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Plebgate libel trial: PC says row was 'trivial incident' | |
(about 5 hours later) | |
A policeman who witnessed the so-called "plebgate" row has said he considered it a "trivial" incident of a "gentleman on a bicycle who had the hump". | |
Ian Richardson said he did not make detailed notes of the argument after MP Andrew Mitchell was stopped from riding through Downing Street's main gates. | |
The High Court is hearing rival libel claims from the former chief whip and PC Toby Rowland, who claims Mr Mitchell called officers "plebs". | |
The dispute happened in September 2012. | |
It made national headlines and Mr Mitchell - who admits swearing but says his words were not aimed at officers and denies using the word plebs - stepped down as chief whip in October 2012. | |
Mr Richardson, now retired, said he heard PC Rowland tell Mr Mitchell: "Please don't swear", and so moved closer to listen. | |
He said after Mr Mitchell left, PC Rowland told him the MP had sworn at him and called police "plebs". | |
Under cross-examination, Mr Richardson was asked why he had not put that in the notes he made later at the police station. | |
He said there were three reasons he did not take detailed notes: he thought it was a "minor incident"; he knew PC Rowland was writing a report; and "laziness" - "I was eating my sandwiches," he said. | |
He also said that after Mr Mitchell left, he and PC Rowland walked down Whitehall looking for witnesses in case Mr Mitchell reported the incident to the Prime Minister. | |
"It would be power to our elbow," he said. | |
"I suspected Mr Mitchell would come in the morning and speak to the Prime Minister and say officers had been rude to him." | |
'Invention' claim | |
Earlier in court, PC Rowland said he had recorded "exactly what Mr Mitchell said as soon after the event as possible". | |
But James Price QC - representing Mr Mitchell - suggested the words attributed to the MP 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." |
PC Rowland 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 was asked by the judge, Mr Justice Mitting, when he found out the meaning of the word. | |
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 Mitchell 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 end of the two-week hearing, the judge will rule on which claim of what was said at the Downing Street gates is substantially true. |