The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) is calling for compensation for a photographer who was arrested while taking pictures of a crime scene. The NUJ said that police were creating a difficult environment for journalists. The case against Dimitris Legakis should have been stopped sooner, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). NUJ president Natasha Hirst urged police to work with the union to prevent similar incidents from happening.
Photographers play an important role in independent documentation, but their safety is put at risk often by members of the public and sometimes by police officers. Police overstepping their powers is creating an increasingly hostile environment for journalists who are simply trying to do their job. An alarming number of incidents have occurred in recent years with reporters and photographers, said Hirst.
Legakis, a freelance photographer, lost much work as a result of his arrest and was affected by nightmares. He was arrested after taking photos of a car fire in Swansea. The fire was set by David Clarke, who was subsequently convicted of murdering his 77-year-old wife.
Legakis was arrested after a police officer “took offence” at him taking photos. He was held in custody for 15 hours and charged with assaulting an emergency worker, obstructing or resisting a police officer, and a public order offence of using threatening or abusive words or behaviour. There was no evidential base for the charges, said Judge Geraint Walters.
After a review, the CPS admitted that there was no longer sufficient evidence for the case against Legakis to continue. South Wales Police noted the decision of the CPS not to offer any evidence
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