by Working as a civilian security guard, I always knew that something bad could happen – that a shopper could hurt me, or that I could be falsely accused of assaulting them and that I would end up in the dock. But these cases are so rare, I didn’t think one would actually happen.
And then he did. I still remember that night when my career ended in March 2023. My work partner Edwin Hirst, 40, and I were trying to detain a young man who was trying to steal shampoo from Superdrug and went into bottom of my head there.
We got him to the floor. But then – because he was black – he accused us of being racist, and the police decided, I believe, due to pressure from his mother, to prosecute us for engaging in an “illegal and unjustified” manner when we to bring to court. .
From there, it snowed. The mother, who cannot be named because she recognizes her 15-year-old son, went on Channel Four News and posted on social media which received millions of views – saying we were racist.
We both lost our jobs at the security firm we were working for, as part of the local Business Improvement District partnership, which did nothing to help us. And then we had to wait 16 months for the case to come to Portsmouth Crown Court and prove our innocence.
During this time, I did not manage to work, having lost the badge of the security guard.
This means I have lost my monthly salary of £1,200 a month – so almost £20,000, which I will never get back. To be honest, I have so much debt, I don’t even look at my bank statements or bills. I ignore them. My friend even set up a GoFundMe page for me but it didn’t make any money.
And my mental health has suffered so badly. Chichester, where I have lived and worked all my life, is a small city where everyone knows everyone. But at my best, I was in the pit of depression and I couldn’t even go to the shops because it would make my head tremble, a type of repetitive twitching caused by anxiety.
I almost broke up with my partner because it got so bad, and the doctors put me on Propranolol for my anxiety and Sertraline for my depression, but I wasn’t getting on with them, so I came off them . I also went through speech therapy with the NHS but it didn’t help. My work partner was also depressed.
Even worse, I am very worried that people will see me as a racist, especially since I have a black son myself. He is my partner’s first child – we have two other boys together – but I take him as my own. How can people call me a racist and spread it all over the internet and not get any consequences? The whole world thought I was a racist. I had to change my social media accounts and the office was getting threats, even from America, where the Black Lives Matter movement is bigger.
I was also very worried that my children would see me as unemployed and idle – work has always been a huge part of my life.
I have been a security guard for five years, working across most of the shops in the city. It felt like I had found my calling and I loved helping people and feeling like I was an asset to the community.
But in the last two years before the incident, shoplifting was out of control – it’s at an all time high – and the police were so underfunded that we were always left in the lurch.
We would radio them but half the time no one ever answered. The town was getting out of control and we were the only security because the shops didn’t have their own private teams.
The shoppers would mainly be children in hoodies or the homeless community. But they could also be women with pushchairs. It was a broad demographic.
Part of it was the cost of living crisis, but I think since everyone feels they can get away with whatever they want. The teenagers used to jump over the counter at the Co-op to steal cigarettes.
In the last year alone, I know six shopkeepers who have closed down because they cannot cope with the trouble, the threat and the level of anti-social behavior they face every day.
Thankfully, I didn’t encounter much violence. A former colleague was working at Flannels and they had a raid where £10,000 worth of coats were stolen. But mine was mostly dealing with petty thieves.
Many of them would leave the shop if I called the police – even though I knew they wouldn’t answer. I only had to detain two or three people, who refused to leave without stolen goods – and one of them was this boy.
Do I blame him? Not really. We can all be young and stupid. But I’m concerned about how society is, and how people can get out of this.
Thank God, many of my troubles are over. The jury took about 30 minutes to find us not guilty. I am waiting for court papers and then I can get my security guard badge back and start working.
There are many companies in town, I know, wanting me and my partner back. But maybe I’ll avoid the city shops and try to work as a doorman instead. I’m trying to feel confident about it but to be honest, I don’t know how I’ll feel on my first shift.
For me, no justice happened because there was no consequence for the boy or his mother who accused us, and no apology from the leaders who released us. But I have to go on because I want my life back.
However, what would I do if I saw another black youth shopping? Would I keep them? I doubt it. And the police won’t be there either. So no one will stop them. And that is unfortunately the society we live in now.
As told to Gwyneth Rees
