A Putney man is suing the police after breaking his arm during a raid on a Roehampton club.

David Dickinson, of Hayward Gardens, Putney claims that six officers pushed him off a bar stool in the former Conservative club on Treville Street. The raid which involved 8 police vans and 30 officers was initiated due to reports of drug dealing at the club.

Mr Dickinson, who had been a regular at the club for over 30 years was with his partner when the police came in. He told the Wimbledon Guardian, "Six of them came in and just smashed me to the floor. They were all on top of me." He was admitted to Kingston Hospital and wasn't discharged for three days and couldn't return to work as an exhibition company manager for more than two months.

He believes the police had meant to target a group of younger people who were in an upstairs room that night. As a result of the raid police charged two people with possession to supply crack cocaine after recovering 25 rocks of crack, with a street value of £500.

The police are not commenting on the case for legal reasons.

February 14, 2008