ACTIONS AGAINST POLICE, WRONGFUL ARREST
Caught by Their Own Camera: What Norfolk Police Said When They Thought No One Was Listening
The fight for police accountability has taken centre stage in national news today. An exclusive report by The Mirror has exposed unseen footage and audio recorded inside Norfolk Constabulary’s Bethel Street Police Station, featuring commentary from DPP Law’s Actions Against the Police Specialist Solicitor, John Hagan.
The national coverage centres on our client, Gemma Barnes, an animal rights and civil rights activist who was subject to police violence, wrongfully arrested, and maliciously prosecuted before being acquitted of all charges at Norwich Magistrates’ Court.
When officers confiscated Gemma’s bodycam during a peaceful demonstration, they failed to deactivate the device. The resulting audio captured officers openly mocking protesters, laughing about using physical force, and using discriminatory language behind closed doors.
Caught on Tape at Bethel Street Station
The incident began in January 2023, when Gemma and a group of activists gathered outside Bethel Street Police Station in Norwich. They were delivering a 50,000-signature petition protesting the police’s decision to drop an investigation into an individual caught on CCTV deliberately running over a pigeon with a mobility scooter and beating it with a walking stick.
During the demonstration, an officer forcefully pushed Gemma to the ground. She was arrested on a public order charge, and her bodycam was confiscated. In November 2023, Gemma was acquitted at trial.
It was only after her acquittal, when her confiscated equipment was returned, that Gemma discovered the recording. The officers had placed her camera inside a bag on a desk in the police station, where it continued to record.
As highlighted by The Mirror and police accountability campaigner Rob Warner on his Crimebodge YouTube Channel, the audio reveals officers:
- Describing Gemma as “an absolute f*****g waste of space”
- Laughing while watching footage of her being shoved, with one officer saying: “she went down like Cristiano Ronaldo”
- Praising the officer who pushed her: “I like how you’re so committed, you f*****g send Gemma Barnes flying and then you’re like ‘right, next protester’”
- Using transphobic slurs to describe another activist: “The pink-haired thing, whatever that was, they/them”
- Joking about “old-school custody” and “dragging her down the stairs”
Read Iain Gould’s full breakdown of the bodycam incident on his blog: Police Wrongfully Arrest Protestor, Then Forget To Switch Her Camera Off.
John Hagan: “The Bullies Have Taken Over”
Speaking to The Mirror, our solicitor John Hagan condemned both the officers’ behaviour and the institutional culture that permits it:
“This footage shows us what goes on inside many Police Officers’ heads and behind the closed doors of a police station, and it is not a pretty sight. Officers can be heard describing my client as a f*****g waste of space, discussing other officers attempting to generate an unsubstantiated charge against her and describing a transgender person as a ‘thing’. They are gleeful about the violence they have used against Gemma, a peaceful protester, and frankly the whole atmosphere is akin to a school in which the teachers are absent and the bullies have taken over.”
He added that an officer had “publicly and brutally assaulted my client with the kind of cocky impunity which is born of a policing culture which fails to police itself.”
The Failure of the Complaints Process
Following the discovery of the audio, Gemma filed a formal complaint. Despite the internal investigation covering 17 separate aspects of police conduct, Norfolk Constabulary’s Professional Standards Department (PSD) concluded their review by giving just three officers “reflective practice”—an outcome Gemma branded a “whitewash.”
John Hagan was highly critical of this failure to investigate internally:
“The so-called Independent Office of Police Conduct has, as usual, shown itself to be anything but independent in its assessment of my client’s case, and she will now be using the full force of the civil law to hold both Norfolk Constabulary and the IOPC to account for their egregious actions.”
You can read the full news coverage on The Mirror’s website.
A Pattern of Misconduct: The £8,750 Settlement
This is not the first time DPP Law has assisted Gemma in claiming against Norfolk Constabulary. Writing a guest post on our Actions Against the Police specialist Iain Gould’s blog, John Hagan detailed an earlier civil action he handled on Gemma’s behalf following an incident at Neat Market in February 2022.
In that case, Gemma was arrested for allegedly breaching a court bail condition. In reality, Norwich Magistrates’ Court had lifted the condition weeks earlier. Despite senior officers receiving clear email confirmation that Gemma was on unconditional bail, officers on the ground ignored the facts, kept her in handcuffs and leg restraints, and detained her for nearly 12 hours on a secondary charge of assaulting an officer—an allegation arising from minor contact while they were shoving her into a police van.
When Gemma initially complained about this 2022 arrest, the PSD rejected it, claiming the “level of service” was acceptable. As John Hagan noted in his guest post, the arrest was born out of an “institutionally biased ‘Police v Protestors’ mentality on the part of the officers, who clearly saw Gemma as a ‘problem’ who needed to be taught a lesson.”
Through rigorous applications for court disclosure under Civil Procedure Rules, John uncovered internal email trails proving the force knew the bail condition had been withdrawn before and during her detention. Faced with this evidence, Norfolk Constabulary was forced to settle the claim, paying £8,750 in damages for wrongful arrest plus legal costs.
Read John Hagan’s full two-part breakdown of the case on Iain Gould’s blog: On The Front Line of Civil Rights.
Holding the Police Accountable
When internal complaints processes fail to deliver meaningful discipline, civil claims remain one of the most effective tools to hold police forces accountable for civil rights violations, unlawful force, and wrongful arrest.
DPP Law stands with Gemma Barnes as she continues her civil action against Norfolk Constabulary and the IOPC.
How You Can Help
- Sign the Petition: Support Gemma’s call for accountability on Change.org.
- Support the Fundraiser: You can contribute directly to her legal fund via GoFundMe.
- Watch the Coverage: View the analysis of the audio on Rob Warner’s Crimebodge YouTube Channel.
Have You Been a Victim of Police Misconduct?
You do not have to accept police misconduct in silence. If you have experienced wrongful arrest, excessive force, or police discrimination, DPP Law can help. Our specialised Actions Against the Police solicitors have over 30 years of experience holding forces across England and Wales accountable.
Contact our expert legal team today for a confidential consultation on your wrongful arrest or police misconduct claim.
