£80,000 compensation for harassment

A black activist who claims he suffered an eight-year campaign of harassment at the hands of the Metropolitan Police has won £80,000 compensation.

Delroy Lindo, 44, had sued the force for £1 million after being arrested 37 times since 1992. He had been prosecuted 11 times for a string of alleged offences ranging from breach of the peace to threats to kill without once being convicted.

Last night it emerged that an out-of-court settlement will see Mr Lindo and his wife Sonia receive the five-figure payout. Scotland Yard denies legal liability and rejects claims of a concerted conspiracy of harassment. But it said in a statement: "The Met accepts that it has not always got everything right in its interactions with the Lindo family between 1992 and 2000 and regrets any distress this may have caused."

Mr Lindo maintained he had been harassed because of his backing of a number of causes. As a high-profile member of Haringey's black community he was a supporter of Winston Silcott, whose conviction for the killing of Pc

Keith Blakelock during the Broadwater Farm riots in 1985 was later overturned.

The settlement comes three years after a Yard report admitted Mr Lindo had been the victim of police harassment. The inquiry, conducted by assistant commissioner Tarique Ghaffur, cleared officers of any conspiracy and revealed a string of spent convictions against Mr Lindo - including being jailed for raping a typist in 1984 as well as theft and GBH.

But it said that the 52 intelligence reports compiled on his family were "unwarranted and unreasonable targeting" and added that that Mr Lindo had been the subject of "negative stereotyping" by police, who had focused unreasonably on his past convictions. The report also said the Lindos were "partly instrumental in creating the spiral of deteriorating relationships" with the police.

However, some senior officers, who regard father of three Mr Lindo as a "professional police baiter", were said to be outraged at the £80,000 settlement.

Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation Glen Smyth said: "I hope relationships between Mr Lindo and local police improve and he does not engage in the sort of behaviour he was criticised for in Mr Ghaffur's report."

But the payout figure is likely to be welcomed by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens, who two years ago insisted he would stand firm against calls for a six-figure settlement. The Metropolitan Police Authority was believed to have recommended £200,000, but Sir John was said to believe a fairer payment would be about £60,000.

But in its statement Scotland Yard said: "The terms [of the settlement with Mr Lindo] include financial compensation and this has been authorised by the MPA."