A 12-year-old boy was handcuffed and forced to the ground by police while walking his broken e-scooter near an abandoned chapel in Wales. Zain Evans was exploring a disused church in Pontardawe, Swansea Valley, on Wednesday October 28 when officers confronted him in the afternoon.
Police confiscated Zain's scooter and both his and a friend's phones, according to his mother Emily. The boy is now in hospital receiving treatment for injuries caused by smashed glass, she said.
Incident details
Footage shows Zain and his friend being confronted by police, with the 12-year-old telling officers he needed the scooter to get to school. The pair were taking the vehicle to be repaired at the friend's house after its electrics stopped working, but noticed the desolate chapel on the way, recounted Ms Evans, who spotted her son being detained as she drove by.
A clip recorded on a mobile phone shows an officer telling the boys they were 'lying' and that they weren't 'born yesterday' when they insisted they were taking the scooter to be repaired rather than riding it. Zain was then detained as officers pulled his arms behind his back so fiercely he allegedly heard a 'pop'.
Mother's account
Ms Evans told the Daily Mail: 'That child is a darling, he's got a heart of gold.' The worried mother said the officers' conduct was 'completely out of order' and that her son had been shaken by the experience.
She said that while she had been given details of how to recover the e-scooters, the compound where they were supposed to be kept claimed to have no knowledge of them. She had accompanied Zain to hospital in Port Talbot, where his arm was placed in a sling. The mother said the boys could not have been riding Zain's scooter as it was broken.
Police response
A spokesperson for South Wales Police said: 'Officers observed a suspected incident of criminal damage to a disused church on Swansea Road, Pontardawe at around 2:15pm on Wednesday October 28.
'While attending this incident, officers conducted searches of individuals believed to have committed offences and seized an e-scooter which was believed to have been used illegally.
'We are aware of footage of this incident which has been circulated on social media and understand concern from the community in regards to use of force.
'The mother of the young person has been contacted by officers and the incident has been referred for review by our Professional Standards Department.'
