Policeman sues council after drugs raid fall
23 Aug 05
Former Tayside officer suing Perth and Kinross Council after falling on drain in Perth
A former Tayside Police officer is suing his local council for damages after tripping on a drain while taking part in a drugs raid.
David Murdoch, 54, is suing Perth & Kinross Council for £3,500 compensation in Perth Sheriff Court after the incident which he says left him with cuts and bruising to his shin and a lifelong "cosmetic deficit".
The fall is said to have taken place on 7 May last year when Mr Murdoch was part of a team of officers who attended an address in Cramond Place in Perth.
Mr Murdoch's court writ states that the policeman tripped on a drain situated on a grass area. It alleges that the drain cover had been loose and unstable for at least a year before his accident, and that the council took no steps to cordon off the drain or warn pedestrians of the potential danger.
Perth and Kinross Council is defending the action and denies the drain cover was loose or hazardous to passers-by.
Murdo Fraser, Mid Scotland and Fife Conservative MSP, said he thought it would be more obvious for Mr Murdoch to pursue the criminal element involved in the drugs raid than the council taxpayer. Mr Murdoch's claim was an example of a litigious society and "blame culture".
However, Perth MSP Roseanna Cunningham (SNP) said that while this might not seem like a major accident, it would have been seen differently if the ex-officer had ended up with a much more serious injury that would have affected his ability to work.