Dramatic footage which captured the arrest of a former head teacher showed him shouting: “This is like George Floyd in America.”
Greg Hill, the former head of Howard Junior School in Gaywood, appeared at Lynn Magistrates’ Court today for the second day of his trial.
However, he became emotional and had to leave the courtroom when a video showing his arrest in March last year was played.
He is accused of harassment without violence against a trainee teacher who worked under him at the school, as well as resisting arrest and breaching bail conditions. He denies all charges.
Yesterday and this morning, a district judge heard evidence relating to the harassment charge from the alleged victim, Chloe Regester.
This afternoon, senior crown prosecutor Monali Raleraskar began to tackle the resisting arrest charge.
The lengthy footage showed two police constables, Heidi Connington and Laura Wild, approach Hill outside the Gaywood school early on a Monday morning before telling him he is under arrest.
Hill repeats the words “just stop a minute” numerous times and asks to go inside - before saying to the officers: “You are assaulting me.”
He continues in this vein throughout the footage as four more officers, who were stationed nearby, attend the scene to assist their colleagues.
Hill says: “I have been assaulted by a police officer - she has touched my arm.
“You could have done this at my house. You didn’t have to come to my school - this is completely unacceptable.”
When he is handcuffed, he says: “Take that off me now.”
Officers tell Hill that he is “causing a scene” and should “calm down”.
However, he continues to become agitated, shouting: “If you are watching this video, don’t let them delete it. They are assaulting me.
“You are going to break my wrist. I haven’t done anything wrong.
“I am being assaulted. Please help me - somebody please help me.”
Hill then says no when officers ask him to stand up, and he begins to shout and scream in a high-pitched tone.
He tells the officers they have broken his arm and watch, and describes them as “vile”.
Hill claims he was shown no identification by the two constables who originally placed him under arrest.
He proceeds to repeatedly ask for an ambulance to be called, but officers tell him one is not required.
Amid more screams, an officer tells him: “Do not kick.”
Hill says: “You have destroyed my job and my career. You are going to be sued for hundreds of thousands of pounds over this.”
He continually refuses to stand up, telling officers he is suffering a panic attack.
At one stage as he complains of breathing difficulties, they place him in the recovery position. They ask the combination for his suitcase in order to access his inhaler, but he refuses to provide it.
He then claims the officers lied about arresting him.
“This is evil. It is just discrimination,” he shouts.
“I am not leaving this place. You will have to kill me to leave.
“This is like that George Floyd in America.”
George Floyd was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis in 2020.
One officer replied to Hill: “We are not going to kill you, that is just silly.”
Another tells him: “There is an opportunity to walk out of here with some dignity.”
Eventually, a group of the officers attach themselves to Hill and finally lift him into the police van before the footage comes to an end.
Giving evidence in court today, PC Connington said the original plan was for her and PC Wild to arrest Hill themselves before taking him to Lynn’s police investigation centre to be interviewed.
The other four officers were stationed outside of the school vicinity to “make sure it went smoothly”.
PCs Connington and Wild were both wearing plain clothes at the time of the incident, although the former said she had a police vest under her coat.
This was because they wanted to be “discreet” and make the arrest while school children were not in the vicinity.
Barrister Mathew Dance, representing Hill, asked why the arrest could not have been made at Hill’s home address at Valley Way, Fakenham.
He claimed Hill did not resist the arrest, and argued: “He was assaulted by a number of heavy-handed officers.”
PC Connington said she and fellow officers had come up with the “most effective arrest plan”.
She also said that during the incident, Hill had caused himself to bleed by biting his own fingers.
Hill has denied the allegations against him from the outset and launched a complaint against Norfolk Police after his arrest - claiming he had a panic attack during the incident before being kept in custody for 15 hours.
Yesterday, Chloe Regester - the alleged victim in the harassment matter - told the court that Hill declared his love for her while she worked under him as a junior teacher at Howard Junior School.
Today, she was cross-examined by Mr Dance.
Hill has yet to give any evidence in the case, but is expected to do so when the trial heads to Norwich on Friday.
The trial was originally set to conclude by the end of Friday, but an extra day is now anticipated.
The trial continues.
