A mounted police officer seriously hurt when her horse bolted during a Black Lives Matter protest in central London is suing the Metropolitan Police for more than £200,000, according to reports.
Nicky Vernon, 47, suffered a punctured lung, a head injury and fractures to her spine, ribs and collarbone when she was thrown from 14-year-old Rocky after thugs hurled flares and fireworks.
PC Vernon has filed a High Court negligence case claiming the chestnut gelding had a history of unsafe behaviour and the force “exposed her to a foreseeable risk of injury”.
She also alleges the Met broke its own crowd control rules by sending her and colleagues into a violent and densely packed crowd.
Footage of the protest in June 2020 showed the sickening moment PC Vernon was thrown backwards off the horse when she collided with a traffic light in Whitehall when protesters threw missiles at officers.
She was in hospital for eight days and PC Vernon is still receiving treatment more than four years later for post traumatic stress and anxiety, The Sun says.
The Met was approached for comment.
The officer bravely gave an update from her hospital bed at the time, saying: “I’m just about hanging in there with the outpouring love and support from my family, friends and even strangers.
“It’s humbling to receive such support and a constant reminder of the strength of that blue line.
“For some reason it’s referred to as ‘thin’ but it seems it’s made from something stronger than you can imagine. Just unbreakable.”
Former Met Police Federation chairman Ken Marsh called PC Vernon and her colleagues “heroes”.
The organisation, representing 30,000 rank-and-file officers in London, was also contacted by the Standard for comment.
