Police Scotland Tayside is being sued for damages after officers burst into the home of an innocent man without a warrant because they thought tragic Dundee woman Mary McLaren was being held prisoner there.
Musician Lloyd Anderson came home from Glasgow one night to find his front door boarded up and bloodstains spread throughout his house after one of the police officers involved cut his hand during the “unlawful” search.
It is understood the incident, on March 4 2010, came as a result of mistaken identity from a CCTV photograph shown in the press of Mary McLaren dancing in Fat Sams with Patrick Rae, right, shortly before she was murdered.
The search was part of the high-profile police operation in Dundee as detectives and uniformed officers scoured the city for Mary McLaren, whose body was eventually found in shrubbery on North Marketgait two weeks after her disappearance.
Mr Anderson has now sued the force for £5,000 damages for the cost of repairs and redecoration of his home, and for the considerable “upset and distress” the incident caused him.
Police lawyers have admitted liability for entering his home without a warrant and for causing damage. However, they are disputing the amount Mr Anderson is claiming.
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