• Everton striker caught up in incident at
jeweller's
• Player deeply upset and distressed, say his club
Everton's Victor Anichebe wants an apology from the
police.
The Everton
forward Victor Anichebe is awaiting an apology following a
police swoop as he was looking in a jeweller's window in Knutsford,
Cheshire. Officers, directed by CCTV operators, rushed to the scene
and began a "heated dialogue" with Anichebe and his
friend.
The 20-year-old striker's friend was put in handcuffs after
police believed the duo were possibly part of a gang of raiders
responsible for robberies on the exclusive King Street. The
Nigerian-born Anichebe was wearing a leg cast following surgery
when police detained them both. An Everton spokesman, Ian Ross,
said: "Victor was deeply upset and very distressed by the incident.
I believe he is still waiting for a full and unreserved apology
from the police involved. Once he has received that both the club
and the player will consider the matter closed."
Cheshire Police would not answer alleged comments from the pair
that white men would not have received the same treatment and a
police source said no complaints had been received. "For some time
Cheshire Constabulary have been responding to a series of violent
robberies targeting jewellers in Knutsford and in the wider
Cheshire area," a police spokesman said. "We have robust plans in
place to respond swiftly to any report of any suspicious activity
at or in the vicinity of jewellers' premises.
"As part of that plan, local CCTV operators actively and
routinely monitor shopping areas and jewellers' premises and on
this occasion identified what appeared to be two men acting
suspiciously outside a jeweller's store on King Street, Knutsford.
Police attended the location within minutes and upon speaking with
the two men, a heated dialogue developed in an attempt to ascertain
exactly what the two persons were doing outside the jeweller's
premises.
"During the course of this exchange, an officer took the
decision to restrain one of the two men concerned by applying
handcuffs. It was subsequently ascertained that there was no
criminal conduct whatsoever on behalf of the two men concerned and
they were in no way involved in any criminal activity."