On the Monday 18th July 2011 my partner and I went up to visit Scotland for a short break as convalescence for my partner who is recovering from a broken ankle from 10 weeks previously. My partner has been visiting the same holiday retreat for the last 20 years; an idyllic lodge that overlooks the Lake of Menteith. Our holiday went great. We had a chance to relax and take in all the sights whilst my partner was hobbling around on crutches and getting used to walking around again. We enjoyed everything we experienced yet when we came to return home on Saturday 23rd of July we had a nightmare experience leaving us paralysed with shock.

Our last destination before setting off home was a relaxing cruise around Loch Lomond which was everything you could imagine for a romantic week away. Our cruise ended and we hobbled into a restaurant on the side of the lake. We had dinner there and set off from Loch Lomond towards Glasgow. We were on the A82 North of Glasgow when in my rear view mirror I saw a police car behind us with flashing lights so I indicated and pulled over to let them pass. As I pulled over I saw in my mirror that there were in the region of 30 or so 4x4’s BMW M5’s and a police helicopter came into view above us. Wow! I said to my partner, something huge is unfolding right in front of us. What could it be? We soon realised that it was us that had instantly become the focus of Glasgow’s tactical firearms unit. Our van was surrounded with vehicles near and far. Several officers were pointing submachine guns all around the van with the safety off. The first demand “keep still and do exactly what I say”. Believe me, I did exactly what he said. My partner was sat next to me in a state of shock not reacting to their demands to 'put your hands up' - I had to shout at her to listen to the officer pointing at us with a gun to put her hands up. I was ordered from the van and told to walk away, then to the rear of the van, then told to lay face down on the tarmac and I was handcuffed. They removed my partner from the vehicle and I had to make sure they understood she had a broken ankle and couldn't be laid down. She was placed in handcuffs and held at the side of the road. I asked what was going on. The commander came to me still pointing his machine gun in my face shouting at me asking where the gun in the vehicle was. Amazed I told him there wasn’t one, I haven't got a clue what you're talking about. He said that they had had a report that I had been seen with a firearm in the van and he demanded to know where it was. I do not have, own or possess a gun of any kind. I am a gas engineer and the sharpest thing I use is a Stanley knife which I confirmed was not in the vehicle either. They secured the area, the dual carriageway had been blocked off on both sides and traffic was being diverted. Helicopter overhead, hundreds of people by now staring from three blocks of flats opposite and then it hit me the scale of things. As I looked around there had to be without exaggeration 30 armed officers, easily 30 uniformed officers. They had closed the road on both ends of the A82 southbound, the helicopter was directly above and it stayed that way whilst the armed officers tried to search the van. After what seemed to be a lifetime of buzzing from the helicopter, being on the receiving end of multiple sub machine guns and constant questions about guns, dates of birth and name I was told that my partner and I would be detained under Section 16 of the Firearms Act until the vehicle had been searched properly - I would be told more afterwards. This was incident no 1953 Strathclyde Police dated 23/07/2011 18.00hrs.

We were separated at the scene and my partner and I were taken to Strathclyde Police Station in Scotland (I only know as Montrose Street). Then I was processed. We were being held, we had no right to legal representation, nobody could be informed of our whereabouts subject to the vehicle being searched. What happens after that I said? No answer was given. We were strip searched and the personal possessions we had on us were taken from us (these included keys to my partners house). At midnight, from my cell I could hear that my partner was being released without charge. I however was to be detained and handed over to Humberside police. There were three police officers standing there from Humberside and I was being told that they could not discuss anything with me until I had arrived at Priory Road Police Station, Hull, some 350 miles 5 hours journey away. What are you talking about, what’s happened to my partner I asked. I was told she was being released and would be making her way back home in the van. I was put into the rear of an unmarked police car and returned to England. I came back to England without handcuffs on and the officers accompanying me were very pleasant, so that did make me wonder about why I had received such a heavy reception by the Police in Scotland, especially as they had said we don't conduct operations like this very often or very lightly. My journey ended sometime later in Hull Priory Road Police Station. I asked again what was happening to my partner and they had said that she had been released and that she would be on her way home. I had been worried about her, I know she is very resourceful and I know she can handle herself in many situations but this wasn't your average situation. Assured she was safe, I said 'thank God' and knew I could relax a bit about her safety at least. Or so I thought.

