A press photographer who had been arrested and held in custody for 15 hours while covering a breaking news story has had all charges against him dropped by prosecutors. Dimitris Legakis was at the scene of a murder in Swansea when he was detained by police. The Crown Prosecution Service dropped a public order allegation and Mr Legakis pleaded not guilty to an assault charge. At a hearing on Monday, a prosecution barrister told the court that no evidence would be offered in the case, and that it was not in the public interest to pursue the obstruction allegation.
The court heard that there was “no evidential basis” to charge Mr Legakis. Judge Geraint Walters criticised the police officer who had arrested Mr Legakis, saying it appeared the officer had “taken offence” to him taking pictures. Walters described the case as “disturbing” and said it raised “serious questions”. He added that something had “seriously gone wrong” in the case, and that the CPS and South Wales Police had been asked to comment.
Mr Legakis runs the Athena Picture Agency in Swansea. He was covering a car fire on 22 September, 2023 when police arrived at the scene and arrested him on a public order allegation, later charging him with assaulting an emergency worker, obstructing or resisting a police officer, and a public order offence. The car fire had been set by murderer David Clarke, who beat his 77-year-old wife with a hammer before dousing her with petrol and setting her alight.
Mr Legakis’s barrister, James Hartson, told the court his client was a well-known professional photographer who believed he was singled out by police because he was carrying a camera. He added that the assault charge was “suggested” to the arresting officer by his sergeant, and that after initially ruling the charge unwarranted, the officer changed his mind. Mr Legakis meanwhile had reported being assaulted by four people during the Sketty Lane altercation
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