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Plebgate libel trial: PC Rowland denies inventing account | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
A policeman who claimed Andrew Mitchell called him a "pleb" has denied inventing his account of the incident. | |
PC Toby Rowland was on duty in September 2012 when the then cabinet minister attempted to leave Downing Street on his bike via the main gate. | |
Their ensuing altercation made front page news and cost Mr Mitchell his job. | Their ensuing altercation made front page news and cost Mr Mitchell his job. |
At the High Court, the officer told the so-called "plebgate" libel trial he had recorded "exactly what Mr Mitchell said as soon after the event as possible". | |
A judge will decide on the conflicting accounts of what happened. | |
'Definitely agitated' | |
Mr Mitchell - who admits swearing but denies it was aimed at the officer - is suing News Group Newspapers for the Sun newspaper's coverage of the clash. | Mr Mitchell - who admits swearing but denies it was aimed at the officer - is suing News Group Newspapers for the Sun newspaper's coverage of the clash. |
At the same time, PC Rowland is suing Mr Mitchell for comments the former minister made in the media and at a press conference a year later. | At the same time, PC Rowland is suing Mr Mitchell for comments the former minister made in the media and at a press conference a year later. |
The officer claims that, in an expletive-laden exchange, the MP for Sutton Coldfield called police "plebs" who should learn their place. | |
But in court the judge, Mr Justice Mitting, questioned PC Rowland's claim that members of the public were alarmed by the incident. | |
"You told me the words were being spoken at you at conversational volume by a man within a gated compound," he told the officer. | |
"I don't at the moment understand how anyone outside the gates could be caused alarm by it." | |
PC Rowland told the judge Mr Mitchell was "definitely agitated" and that people could have been caused distress by the language used. | |
'An invention' | |
James Price QC - who is representing Mr Mitchell - suggested that the words attributed to him were "an invention". | |
PC Rowland replied: "The evidence I've given is the truth." | PC Rowland replied: "The evidence I've given is the truth." |
Mr Price said the officer had been "reconstructing events from bits of evidence" he had seen. | Mr Price said the officer had been "reconstructing events from bits of evidence" he had seen. |
The policeman responded: "My evidence has been clear and consistent throughout." | The policeman responded: "My evidence has been clear and consistent throughout." |
He said that, during the exchanges with Mr Mitchell, the word "pleb" - which he claimed not to have known the meaning of at the time - had been an "irrelevance", because he was more concerned about the swearing. | He said that, during the exchanges with Mr Mitchell, the word "pleb" - which he claimed not to have known the meaning of at the time - had been an "irrelevance", because he was more concerned about the swearing. |
PC Rowland was asked by Mr Justice Mitting when he found out the meaning of the word "pleb". | |
The officer said he had read a definition in a newspaper shortly afterwards when, he said, it "referred to plebeian and all of that". | The officer said he had read a definition in a newspaper shortly afterwards when, he said, it "referred to plebeian and all of that". |
Mr Justice Mitting will rule in a fortnight. |