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Incorrectly arrested man now working with Gloucestershire Police

Brian Kobani Brian KobaniBrian Kobani
Brian Kobani is trying to turn his wrongful arrest ordeal into a positive by improving relationships with police

A man who believes his skin colour led to him being incorrectly arrested is working with police to better relations with ethnic minority communities.

Brian Kobani said the way he was treated when arrested on suspicion of a sexual assault - which he did not commit - was "dehumanising".

The 20-year-old, from Cheltenham, is now on Gloucestershire Police's Community Legitimacy Panel.

"It's not just talking, people are doing it to make a change," he said.

Mr Kobani was arrested at his home on 30 July last year and said he was unhappy with how he was taken to the police van in front of his neighbours and put in a cell for eight hours.

He believes that police rushed into arresting him because of the colour of his skin.

police
Police arrested Mr Kobani in connection with a crime last summer but he was later released when investigations proved he was innocent

"Maybe if I was in an area where there was more of me, like in London, I don't think it would have happened.

"I just got a knock on my door, they spoke to my dad he called me down and I was just put into handcuffs and told I had committed this crime.

"I was forced into the back of a van and taken to a cell. To me that's very unethical. It felt dehumanising in a way. Having all my neighbours witness that; it was degrading and embarrassing," he said.

Mr Kobani has now joined Gloucestershire Police's BAME Community Legitimacy Panel which provides a forum to discuss issues and see where performance could be improved.

'An eye-opener'

Det Insp Jane Harris praised Mr Kobani for engaging with the police positively.

"It's been really beneficial to speak to Brian. To have someone say 'this is how I felt by being arrested' really does help you empathise.

"Clearly it's had a massive impact on Brian's life and that's really unfortunate. It's [the panel] a really valuable process."

Det Ch Supt Rich Cooper said talking to Mr Kobani had been "an eye-opener".

"It's entirely possible that Brian might not have been mentioned as a suspect in a different area of the country where a greater proportion of the population are young black men.

"I want to make sure we learn from Brian's involvement in the legitimacy panel," he said.