Julian Cole: Family settles claim with police for £1.2m

Julian Cole requires 24-hour care after he suffered a broken neck and a severe spinal injury in 2013

The family of a man paralysed after a scuffle outside a nightclub has agreed a £1.2m settlement with a police force whose officers lied about the incident.

Julian Cole was taken to ground by officers outside Elements nightclub in Bedford on 6 May 2013.

The then 19-year-old had been trying to get back into the venue after being refused a refund when he was ejected.

Mr Cole, now 30, was left with a broken neck and damage to his spinal cord, which caused brain damage.

His family agreed an out-of-court deal with Bedfordshire Police, in which the force did not accept liability, and it has been approved at the High Court in London.

Mr Justice Martin Spencer said he had "no hesitation whatever" in approving the settlement.

"The matter was compounded by a concerted attempt on behalf of the police officers involved to falsify their account of events," he said.

The University of Bedfordshire student was studying to become a PE teacher

First-year University of Bedfordshire student Mr Cole had gone to the nightclub on the Sunday with friends, but was ejected through a side door in the early hours of Monday.

When he was arrested he had been trying to get back into the venue after being refused a refund.

In 2018, a police misconduct hearing found three officers lied in their statements about Mr Cole's condition during his arrest.

They had claimed Mr Cole had been able to walk and get into the police van, but CCTV showed he had to be carried, with his legs dragging on the ground and head hanging down.

The officers were sacked for lying about what happened, but did not face criminal charges.

Mr Cole was an athlete and played for the Watford FC Academy before the arrest

Mr Cole was injured outside the former Elements nightclub on Mill Street in Bedford

Mr Cole's mother, Claudia, wept during the High Court hearing, which she attended with his brother, Claude.

Angus McCullough KC, representing the family, said the settlement represented "a substantial top-up in terms of additional care, therapies and equipment".

The judge said that a representative for the chief constable of Bedfordshire Police had "expressed his regret and apology" at a meeting in 2020.

Chief Constable Trevor Rodenhurst said: "This case is an absolute tragedy which has had a devastating effect on a young man's life.

"While independent reviews have not been able to conclusively determine how he suffered his injuries, what is clear is that the actions of some of those attending fell well short of the standards I, and the public, expect.

"We have apologised to his [Mr Cole's] family for the conduct of the three officers who were rightly dismissed in 2018 for their dishonesty regarding Mr Cole's condition following his arrest.

"Our thoughts remain with Mr Cole and his loved ones."