In the police station I was being told that I would be questioned over an armed robbery that has taken place and that all would become clear soon. I was thrown in a cell after having finger prints, photos and DNA taken, foot patterns from shoes and loads of other stuff, tests for heroin and crack cocaine. Wow I said this is just too much to take in. All this happening and sleep was impossible. I hadn't slept for 26 hours and next I was told that I was going to be interviewed? I wondered what my partner was feeling and if she was ok. I was told by the custody Sergeant that after this was done I would be transferred and repatriated with my partner, even though they didn’t know where she was at that time. I was interviewed at the police station in connection with an armed robbery that had unfolded in Pocklington on the 21st July; a 6’2 man with dark hair had been seen on CCTV walking into a Cooperative store brandishing a weapon, demanding money from the tills and safe. He had got away with £800. The CCTV images of the scene were shown to me showing that it clearly wasn't me. Various questions were thrown at me about my whereabouts and the things that they had in their possession from the van and at home. They must have taken our stuff from the vehicle and brought it down with me. Both phones had been taken from the van, mine and my partners and my partners laptop. Two work hats and a pair of black of gloves. I was shown a pair of my moleskin trousers that they identified as cargo pants. My van is white with company sign writing on both sides - clearly not black at all as is the description that was given. The CCTV shows quite clearly an image of a man that was most definitely not me. I was completely shocked that all this had happened and the proof that it was not me was clearly in the Police's possession before they arrested me. The interviewing officers clearly knew the differences between me and the robber. Yet they had told Scottish Police they had seen me with the gun that the robber had been in possession of. The questions started to build in my head. What proof did they have to instigate this kind of enquiry? None they had nothing. I used to live in Pocklington but hadn’t been there for some months, now I live in Goole at my partners house. They said it was an anonymous caller that put my name forward as the robber, again that wouldn’t be enough to demand the operation that had happened in Scotland without someone bending fact. Call it what you want but that’s the only reason I can think of and believe me I have thought about it seriously. I was released moments later and I was told I was being returned home. Two officers escorted me home, back to my partners house. On our way, that’s when they chose to tell me that they had smashed the door, causing £1000 of damage, even though they had keys for the property in their possession and whilst we were in Scottish custody at the time of the search. I knew my partner was going to go mad. In the house, they'd left a copy of the search warrant. On examination, they did not have a Statutory right for access i.e. they didn't have reasonable grounds. Nor had the warrant been signed by the Magistrates Court. On my further investigation, if no Magistrate has signed off a search warrant, then two Police Officers must sign it (with one minimum rank of Inspector) - there were no signatures on our warrant. We have been advised by legal representatives that our search warrant is not legal. Yes we feel aggrieved.

My partner wasn’t at home, where was she? As far as I could find out, she had been kicked out of the police station in Glasgow and left to fend for herself in an unfamiliar city. She had no phone, no contact numbers, no money and a broken ankle walking with crutches. She was completely unaware of what had happened to our home and she was lost. Stressful hours passed incommunicado and eventually I got a message that she was safe in Scotland in a hotel in Glasgow city centre. I spoke with her and she was distressed. She was alone, her debit card had been mysteriously stopped by her bank, she'd run out of cash, the Police wouldn't release the van to her and she'd been worried out of her mind about what had happened to me. Now two days without sleep, at my expense, I had to beg a ride to Scotland that day to rescue my distressed and emotional partner. She had been abandoned without consideration to life or even general care. We are both disgusted that a police force would employ the resources they have in this way. We have to count the cost of many things - the Police operation must have cost close to a £100,000 if not more. The officers must have ignored their codes of practice to exact recovery of a person who was only wanted to help them with their enquiries. We question their motives.

