NEWSQUEST Cumbria's chief reporter has been shortlisted for a major investigative journalism award.

Phil Coleman has been shortlisted for a Paul Foot Award for his exclusive report in the News & Star which revealed how Cumbrian police officers 'aggressively' used tasers on a man having a mental health episode - resulting in him requiring brain surgery.

Phil fought and won a six-month court battle to have the video footage released, which involved mounting a detailed legal argument — persuasive enough to convince a senior judge that releasing the footage was in the public interest.

Phil was revealed to have made the longlist earlier this month, with the shortlist announcement being published in award body Private Eye today.

'Journalism should strive to expose injustice'

In response to being shortlisted, Phil said: "I'm thrilled to have made the shortlist for this highly respected award.

"I've always believed journalists should hold power to account and that is what I sought to do with my investigation.

"Cumbria Police does much excellent work and is served by many dedicated and professional officers.

"However, the tasering incident exposed by my investigation, following a complex legal challenge, led to the disclosure of shocking police video footage that I felt raises hugely important questions about how, on this occasion, force was deployed.

"The suspect - in his stocking feet and suffering a mental health crisis - was vulnerable. 

"Initially calm, he was clearly not holding a knife and posed no threat. Yet the aggressive conduct of the officers - flying in the face of guidance issued by the College of Policing for dealing with vulnerable suspects - left this young man fearful and panic-stricken.

"By the time the incident had concluded, the suspect had suffered a fractured skull and brain damage. The officers' conduct has been condemned by Amnesty International, a retired Carlisle police officer, and a former Cumbria Director of Public Health.

"Journalism should strive to expose injustice. In this case I feel the suspect suffered precisely that, an injustice. It's an injustice that would never have seen the light of day had it not been for my investigation."

'Officers had acted reasonably'

Cumbria Police has defended the actions of their officers in the incident. A senior officer said that the conduct of the officers involved, given the intelligence available and the circumstances a the time was reasonable.

In a statement, a senior officer said that the incident was immediately referred to the IOPC (Independent Office for Police Conduct) for an independent review, and this found that the officers had acted reasonably in the circumstances.

The senior officer added: “Their investigation found no action to be taken against the officer or the organisation, and no learning identified.

"Following receipt of a complaint in June 2022, the Constabulary once again referred itself to the IOPC to ensure that investigators were aware of all available information."

Read the full story here

'An impossible task'

Chair of judges Pádraig Reidy said: "The judges were hugely impressed by the range of entries this year.

"The eventual shortlist was hotly debated; with so many hard-hitting stories, choosing six can feel like an impossible task."

The judging panel featured Hannah Al-Othman, David Collins, Matt Foot, Helen Lewis, Janine Gibson, Francis Wheen, Kim Sengupta, Julia Langdon and Sir Simon Jenkins.

The Paul Foot Award was set up by Private Eye and the Guardian in memory of campaigning journalist Paul Foot who died in 2004, and recognises the best examples of investigative journalism.

See the full shortlist here.

The winner of the £5,000 prize will be revealed on Tuesday, June 6.

Previous accolades

Phil was previously shortlisted for the Paul Foot Award in 2019 for exposing a fake doctor who fraudulently practised as a psychiatrist for more than two decades. He won the Society of Editors Regional Press Awards Scoop of the Year in 2018 for his investigation.

Other accolades include Weekly News Journalist of the Year in 2000, O2 Media Awards News Reporter of the Year 2016, and Carlisle Living Awards Judge's Special Award, 2019.

Phil has also been shortlisted for news reporting award categories several times and won awards for his feature writing. He was the first journalist in the UK to overturn a Derogatory Assertions gagging order more than a decade ago.

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