EXCLUSIVE: Appalled Residents Helping Injured Elderly Man Spot Traffic Warden Take Videos Of Incident.

“I am appalled that an officer in a position of authority would exploit a vulnerable individual’s suffering for personal gratification. This behaviour is both unethical and completely unacceptable.”

On Tuesday 11 February an elderly man fell on Francombe Gardens. The man had clearly cut his head and lay on the ground in a pool of blood believed to be unconscious for a period of time. Residents on the school run saw the elderly man laying on the ground and rushed to his assistance.

David, who was dropping his daughters off at school, was the first to help the man and told the Havering Daily: “I saw him on the ground and went over to him. I got a blanket from my car and covered him waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Other parents joined me. We tried talking to the man but he was not responding. Another parent stood at the top of the road waiting to direct the ambulance.

“It was quite an upsetting incident as there was clearly a lot of blood on the ground.”

What happened next left David truly appalled.

“A traffic warden arrived and instead of offering any support we saw him take photos with his phone. I got up of the pavement and asked him why he was taking pictures of this awful incident and he said ‘For my personal use’.

“I looked at his phone and saw that he had actually taken a video of what was happening and asked him to delete it. I then saw he had taken three videos of the poor man laying on the ground.”

David and residents helping the injured man were very shocked at the reaction of the warden and have taken the matter further.

“I formally raised a complaint with Havering council today regarding the unacceptable conduct of a Havering Traffic & Parking Control Officer,” continued David

He has now lodged a formal complaint with the council and has also written to Andrew Rosindell MP, and councillors Judith Holt and Keith Prince.

David finished: “We were shocked by his actions. To record for his personal use is appalling. Both I and others present found this deeply inappropriate and immediately demanded that he delete the footage. Given the severity of the situation, where the elderly man was in visible distress and surrounded by significant blood loss, his actions were not only insensitive but also highly unprofessional.

I am appalled that an officer in a position of authority would exploit a vulnerable individual’s suffering for personal gratification. This behaviour is both unethical and completely unacceptable. 

I have formally lodged a complaint with Havering Council following the incident and wish the man better.”

A Havering Council spokesperson said: 

“Firstly, we would like to send our best wishes to the person who was taken ill in Francombe Gardens and hope they are recovering well.

Our civil enforcement officer [CEO] was in Francombe Gardens on Tuesday morning and spoke to a member of the public who informed them that the vehicle he was checking belonged to a person assisting someone who had collapsed nearby and that an ambulance had been called.

The CEO immediately acknowledged this and walked towards the end of the road to help direct the ambulance to where the person was so they could get help.

Checks have revealed no footage was recorded on any device carried by the CEO which includes a hand held smart phone device for issuing Penalty Charge Notices which may have been mistaken for a mobile phone. 

The Council aims to act swiftly in dealing with complaints and there is no further action to take at this stage.”

Councillor Judith Holt, Ward Councillor for St. Alban’s Ward where the incident occurred, told the Havering Daily: “I am very concerned to hear about the alleged behaviour of this traffic warden. If he was filming the accident, not only is this highly insensitive, it would also be unprofessional, as I’m not sure how filming an injured person fits into his work remit. I shall be following this up with Havering Council.I wish the injured resident a speedy recovery.”

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