[2025] EWHC 2684 (KB)

A short way into the trial Mr Breeze made a request that DS Brownsell not be in the courtroom. The prosecuting team agreed to this but no reason was given to DS Brownsell at the time. He stated that after the court case a criticism was made that he was being “passively aggressive” in the precincts of the Court. DS Brownsell denied that he acted in any way unprofessionally or inappropriately.

This was not an issue that I was able to determine on the evidence before me given the very high subjectivity of the issue of whether a police officer was being passively aggressive (as was the opinion of Claimants and some witnesses) when sitting in the Court (whilst in plain view of everyone else in the Courtroom). However in the circumstances it was not an issue which I felt necessary to determine.