A bricklayer who was Tasered twice and punched in the head by police as they entered his home in an attempt to evict him is taking the force to court.

Bob White is pursuing £25,000 from Kent Police after officers forced their way into his property in Park Road, Sheerness, in 2019.

A five-day civil trial is set to begin at Canterbury County Court on Monday.

The case centres on the incident six years ago, when the great-grandfather barricaded himself inside his home before officers, bailiffs, and a locksmith arrived with a county court warrant to evict him amid a dispute over mortgage payments.

Footage from the scene shows police use an enforcer to smash the bottom half of his door, before making their way inside and restraining Mr White.

During the fracas, the Sheppey man can be seen holding a wooden club.

One officer Tasers him, and he is then grabbed and punched in the face several times.

Body-worn footage shows Mr White moments later handcuffed and sitting on the floor covered in blood.

He was arrested and charged with affray, but was unanimously cleared of any wrongdoing by a jury in 2022.

Now, he wants to hold Kent Police to account for the initial incident.

“All I’m after really is an apology and them to admit it was their fault,” he told KentOnline.

“Even if I get £1 from the judge and the police said they were liable and in the wrong, I would be happy.

“It’s not about the money, it’s about them being held to account.”

Mr White says he will be representing himself and fighting the case for his wife Irene, who died four months after the incident, and other people who are in similar positions and facing eviction.

He said: “I’m doing it for her and others. It will help so many people in the same situation.”

After his eviction and arrest, Mr White stayed with his mother in Chatham but was able to return to the house after learning it had not been secured.

He could not proceed with his civil claim until 2022 because of the ongoing criminal proceedings.

“I made a complaint, but couldn’t do anything until the criminal process was done,” he explained.

“It’s been a long three-and-a-half years because of court backlogs, but they’re very busy.

“In the meantime, I’ve got on with life.”

Mr White, who still lives at the address, says if his civil claim is successful, he intends to pursue criminal proceedings against the officers involved.

Speaking about the mental and physical impact of the eviction attempt in 2019, he said: “I’m pretty tough. I just carried on with life.

“But I will never give up until I get justice and they take accountability.”

A spokesman from Kent Police confirmed the force is defending a civil claim but said it would be inappropriate to comment until the end of the trial.

The 2019 eviction attempt

After refusing to answer the front door at his Park Road home, police went round the side and used an enforcer to smash the bottom of a door.

Sgt Russell Balment attempted to enter the house through the gap but quickly recoiled after seeing what he claimed was an "aggressive" looking Mr White with a large "wooden club", which he claimed the defendant was swinging at him.

After being told "get out of my house" by Mr White, PC Dunn, who was assisting Sgt Balment, pulled out his Taser and used it twice.

Officers then stormed the property where they subdued Mr White, punching him in the head twice in the process, and arrested him on suspicion of affray.

Criminal court proceedings

During the hearing at Maidstone Crown Court, judge David Griffith-Jones QC found police had entered the defendant's home unlawfully and Sgt Balment was essentially a "trespasser and unwelcome intruder".

Addressing the jury, made up of six women and six men, he said: "Sgt. Balment gave evidence that he thought he had the authority to enter, but he didn't.

"His entry was unlawful, and he was therefore a trespasser and unwelcome intruder.

"It doesn't matter that he was a police officer.

"The defendant knew he was a police officer, but he was not required to tolerate unlawful entry.

"To an Englishman, a home is like his castle and he was entitled to force him out with reasonable force."

Over a two-day hearing, the court heard how Mr White had a wooden antique which he had picked up when he heard smashing at the side of his house. But he denied swinging it at the police officer, claiming Sgt Balment had "made up" the claims.

The jury was shown body-worn footage from police, which showed the altercation from February 2019, including a bloodied Mr White being arrested.

Judge Griffith-Jones told the jury they needed to decide whether Mr White threatened violence to Sgt Balment, whether the force he used was unreasonable, and whether a person at the scene would have feared for their safety.

In his closing argument to the jury, prosecutor Ian Foinette said the situation was a "world away" from an intruder breaking into your house in the night, and Mr White knew police were trying to get into his home.

He said: "It was obvious he didn't think Sgt Balment was an intruder.

"It doesn't give him the right to behave like that and swing a club around."

Mr White, who was representing himself, told the jury: "My life has been on hold for three years while this came to court. It's been like a prison sentence itself.

"It's a final chance for me to get justice.

"PC Dunn Tasered me twice and I was punched in the face twice before being handcuffed."

When reading the facts of the case, Judge Griffith-Jones highlighted how Mr White didn't strike or touch any of the police officers, who were left "without a scratch", and said the incident was "over in an instant".

He explained Mr White wanted to contest the warrant for possession order issued by his mortgage owner RBS.

The jury returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty after 40 minutes of deliberation.

More than 20 supporters attended Mr White's trial and clapped the judge out of the court.

Mr White's reaction after being cleared of wrongdoing

Speaking outside of the court, Mr White said justice had been done and explained he went through the ordeal for his wife.

He added: "I went through this for all the other people who are being wrongfully evicted by police.

"I hope this sets a precedent for other people to challenge unlawful evictions.

"It's not just a physical struggle for people facing similar circumstances to me, but a mental one. People in the same situation have ended up killing themselves over the stress from it.

"I just hope this case will help someone in the same situation as me. The officers and police need to be held to account for this."

Kent Police’s response at the time

Speaking in 2022, a police spokesman said: "On February 5, 2019, Kent Police officers attended an address in Park Road, Sheerness to assist bailiffs with a civil dispute and the repossession of a property.

"Entry was forced and a man alleged to have been in possession of a weapon was arrested on suspicion of affray. He was later charged and a trial took place at Maidstone Crown Court.

"During the trial, the prosecution was unable to produce the original warrant to enter the premises, and the judge directed the jury that the officers had entered without legal authority.

"On Wednesday, March 23, the defendant was found not guilty on all counts."