allegations made by his former partner with whom he was locked in a custody dispute. The marine has accused the police of ‘racism’. (Pictured: West Yorkshire Police headquarters)

When they arrested him the following day, he explained that he had copied the Family Court judge into the emails sent to his former partner to keep everything above board.

But that was far from the end of the matter.

For the next 16 and a half months, WYP kept the Marine on bail, forcing him to make 600-mile round trips to sign in at Halifax police station, while claiming they were awaiting a decision from the Crown Prosecution Service.

However, it later emerged that it was 14 months before they even submitted a file to the CPS who then dismissed it as without merit.

Today, a barrister representing the Force’s Chief Constable, told the High Court: ‘The Defendant (WYP) is accordingly here today to publicly set the record straight, and to apologise to the Claimant for all the distress and embarrassment that he accepts that the false and insupportable defamatory Statement, together with the breach of his privacy, has caused to him.’

It followed on from a defamation hearing last year when WYP became the first police force to be found to have committed a Chase Level One libel, the highest level of defamation.

In his judgement, Mr Justice Johnson said the email, ‘does not merely repeat but in effect endorses the allegations made by the claimant’s former partner.

‘It follows, in my judgment, that the bulk of the email, including the reference to two criminal offences, is at Chase Level 1. In substance, it states that the claimant has committed those two criminal offences.’ He held that ‘this meaning is defamatory at common law; it amounts to fact rather than opinion.’

Of the claim the Marine’s behaviour was ‘not compatible with service in the armed forces’, the judge concluded that amounted to WYP’s defamatory opinion.

Now WYP’s catastrophic investigation has led them to be accused of both racism and wokery.

The Marine, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said he had been driven to paranoia and depression during the lengthy police investigation.

He said: ‘Without even speaking to me, West Yorkshire Police chose to believe everything my former partner said about me namely that I was a dangerous man, a liar, mentally unstable and controlling and coercive.

‘I don’t think they even thought I was a Marine, just a crazy black Walter Mitty character, who was harassing his ex.

A police force today issued a humiliating apology in the High Court (pictured) to a black Royal Marine they tried to have dismissed from the Armed Forces

‘I will never know how many people in the Armed Forces saw the email and attachments that they sent. It was a reckless thing for them to do and I believe that racism played a big part in the way they acted.

‘They then lied to the Family Court about the matter being with the CPS and had my character assassinated in crucial child arrangement hearings.

‘I would urge the Chief Constable to explain how his force were able to extend my bail over 16 and a half months while doing nothing with my case.’

His lawyer, Yair Cohen of Cohen Davis Solicitors who took the case on a no-win, no-fee basis, said: ‘There needs to be an investigation into why West Yorkshire Police acted as they did. It should not be normal for the police to make up their minds that a man is guilty and try to ruin his life without even speaking to him.

‘Was it racism or was it because of some sort of wokery where they are hard-wired to believe everything that a female ‘victim’ tells them?’

WYP fought and lost at every stage of the proceedings and will now be forced to pay the Marine’s two years of legal costs as well as his insurance and damages.

Legal experts said the cost to the taxpayer would be well in excess of £250,000.

The Marine, who now has a shared custody arrangement in place for his daughter, added: ‘I think there is a real cultural problem within West Yorkshire Police.

‘I was left with no choice but to take legal actions to enforce my rights but there will be other fathers out there who do not have the access I had to support from the Royal Navy and individuals with exceptional knowledge.

‘I have no doubt similar cases have taken place where fathers have taken their own lives.’

Mr Cohen added: ‘At every stage, WYP acted as though their behaviour was natural and normal and kept fighting this case.

‘They ended up lying to my client, lying to the Family Court that the case was with the CPS and this should concern everyone.

‘The fact remains that no-one has been reprimanded and if nobody is at fault in a case like this then what does it say about the organisation itself?’

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