Footage has been released of the moment Daryl McLune, then 16, was handcuffed on suspicion of attempted murder – after his mother threw herself from a five-storey South London tower block. He can be seen looking confused as officers place him in restraints, asking: “Arrest me for what? I wasn’t even here.” Then he crumbles to the ground, repeatedly crying: “I wasn’t even here.”
Daryl had arrived at the scene in July 2021 to find his mother Annette McLune fighting for her life at the base of the block. Instead of being treated as a “child in crisis”, he was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. He had never had any contact with the police before. He was taken to Wandsworth Police Station and held overnight for almost 24 hours. Officers refused to tell him whether his mother was alive or dead. Annette survived but suffered “catastrophic” injuries and spent a year in hospital, where she had to learn to walk and talk again, the court was told.
“A 16-year-old won £130,000 from the Met Police after being arrested for attempted murder when his mother jumped from a block of flats.”
Less than a week after his release, police informed Daryl that no further action would be taken following the discovery of a suicide note. He then sued the Metropolitan Police for race discrimination and false imprisonment. A jury ruled that by deciding he needed to be arrested, police treated him “less favourably than they would have treated a non-black boy”. His race also played a part in the decision to authorise his detention for 23 hours, the jury found.
Daryl is now in line for a payout of up to £130,000. The Metropolitan Police have been ordered to pay damages after the landmark verdict, which found the force guilty of racial discrimination against a frightened teenager who had simply come to find his mother.