A police officer who was 'bullied' out of his job after he was filmed smashing into a disabled pensioner's car with his truncheon has won his employment tribunal. Pc Mike Baillon, 42, claimed he was forced out of his job after becoming the butt of jokes from fellow officers over CCTV footage of him battering the Range Rover of 74-year-old driver Robert Whatley, near Usk in Monmouthshire, South Wales. The video of Pc Baillon wielding his truncheon was viewed more than 30million times on YouTube, leading him to walk out of his job after being ridiculed every day by his fellow police officers. But the tribunal ruled he was unfairly dismissed from the traffic squad after writing a 'whistle-blowing' letter to the force raising a number of concerns at how his case was handled. The panel has yet to decide how much compensation Mr Baillon should receive but it is likely to run to six figures because of lost earnings and pension entitlements. He was one of two police officers chasing stroke victim Mr Whatley as he drove along country roads without a seatbelt, before pulling him over in his black £60,000 Range Rover in 2009. Mr Whatley expected the officers to gently knock on his window, but instead Pc Baillon attacked it with a baton 15 times while his colleague climbed onto the bonnet and kicked in the windscreen. Mr Baillon told an employment tribunal in Cardiff that he was moved from the roads unit to a local policing team after the incident. The officers were cleared of misconduct after an internal investigation but Pc Baillon was removed from frontline duties and his colleagues often brought up the 'Whatley incident', the tribunal heard. Pc Baillon told the hearing: 'The ridicule from colleagues was getting to me - it was every single day. 'They thought I had done wrong and I was lucky to have got away with it. I just wanted my closure. Mr Baillon also told the tribunal in Cardiff that his locker at work was defaced over the 'Whatley incident' and that he became a 'laughing stock'. The experienced officer finally took sick leave for stress and wrote letters of complaint to the Gwent Police Authority. Former police Superintendent James Baker told the tribunal that he was taken off front-line duties because Pc Baillon's mental state could have impaired his ability to respond to high-speed chases. Jean Norton, of Ashfords Solicitors, who represented Mr Baillon, said her client was 'relieved' at the outcome. This matter has caused both him and his family undue stress and financial loss, and the team is delighted to have been able to help Mr Baillon, a conscientious and highly regarded police officer, win this victory.' Mr Whatley won a £20,750 payout from the police over the damage caused to his Range Rover and also received £45,000 is costs. He was later ordered to pay £235 after being found guilty of speeding and failing to stop for police. Speaking at the time of the incident, the pensioner said: 'You would have thought I had robbed a bank. 'It's something you might expect in America but not in the quiet of the British countryside.'

• published: 03 Mar 2013
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