Paraglider chased down and arrested on beach after 'taunting' police
Moment paraglider is chased down and arrested on beach after ‘taunting’ police officers who fined him for taking to the skies during lockdown
- Paul Satchell, 56, approached police officers after paragliding in East Sussex
- Sussex Police said he was in breach of Covid-19 restrictions for a second time
- Clip, filmed on April 26, then captures Mr Satchell as he was arrested on beach
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
A paraglider dubbed the Bexhill Birdman was chased down and arrested on the beach after ‘taunting’ police officers who fined him for taking to the skies during lockdown.
Paul Satchell, 56, filmed himself sobbing as he was arrested in Bexhill-On-Sea, East Sussex – which he claimed was for ‘over-exercising’ by paragliding on April 26 before lockdown restrictions were relaxed.
He had already been told not to paraglide in lockdown, however his own camera captures Mr Satchell spot police officers after he’d completed a glide and deliberately walk in their direction.
After Mr Satchell appears to taunt them with a thumbs up, a PCSO gets out the car to say ‘you’ve been told you can’t do this due to Covid-19’.
Paul Satchell, 56, filmed himself sobbing as he was arrested in Bexhill-On-Sea, East Sussex after ‘taunting’ nearby police officers on April 26
Officers then attempt to discuss the breach of measures with the paraglider, but Mr Satchell repeatedly refuses to speak to them and attempts to drive and then run away – provoking a chase.
Footage shows police officers wrestle him to the ground on the stony beach as he repeatedly screams ‘leave me alone’ and ‘help me’.
After Mr Satchell refuses to relax as instructed, one officer uses his fist and forearm to push the glider’s face into ground, which the paraglider labels a ‘punch’.
Sussex Police said Mr Satchell was arrested for breach of the peace after he became verbally aggressive and evaded officers who were trying to ‘explain the implications of breaching [lockdown] measures’.
A police spokesperson said that no injuries were reported after the officer used his arm to push Mr Satchell’s face down and that the officer was simply trained to use ‘lawful reasonable force’ to protect themselves.
However when the paraglider shared his footage on YouTube in a bid to highlight the incident, the majority of commenters told him he’d ‘brought it on himself’ as he went ‘looking for trouble’.
Footage captures Sussex Police officers as they restrain Mr Satchell ahead of his arrest for breach of the peace
In a clip, Mr Satchell spots police officers after he’d completed a glide and deliberately walks in their direction
The Bexhill Birdman is well known in the area for his paragliding, which he claims has led to numerous confrontations with both police and locals.
Mr Satchell, from Maidstone in Kent, said: ‘I was scared and I thought I was going to get killed. They came up and tell me I’ve been more than half an hour. I said, “I’m going”. I drove off.
‘I drove off past the police officer down the hill, and I had a cop car heading straight towards me. I thought “they’re gonna ram me.”
‘They dived on me and my heart was near pumping out of my mouth and I could hardly breathe.
‘I was being pushed down into the pebbles and I’ve got the pebbles stuck in my chest. It was really, really painful on my chest. I was trying to shout and talk.
‘He was pushing down on me and I was trying to get up so I could take a breath because it felt like he was pushing down on me so hard – and I felt a great whack on the side of my head.
‘My head was pushed down into the floor into the pebbles. I just wanted to get up and was thinking, “the worst is coming”.’
After Mr Satchell appears to taunt them with a thumbs up (pictured), a PCSO gets out the car to say ‘you’ve been told you can’t do this due to Covid-19’
He added that by this time, the commotion had gathered an audience: ‘I think that’s the only reason they eased off.’
‘Some police officers do need to realise that they work for us and they don’t need to do that for us,’ he said.
‘They need to be looking after us and doing what they’re paid for, not doing that to someone for exercising. I get a glider out here for five minutes, not even that.
‘I’ve been paragliding for 29 years. I’m really good at it. And I keep fit as well. But all the stress of them coming up every time and harassing me, it takes 10 years off me.’
Mr Satchell posted the video, recorded on a camera on his helmet, online where it gathered more than 9,000 views and comments – but many commenters claimed he ‘got what he deserved’.
Lee Flecknor said: ‘Got what you deserved, you went looking for trouble, looking and creating a reaction, play stupid games and you’ll receive stupid prizes. Time to grow up.’
David Jack added: ‘You brought that on yourself. They didn’t punch you in the face he was trying force your shoulder down as you were resisting arrest.
‘Your heart can’t be that bad if you are able to run from the police and fly.’
Sussex Police said Mr Satchell (pictured) was arrested for breach of the peace after he became verbally aggressive and evaded officers who were trying to ‘explain the implications of breaching [lockdown] measures’
Mr Satchell posted the video, recorded on a camera on his helmet, online where it gathered more than 9,000 views and comments
‘He went looking for trouble, he got everything he deserved,’ said Aaron Beaconsfield. ‘All the copper was going to say was, your not allowed to be here because of coronavirus virus, and he started all that s**t!’
Another user commented: ‘The Health Protection Regulations 2020 make taking ‘exercise either alone or with other members of their household’ as a reasonable excuse for someone to be outside.
‘What was this guy doing wrong? To be fair he’s a bit of a p***, but that is allowed by law.’
Mr Satchell, who used to work as a plasterer, added: ‘I had been out paragliding for 10 minutes. I hadn’t broken any rules. I could have gone running but I can’t go running.’
A spokesperson for Sussex Police said: ‘A PCSO was on patrol in Bexhill on Sunday 26 April when a man was identified as being in breach of the government’s coronavirus restrictions for a second time. This was at the height of the Government’s lockdown measures.
‘The full nine-minute video shows police making every effort to engage with the man, and explain the implications of breaching the measures.
‘When he became verbally aggressive and tried to evade officers, he was arrested for breach of the peace and on suspicion of assault on an emergency worker. He was then taken into custody where he was offered medical attention and given access to his medication.
‘We train our officers during personal safety training to protect themselves and others using lawful reasonable force. No injuries were reported. The man was later released without charge but was issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice for breaching Covid-19 restrictions.’
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