I was reunited with my partner in Glasgow 3.30 Monday morning. I had been told that the van would be recovered by Humberside Police and brought back to us in England as they did not need it anymore. My partner had been told that the van would not be released to her until Monday morning. So we made our way to the impound yard in Scotland and found out quite quickly that we did not have the right to remove it as the police had said that wanted to examine it further, what a nightmare! With no phones and dwindling cash, it took a whole day stood outside the vehicle impound trying to get the van released to us. Somehow, we had to get Humberside Police to tell Strathclyde Police to tell the impound yard to release the vehicle. Luck was on our side when, by chance and unconnected police officer from Strathclyde Police attended the impound on some other business. She thankfully took up our plight and made things happen - the van was released to us . When we got inside, we took stock of the damage. The van had been stripped down, the roof linings were hanging down, the plastic dash had been stripped and not put back together properly, the acceleration was mysteriously sluggish (on a fully serviced, 08 plate). Obviously we wanted to get back home as quickly as possible. 100 miles from home we had a battery light come on, oh no, we have found out since that the van was ripped apart, including the engine and they did not put it all together correctly. We had no idea whether we would, but eventually we did make it home safe but every step of the way we were worried whether our vehicle was still a target by the Police. We later realised that my partners car had also been damaged as part of the search, the keys to our shed taken preventing me from accessing the tools I need to continue my business. Later still, we've been informed that the chalet in Scotland which we'd left has also been searched - my partner is particularly upset about this as she's been going there for 20years and gets on well with the owners.

So, on the strength of an anonymous call to the Police on Thursday 21/7/11 identifying me as the robber for a crime I did not commit, our whole lives have been turned upside down and we are now living the nightmare of trying to put them back together. Prior to my arrest, the Police had 2 days to work out that the visual evidence they had on CCTV of the robber meant that it could not possibly have been me. Despite this, I and my partner were arrested and frightened by a massive tactical armed police squad whilst on holiday in Scotland, my partner was left in a vulnerable state 350 miles from home, our possessions have been taken illegally (and some without receipt), our home smashed and left insecure, both our vehicles damaged, my business phone & keys taken preventing me from continuing my business, our reputation in tatters with friends, family, neighbours, our holiday accommodation providers, and neither of us having enjoyed a good nights sleep since.

I firmly believe that I am being victimised by the police and that they are using questionable and inappropriate methods to trap and convict me. This is the latest in a series of events against me. I believe that someone within Humberside Police is trying their damn best to try to convict me of something I haven't done and whenever any accusations have been made, they go over the top using what are clearly not reasonable grounds for them to do what they want.

For the last 20 years, all I've done is work hard, pay my taxes, look after my children and my family, build up a successful business and exist in a lawful and decent way. I want this treatment to stop. I understand from recent events that I will not get an apology but I just hope that me complaining after this much detail they will get the understanding I can’t take this any longer and they should back off. I’m human and I'm taking all this very personally as anyone would do, or am I to believe that this is simply the treatment that the police have got used to when dealing with people? Somehow i dont think so.

I have a web site and one coincidence is that I have stat analysis which allows me to see who's been looking at my site. One day in 2009 I had North Lincolnshire police have a look at my web site (where I believe Humberside Police's Sexual Crimes Division is held) then the next day my business email address was bombarded with over 500 emails of child porn with disgusting subjects referencing sexual acts on minors. I made a complaint about that at the time and that is on the log system from Hessle as well. That was reported the same night my van got vandalised. The attending Police woman’s response was 'Mr Jones there are other things going on at the moment' implying that the Police were aware of such goings on but I wasn't given any kind of explanation - in other words, just ignore it! I have not had any type of response to that log complaint despite its seriousness.

There have been four instances in total where I believe that Humberside Police have tried to incarcerate me for crimes I have not committed. All of these incidents have many witnesses to them, all have been complained about to the Police repeatedly and nothing done. This is just a brief outline of what has gone on recently.

The buck stops here and now, I have had enough. If the Police Complaints Commission will not listen or the people concerned will not back off then i believe it's time to go public and hope that someone may be able to help me and my family to live a life free of victimisation.


UPDATE
01/08/11 15:34
Despite a search of all our belongings, property, vehicles, holiday accommodation etc. the Police have found no evidence to link me to the robbery. This morning, we have provided Humberside Police's Chief Constable Tim Hollis' office, a Detective Sergeant on the investigating team in charge, and our MP Andrew Percy with details of a new witness (who was on holiday at the time of police enquiries) who can verify that I was elsewhere at the time of the robbery. Up to now, the police have not contacted this witness. As of this morning, Humberside Police are preparing (at cost), to conduct an identification parade on Wednesday 03/08/11 with my image as part of the parade.